Cyclone Gabrielle can be the genesis for a new model of how New Zealand manages disasters.

For over 30 years I have been involved in disaster management in New Zealand and beyond. I was the architect behind the National Urban Search & Rescue training framework and response team (NZRT) registration system, and have trained more instructors in New Zealand for flood/swiftwater rescue than any other person. I have a PhD that researched major flooding and earthquake disasters, a commentator for world news outlets including the New York Times and I am New Zealand's only Fellow of the Institute of Technical Search & Rescue. I was a senior executive on the Officials Domestic and External Security Committee and more recently, Head of Training for the Country Fire Authority (Victoria), one of the world's largest fire and rescue agencies. So this is not a jump on the blog band wagon when disasters get sexy, this article is based on decades of real experience.

What are my initial observations?

1. There was a sea change in leadership, with it being more proactive in pre-deployment of resources before Cyclone Gabrielle struck. This included a massive level of public information which was targeted, simple and repetitive. The crisis communications was very good and government appeared wanting to be very prepared this time.
2. In 2005, I wrote an article warning that we need a national flood rescue plan with suitably resourced agencies. This remains a significant gap and the public should be rightly alarmed that Fire and Emergency New Zealand are not resourced and mandated for this key role that they should be leading. This doesn't need an inquiry, this is common sense. There would hardly be a fire/rescue service in the developed world that does not have this function. With highly experienced partners like Queensland Fire & Emergency Service surely more than happy to train our firefighters, training should be starting next month. FENZ should be the lead, and be able to supported by others such as Coastguard, Land SAR and Surf Lifesaving.
3. There no doubt will be a Royal Commission of Inquiry, but so many inquiries and review are done by people with emergency service, not disaster management qualifications. We need future inquiries to be led by qualified disaster managers such as those with the international CEM credential or a post-graduate degree in disaster management, not retired police or military officers.
4. We have failed to learn. The US passed legislation within a year following Hurricane Katrina to better protect companion animals as they were a key factor in people failing to evacuate, putting themselves and public safety responders at risk. It's simple, save animals = save people. A report into animal disaster law reform was submitted at Parliament in 2019 and we need positive leadership to ensure these recommendations are part of future reform.
5. Auckland Council boldly changed the approach to evacuation centres, announcing they would all accept companion animals. Shortly afterward, other civil defence oragnisations started to mirror this advice. To have the largest CDEM organisation in the country announce this position, shows great leadership and a commitment to values based emergency management (a concept discussed by leading author Damon Coppola).
6. The New Zealand Defence Force again stepped up and made a marked and positive contribution to the response. However, claims that they are highly trained are not accurate given NZDF do not train to any recognized standard in flood safety, and like in previous flood events they continue to deploy without basic safety equipment such as water helmets and personal floatation devices. NZDF like any other civil defence partner should be meeting the same training standards for disaster response.
7. We need an Inspector-General for Emergency Management, as introduced in Victoria and Queensland. This has been recommended before for NZ but again, unqualified reviewers did not see the merit in this proven model. Disasters are going to increase and we need an independent and qualified body to oversee and monitor the much needed reform to the emergency service and disaster management sectors. Many of the agencies responding have near to zero accountability mechanisms like an IGEM, and this would ensure government and its response partners are accountable for their activities without political interference or shielding.
8. The time has come for the volunteer network of New Zealand Response Teams (NZRTs) to be transferred into FENZ. As they have done with the State Emergency Service in Queensland, and as we have done with dozens of former rural fire brigades. With FENZ mandated to lead flood rescue (as their function under the FENZ Act is to only "assist with swiftwater rescue"), additional funding should be given to FENZ to provide the NZRTs a national umbrella, with improved integration into emergency response. Given their importance in assisting with urban search and rescue (earthquake/structural collapse rescue), it means such surge capacities are coordinated under an all-hazards approach. This would mean agencies like NEMA to focus on the wider hazardscape such as nuclear threat which has not disappeared just because we had a cyclone. Just wait for Lake Taupo to erupt!
9. Companion animals are part of the family, and it makes no sense to have different agencies responsible for rescuing different members of such families. We have agencies responsible for children, women, maori, pacifika, disabled... but they are not responsible for their rescue during disasters. Recent floods in New South Wales, specialist flood rescue teams were rescuing more animals than people. FENZ should be responsible for flood rescue including people and animals (like specified in the NSW SES legislation). This ensures efficient coordination of response and prevent duplication of effort, and animal interest groups can support FENZ in that function where they are trained/equipped appropriately (and be legally and financially protected). This is known as the #OneRescue approach.
10. It is unrealistic to expect even a large agency like MPI who will be overwhelmed with the impacts to agriculture to even have the capacity to also worry about companion animals which they have little to do with on a day to day basis. It makes more sense that MPI is refocused on production animals, zoos, aquarium and laboratory animal emergency management. This would mean FENZ would coordinate anything in the "red zone", brining people and companion animals out to the "cold zone", where they are handed over to local civil defence welfare which includes animal management services.
11. The inaugural deployment of Task Force Kiwi is very exciting to see. We need to value community led resilience initiatives like this with financial and political support. Well done! Let's hope they are financially supported by government in their efforts too.
12. Fatalities involving persons in submerged vehicles needs more attention in New Zealand and a better all-of-government approach. Changes to laws and improvements in road marking systems need further research.
