Agenda of Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Meeting

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Response Manager

Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Meeting item: 7.1

2 September 2025

TITLE:	CEG Chair Report
From:	Kori Puckey, Emergency Management Specialist; Zach Woods, Emergency Management Communications Specialist; Tony Devanney, Emergency Management Specialist; Bill Hutchinson, Emergency Management Specialist; Damian Rio, CDEM Emergency Manager; Kylie Cox, Welfare Coordination Group Respresentative; Papanui Polamalu, Emergency Management - Iwi/hapū Engagement Advisor; Laura Exton, Emergency Management Specialist – Kaipara; James Harvey, Emergency Management Recovery Support Advisor; Brendon Gray, Emergency Management Partnership Manager; Mark Trüdinger, Emergency Management Recovery Specialist; Jenny Calder, Emergency Management Response Specialist and Sarah Gauden-Ing, Natural Hazards Specialist
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 20 August 2025

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This report provides a summary of activities undertaken by or directly related to the delivery of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group plan over the period since the last CDEM meeting in June 2025.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘CEG Chair Report’ by Damian Rio, dated 28 August 2025 be received.

Background/Tuhinga

INDEX OF REPORTS

1. Activations and Response

2. Northland CDEM Group

3. Far North CDEM Update

4. Kaipara CDEM Update

5. Whangārei District CDEM Update

6. Service Level Agreements

7. Welfare Coordination Group Update

8. Northland Lifelines Group Update

9. CDEM Communications Update

10. Māori Relationships Update

11. Tsunami siren replacement Project Update

12. Tsunami inundation mapping Project Update

13. Multi Agency Coordination Centre

14. Professional Development and Engagement

15. Natural Hazards update

16. Recovery

1. Activations and Response

No activations have occurred in the last quarter.

On 16 April, weather warnings were received as cyclonic weather tracked towards Northland. This weather system, labelled, Ex Tropical Cyclone Tam was likely to impact our region when it made landfall.

An understanding of the region’s readiness was established in preparation to activate, if required. Although the weather moved through quickly, over 24,000 homes and businesses in Northland experienced some power outages. The power companies worked as quickly as safely possible in some trying conditions to restore power across the region however about 25 homes were without power >5 days.

2. Northland CDEM Group

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the Northland CDEM group, several key appointments have been confirmed:

Permanent Appointments

· James Harvey – Emergency Management Specialist – Lifelines

· Papanui Polamalu – Emergency Management Advisor – Māori Relationships

These appointments ensure valuable continuity and stability within the team and will support the continued delivery of high-quality outcomes across the region.

Leadership Appointment

Following the recent organisational restructure at Northland Regional Council (NRC), Brendon Gray has been appointed to the newly established Tier 4 role of Emergency Management Partnerships Manager. Brendon brings extensive expertise in emergency Management, IT, project delivery, and contract management. He will lead strategic partnerships, support team development and contribute to enhancing regional emergency management capability.

Specialist Appointment

Rongomaiwahine Glassie has been appointed to Emergency Management Specialist (EMS) for the Whangarei District. She brings relevant experience in marae preparedness, a sound understanding of NRC and WDC systems, and demonstrates strong alignment with organisational values.

Rongo’s extensive regional networks, particularly with rural and remote communities along with her trusted relationships with councils, hapū, and community groups, position her well to foster collaboration and enhance community resilience across Northland.

3. Far North CDEM Update

Activities undertaken by Emergency Management Specialist are relative to the 2024-2025 Work Plan as outlined in the Far North District Council Service Level Agreement and include:

· Community / Stakeholder Engagement - Community engagement to support and enhance Marae and Community resilience and reviews of community response plans (Opononi, Takahue, Northland Fijian Community, Kerikeri, Moerewa, Te Hiki Development Trust, Ngati Kahu, Haititaimarangai Marae, Ngāti Rēhia, Otatara Marae Preparedness Workshop, Waimanoni Marae, Waiora/Ngataki Marae, Kaitaia Evacuation Plan Review, Totara North, Rangitane/Opito Bay/Doves Bay Community Response Plan review)

· CDEM Training FNDC – Coordinated Incident Management, Welfare, Emergency Operation Centre and EOC Exercise have been undertaken and completed.

· Tsunami Evacuation Information Boards – District wide replacement of signage including any required repairs and maintenance is underway to reflect update of Tsunami Zones.

· Northland Lifelines – Review of priority transportation routes

· Service Level Agreement (SLA) – Review of draft SLA to reflect agreed workplan for 2025/2026 is with Far North District Council for sign-off.

· Operational IT - Review of IT and updates of FNDC Emergency Operation Centre laptops

4. Kaipara CDEM Update

Activities undertaken by the Emergency Management Specialist – Kaipara relative to the 2024-2025 Work Plan as outlined in the KDC Service Level Agreement include:

· An overview of community engagement activities conducted for this quarter can be viewed in the Community Response Planning and Marae Preparedness Planning agenda item

· New Tsunami Evacuation Boards – 10 new tsunami evacuation boards are printed and ready to replace the old evacuation boards.

· Mangawhai Tornado response lessons identified – implementation of debrief actions is ongoing.

· Mangawhai Tornado Welfare Insights – the Local Welfare Managers shared their tornado response insights with the wider EOC Welfare team to support lessons management and capability building efforts.

· EOC SharePoint & Teams – work continues to finalise the new structure, with a plan to roll training out to EOC staff in August.

· NEMA Financial Assistance training session – delivered to KDC EOC and Finance staff; invite shared with other Northland TAs.

· Governance Engagement – supporting CDEM involvement in the 2025 election process and Elected Member induction planning.

· Annual Dargaville Community Evacuation Plan hui – scheduled for Thursday 28 July.

· Psychological First Aid (APA) - some KDC EOC Welfare staff attended a course, organised externally, in June.

· Function Manager development - bi-monthly function manager hui; recruitment ongoing to fill gaps in Function Manager roles.

· Quarterly KDC new staff Induction - inaugural session held on Thursday 3 July. Positive feedback has been received from attendees, citing a better understanding of KDC’s role and responsibility during a civil defence response, how it might affect them, and how they can get involved.

· Service Level Agreement (SLA) - SLA to reflect agreed workplan for 2025/2026 has been signed off by KDC, awaiting sign-off from NRC.

· EOC Staff – There are 50 staff in the KDC EOC team.

5. Whangārei District CDEM Update

Recent work undertaken with the Whangarei District Council (WDC) includes the following:

· Community / Stakeholder Engagement - Community engagement to support and enhance Marae and Community resilience. Additionally, we have reviewed and changed the public facing ‘Community Plans’ to reflect the change of the ‘blue’ tsunami evacuation zones.

· New Tsunami Evacuation Boards – We have 64 new tsunami evacuation boards printed and ready to replace the old evacuation boards.

· Function Lead Training – Since April we have provided the WDC EOC Function Leads with monthly training to cover all aspects of the EOC operations. This will build on their current function/EOC knowledge and focus on how the WDC EOC operates.

· EOC Staff – We currently have 59 staff in the EOC.

· Service Level Agreement (SLA) – We have drafted changes to the 2025/26 Service Level Agreement (SLA) which now sits with WDC management for final draft and finances added.

6. Services Level Agreements

The Service Level Agreements (SLA) for Whangarei District Council (WDC) and Far North District Council (FNDC) remain under review, and the group is currently awaiting their submission. The SLA for Kaipara District Council (KDC) has been received and forwarded to the Chief Executive of Northland Regional Council (NRC) for final review and endorsement

7. Welfare Coordination Group (WCG) Update

The second Northland WCG meeting for 2025 was held on 6 June, where the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) presented the draft Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Northland Welfare Support Plan. Feedback from member agencies was requested by 30 June to support refinement and preparedness planning.

Welfare Management and Capability Development

Regular six-weekly engagement continues between the Group Welfare Manager and Alternate/Local Welfare Managers to monitor training progress, address challenges, and provide support. Inductions have been completed for five council staff involved in local welfare functions (three from WDC, two from FNDC).