13. Critical infrastructure failed leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and other services. New Zealand seems culturally resistant to invest in flood barrier technology. Given over 80% of declared emergencies in New Zealand are flood related, lifelines such as power, water, gas and telecommunication companies need to start investing in barrier systems to protect key facilities. Nationally managed caches of flood barriers should be strategically located throughout New Zealand, and it would make sense that NZDF are the key service delivery partner given their logistical infrastructure, not to mention service persons would appreciate installing simple and fast barrier systems, than lugging around sand bags that typically fail when overtopped by flood water.
14. External Accreditation of Emergency Management Programmes is needed. After spending years on a flawed Monitoring and Evaluation program, there still remains are a gap to allow the public to have confidence that emergency management programmes are in place and to an acceptable standard. Whether there is an IGEM or not, New Zealand should stop trying to re-invent the wheel on the cheap and invest in international benchmarking using Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). Government departments including NEMA and Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups should be required to meet and maintain this accreditation. This removes political interests, and also creates many opportunities for NZ emergency managers to be involved in this peer accreditation system around the world. Such accreditation status should be made public in annual reports as part of being a transparent and accountable government. Creating our own standard because we don't measure up internationally or so we can control the outcome, is no longer palatable.
15. Though there has been improvement, the question needs to be asked is emergency management at the local level adequately resourced and do they have sufficiently qualified practitioners. There is less than 16 Certified Emergency Managers (CEM) in New Zealand. This is an underwhelming number given how critical this function is. Leading research by Dr Matthew Ellis correctly points out that emergency managers require vastly different skills and competencies than emergency services (or the military) - they are not the same. Imagine having hospitals without doctors, construction without engineers - emergency management needs specifically (not allied) qualified practitioners (such as holding the CEM as benchmark) in emergency management.
16. Maybe we should adopt a national workforce model like in teaching, where teachers are employed by the Ministry, but work for a school and board of trustees. This could be replicated with the national agency responsible for workforce remuneration and banding, assessing the minimum number of professionals a CDEM Group need to meet accreditation, but those professionals working to the CDEM Group CEG (like a Board of Trustees). And like teachers, EM professionals would require registration which has a qualification/certification as a pre-requisite. Improved progression and remuneration will help attract and retain such professionals.
17. As social memory fades, we have forgotten the importance of decentralized community response capability. From developing countries to the US, hands-on disaster response training in the form of "Community Emergency Response Training" (CERT) is common. We need to engage communities beyond just have a plan and a few survival plans to "Civil Defence: You're the Army". With the above recommendations, this would align to existing community education/risk reduction programmes undertaken by FENZ.
18. Sadly, I have lost count of how many lessons identified in previous floods or other emergencies have repeated themselves. My research has proven that we do not learn from previous emergencies (one comparative study observed only 7% of applicable lessons were actually applied in a subsequent response). Again, having an IGEM starts to introduce the mechanisms for improved accountability including lessons management.
19. The important role of indigenous peoples (Maori) in disaster management was well show cased. New Zealand's formal inclusion of Maori in the revised (3rd edition) of the national incident management model (Coordinated Incident Management System - CIMS) should be recognised and applauded. The kindness, capacity and organisation of Marae proved again the importance of such inclusion.
20. Warning systems continue to be paternalistic and not at pace with the public's own access to hazard data. We need to move to an all-hazards warning system that allows citizens to determine the level of risk, in additional to official directives or recommendations. The Victoria Government's VicEmergency App that allows users to select what emergencies they are to be made aware of is something that New Zealand desperately needs. The UN GDACS system is another concept worth exploring.
21. Volunteers are being called upon more frequently and for longer periods. With changes in employment models such as in increase in casual and contract based work, the current emergency management system makes volunteering even in a national emergency difficult, despite the provisions of section 112 that protects a persons employment if called upon. The issue is the provision basically says the employee must be released if directed by a Controller, but there is no onus on that employee being paid. What we need is this section revised to apply automatically to any person deployed by an organisation mandated in any national or group emergency plan, and that the government applies a subsidy based on the taxable income of that person to the employer. This is important as many key roles require professional expertise from veterinarians, engineers, media specialists and GIS experts - skills that are not viable on minimum wage.
22. Finally, lets be clear on one thing. "Unprecedented is not unforeseen". With climate change and other factors such as urban drift and population growth, the trend for more events like this was inevitable and will continue to be. We are all on notice that we have to do better, as individuals, communities and government. We cannot afford to undercook emergency management reform with window dressing, we need to sink serious resources, policy and law into emergency management and climate change, as next time we will not be so lucky.

The reality is that Cyclone Gabrielle was not as catastrophic as it could have been and New Zealand sits on many powder kegs of natural hazards such as the Hutt Valley (the most densely populated flood plain in the country) and the Taupo volcano.

Many expected significant changes to emergency management after the Christchurch earthquake and the following Ministerial Review into Civil Defence, but the changes were not revolutionary. The question will be, will we really learn this time or will we just reshuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic again.

That said, New Zealand has an opportunity to redefine itself as world leading in emergency management. The challenge is now laid down.

Dr. Steve Glassey PhD MEM CEM FInSTR