The WCG has adopted its 2025/26 work programme, maintaining alignment with strategic goals, and has reviewed and updated its Terms of Reference for 2025–2028.

Stakeholder Engagement
Over the past quarter, the Group Welfare Specialist has actively engaged with a wide range of national and regional stakeholders, including central government agencies, local councils, community response groups, and sector partners. Notable engagements include:

· National Group Welfare Managers Hui

· Auckland Emergency Management (Exercise Manaaki)

· Kaipara District Council (Mangawhai Tornado debrief and Waipoua Forest Fire response)

· Rural Support Trust collaboration events

· Northland Lifelines Group

· Karikari and neighbouring Community Response Groups

· Multiple government agencies including MSD, MBIE, MPI, Oranga Tamariki, Whaikaha, and NEMA

Efforts continue to strengthen relationships and coordination across all participating agencies, with a focus on enhancing regional welfare capability and readiness.

8. Northland Lifelines Group Update

The Northland Lifelines Group (NLG) met on 16 May 2025, where the updated Terms of Reference for 2025/2026 was formally adopted. The following new initiatives were added to the NLG Business Plan for the upcoming year:

· Participation of selected lifeline agencies in Regional Exercise Whakahaumaru

· Update of the Lifelines Tsunami Plan

· Development of a Regional Disaster Waste Management Plan

In addition, NLG contributed to a North Island inter-regional priority routes mapping project, led by the New Zealand Lifeline Council. As part of this initiative, Northland’s existing priority and alternate route maps were reviewed by roading sector representatives and the Group Controller. The review applied the nationally standardised priority level rating system now used across CDEM lifeline utility infrastructure.

Priority levels for road response
Priority 1	Open up regional access / spine and access to hospital
Priority 2	Alternate spine and access to some priority sites
Priority 3	Access into suburbs/settlements and remaining priority sites
Priority 4	Access to remaining population and seasonal sites

New Northland priority routes maps were produced by NRC GIS team and uploaded into the North Island Priority Route project and then moderated by project team to remove any inter-regional anomalies.

Work continued acquiring spatial data sets from key stakeholder and national agencies to update the NLG critical infrastructure sites database and to provide geospatial data for the NCDEM ArcGIS Lifelines Viewer.

Stakeholder Engagement

Meetings attended over the past three months:

· NLG quarterly meeting networking with national and regional utility agencies.

· NLG transport sector representatives to finalise Northland priority routes maps.

· North Island/NZLC priority routes working group to moderate regional mapping outputs.

· National Lifelines Group Programme Manager quarterly hui via Teams.

9. CDEM Communications Update

CDEM Facebook page insights, March 1, 2025 – June 1, 2025

· Page visit: 62,532

· Facebook Page followers: increased by 1618

· Total FB page followers as of June 1, 40,251

We saw good growth this period on our Facebook page with our winter preparedness campaign taking place, and a couple of weather-related incidents and warnings generating interest on the page.

The top performing post over this period was the Orange Heavy Rain Warning for April 3: http://facebook.com/civildefencenorthland/posts/pfbid098WN98aVTzVC2wAc6DpadjDDKTQPE24mbRPEfysu23nTiAx8PEzhhkRnYxC8rgeMl with 180K reach. This was the first orange warning in a decent period of time.

Second was a post for the Orange Heavy Rain and Strong wind Warnings for Cyclone Tam: https://www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthland/posts/pfbid025ij7r7VabdVAbuCYrAgEFD3Uu45SMeNaNoiog8nWQgsk8m4pLu9CxGFM9A2nJF5Vl with 161K reach.

Third was the post for the Orange Heavy Rain Warning on 9 May: https://www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthland/posts/pfbid083pZr2zxRRT3L1i6bnM5c6fXT91NsiSKMvfznMmXYzN4LU9iUB3z8PyLfsc5CRDzl with 113K reach

Northland CDEM Web section insights, March 1, 2025 – June 1, 2025

· Total page visits: 20861

· Most popular pages:

1. Tsunami-evacuation-zones: 10282

2. Listen-to-the-tsunami-siren-sounds: 3038

3. CD home page: 1970

The website views remain relatively high, in line with having a campaign running over the period. The CD home page is the page linked in the digital ads, so it makes sense that this would be in the top viewed pages behind the siren sounds, which is consistently in the most viewed pages. The increase in views to the evacuation zones is likely to be driven by the promotion of the new evacuation zones and the newly installed tsunami boards in the Far North, which all link to the evacuation zone page directly via QR code.

Communications Campaign Wrap-Up Summary
Preparedness Campaigns: “Get Summer Ready” & “Get Winter Ready”
Reporting Period: 1 Jan 2025 – 1 June 2025

Situation Overview

Between 1 July 2024 and 1 January 2025, our Facebook page experienced a slight decline in followers from 38,422 to 38,313 marking a departure from the steady quarterly growth of 50 – 100 followers previously observed. Engagement metrics, including post views and website traffic, also trended downward during this period.

Given the importance of our digital channels in reaching Northland communities with important information, this decline prompted a strategic response to reinvigorate engagement and promote public awareness of Civil Defence Northland.

Campaign Objectives

The primary goals of the seasonal preparedness campaigns were to:

· Reinforce public preparedness messaging aligned with NEMA’s seasonal campaigns.

· Promote Civil Defence Northland’s Facebook page and website as trusted sources of emergency information.

· Increase:

o Reach of warning-related posts.

o Facebook followers.

o Website traffic.

Campaign Activities

The campaign was active during key summer and winter periods and included:

· Radio advertising and interviews

Broadcast across major Northland stations (More FM, The Breeze, The Edge, The Rock FM).

· Targeted Facebook posts

Seasonal preparedness tips to current conditions.

· Digital advertising

Designed to drive traffic and engagement across platforms.

Results (Key Performance Indicators)

Warning Post Reach:

· Post-Campaign:

Three orange weather warning posts had *reach of over 100,000 each.

· Pre-Campaign:

Comparable posts had reach of between 18,000–42,000.

*Reach on Facebook. This metric counts reach from the organic distribution of Facebook content, including posts, stories and ads. It also includes reach from other sources, such as tags, check-ins and Page or profile visits. This number also includes reach from posts and stories that were boosted. Reach is only counted once if it occurs from both organic and paid distribution.

Facebook Followers:

· Increased by 1,938 from 1 January to 1 June 2025.

Website Views:

· Total page visits Jan 1 – June 1, 2025, are up 81% vs the same period in 2024 – from 16853 to 30545 views.

Additional Metrics

Radio Reach:

· Estimated potential reach of 56,000 Northlanders, expanding our audience beyond existing digital channels.

Digital Ad Performance:

· 41,789 impressions across January, February, and May.

· 1,956 clicks with a Click-Through Rate (CTR) of 4.47% - a strong result, exceeding industry benchmarks.

Considerations

Budget:

· Total Campaign Spend: $11,547 (radio, digital ads, interviews).

· While modest for this level of activity, further analysis will assess return on investment (ROI) and optimise future spend.

External Factors:

· Fewer weather events during campaign period, which typically drive engagement.

· The significant increase in reach during recent warnings suggests the campaign helped maintain visibility and readiness.

Attribution:

· While direct attribution is challenging, the correlation between campaign timing and improved metrics supports a positive impact on public awareness and engagement.

Actions

To sustain momentum and building on campaign success:

· We will look to continue the seasonal preparedness campaigns annually.

· CDEM team to review budget allocation, with consideration to:

o Reviewing radio spend.

o Maintaining digital and interview components.

10. Māori Relationships Update

From April to July 2025, our team engagement has continued to strengthen relationships and build resilience across Māori communities through extensive engagement, collaboration, and kaupapa-driven initiatives. Central to this mahi has been the successful delivery of the 35 Marae Project, which expanded to engagement with 47 Marae, focused on flood mitigation, preparedness and planning in partnership with the NRC Rivers team.

Alongside this, support has been provided for tsunami siren upgrades, national and regional hui, and growing interest from iwi and Māori organisations seeking to enhance their emergency readiness.

CDEM Te Taitokerau & NRC Rivers – “Flood-Affected Māori Communities and Marae” Programme

The programme had 7 projects attached to this Kaupapa. July 2025 marks the conclusion of on of these projects, the 35 Marae Project, a collaborative initiative between CDEM Te Taitokerau and NRC Rivers. This programme focused on flood mitigation and marae preparedness, delivered through joint workshops and hui.

Key Achievements Over the Past 14 Months:

· Although titled the “35 Marae Project,” we successfully engaged with 47 marae across Te Taitokerau, with additional interest from many others.

· Delivered 103 hui, meetings, and workshops, resulting in over 217 direct whānau contacts.

· The team invested significant personal time, including weekends, to build genuine relationships and enduring partnerships with marae, haukainga and hapori.

· Travelled extensively across the region, including Maungaturoto, Ruawai, Kaipara, Hokianga, Waimā, Panguru, Pawarenga, Whangaroa, Awanui, Te Hapua, Whangārei, Poroti, and Whangaruru.

· Developed 17 Marae Preparedness Plans, either completed or pending final approval; an additional 13 plans are in progress, and 7 Marae remain in the workshop phase. 9 other Marae either already had plans or were part of the 6 major flood mitigation works carried out by the NRC Rivers Team in this project.

· We anticipate the 35 Marae project completion by August 2025.

Acknowledgements:

Special thanks to the following individuals and teams for their support and collaboration:

· Graeme MacDonald, NRC Rivers Team: Matt Jolly, Nicole Brasher, Barney Brotherhood, Courtney Sanson. Jack Rudolph (KDC), Bill Hutchinson and Kori Puckey.

· Our dedicated project team: Chantez Connor-Kingi, Joe Camuso, Damian Rio, Sarah Peri (FNDC), Ngaire Cooper, Rongomaiwahine Glassie, Sandra Harris.

Haramai tetahi āhua – a spirit of unity and purpose has guided this mahi.

11. Tsunami Siren Project Update

Brendon Gray’s role within NRC has changed to that of the Partnerships Manager, moving away from focussing solely on projects. This may cause delays in the closeout and administration items relating to this project however, the construction plan remains the same and Brendon will continue to manage this project through to its completion. Brendon’s original contract was through until 3^rd October 2025.

The Waipu Cove site has resource consent approval, the remaining sites are still within the resource consent approval process. Waipu Cove’s siren is expected to be constructed in July.

A structure for the ongoing maintenance needs to be confirmed and is included as a separate paper.

Given the current capability and status of the new sirens, it is recommended that no further funds are used to maintain the existing (ripple fed) siren network, and that the existing network begins depreciation.

A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Figure 1 - Dashboard of roll-out progress TSRP

12. Tsunami Inundation Modelling Project Update

Work is well underway on replacing the evacuation boards with the new blue zone versions, beginning in the Far North.

District	Replaced	Remaining
Far North	19	7
Kaipara	0	10
Whangarei	0	66

This work will take some time as it’s a physical task with around 100 boards throughout Te Taitokerau.

The maps within our response plans are also being replaced and the national tsunami evacuation zone maps have been updated.

13. Multi Agency Coordination Centre (MACC)

The NRC-FENZ MACC Heads of Agreement has been signed by NRC and FENZ and the NRC-FENZ MACC Development Agreement (binding) is in final form to be executed in July 2025. FENZ, NRC and WDC have completed their work on the concept design ready for the RFQ for Architect and Design Team (Engineers, etc).

The RFQ has been drafted and will also be processed in July 2025. Developed and detailed design will progress once consultants are fully engaged. Consenting applications will be issued during the developed design stage.

14. Professional Development and Engagement

Training

Coordinated Incident Management System Level 4 (CIMS4) and CIMS functions training courses were held in Kaikohe in early May. A summary of CIMS training attended by staff from each Council and stakeholder agencies is shown in the table below.

The Coordinated Incident Management Courses for July, September and November are currently at capacity. With some function trainings still under subscribed, work continues to get council and stakeholder staff onto these courses to further develop their capability in emergency management.

Whakahaumaru Exercise 2025

Planning continues for Exercise Whakahaumaru being held Wednesday 9 November 2025, with 15 agencies currently indicating participation, using the opportunity to test their internal readiness and review business continuity plans.

Engagement – EM Forum 2025

The annual EM Forum was held at the Northland Events Centre on Wednesday 30 April, with 210 delegates from across the rohe, representing agencies, NGOs, and our communities. The Hon, Mark Mitchell, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery addressed the delegates, providing a governmental update. Speaking topics including the importance of collaboration, sector updates, case studies, Ngawhā Generation and the work being done with Marae and communities, which rounded out a full day.

Following the Forum, Minister Mitchell and the NEMA team hosted a workshop, providing the opportunity for delegates to offer insights on the issues and options in the Emergency Management Bill. Although delegate numbers reduced for this session, the feedback and commentary were invaluable, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to feed directly into NEMA on this matter.

The 2026 EM Forum will be held at the Northland Events Centre, on Wednesday 13 May 2026.

15. Natural Hazards Update

Risk Portal

The technical work on Resilience Explorer has been completed by urban Intelligence. NRC staff are still working on some of the data needed to fully support the system, specifically all flood data and lifelines data. However key case studies have been identified, and risk assessments are being undertaken by Natural Hazard staff.

Wairoa River Model

The initial Wairoa River Model was delivered to council in early April 2025. Also, in April Discovery Marine completed cross sectional bathymetry of the lower Wairoa and Kaihu Rivers.

NRC are conscious that new or updated hazard data can be a challenge to a community and therefore have committed to ground truth and socialise the maps before they are finalised and published.

On the 23 June NRC presented the initial hazard maps and the results of the Wairoa Cross sections to Grant McCallum MP, members of the Kaipara District Council, KDC staff and members of the Dargaville Community.

Early Flood Forecast Modelling

Please see the separate paper for an update on the Early Flood Forecast Model trial.

Overtopping modelling

Working with technical experts we have developed a scope of work that is more cost efficient than originally planned. We have contracted Water Technology on a proof of concept on the Awanaui Flood scheme. This work will show what will happen if the flood protection works (such as stop banks and levees) are overtopped which would occur when the volume of water in the river exceeds the capacity of riverbed and any flood protection.

16. Recovery

Ngā Manga Atawhai Project Closure

The Ngā Manga Atawhai project concluded on 30 June 2025. The Memorandum of Understanding was formally rescinded, and the project was handed over to Te Roroa at a tukua ceremony. The initiative exceeded its target by 68%, clearing 1,631 trees from waterways, significantly contributing to flood mitigation. Over two years, the project employed 15 kaimahi and engaged 40 landowners across 57 sites, delivering strong outcomes in training, employment, and community resilience. A final report ($3.027M funding) was due 28 June.

National Recovery Tools Launched

Northland contributed to the national launch of the Recovery Toolkit (84 documents) and the Recovery Function Guide, which establish a structured framework for Recovery operations and staffing. These resources enhance national and regional readiness.

Regional Recovery Coordination

· Ongoing Northland Recovery Managers’ meetings and training

· Recruitment interviews held for FNDC and KDC Local Recovery Managers

· Secured funding extension from DPMC for Recovery Office through to March 2026, enabling development of a common operating platform

Sector Engagement and Innovation

· Participated in Canterbury’s Exercise Whakahau Recovery Advisory Panel workshop, exploring new governance models for Recovery

· Transferred management of the Community Renewable Energy Fund ($1.122M) to support 17 sites with stand-alone power systems

· Co-founded LEARNZA, a Trans-Tasman Recovery Learning Community of Practice, to deliver six training sessions annually

· Presented at the national Recovery Managers’ meeting and led a workshop on Recovery Manager appointments aligned with new severity levels

· Organised the Recovery Manager panel for the 2025 EMPA Conference

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: Ngā Manga Atawhai photo book ⇩

Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Meeting item: 7.2

2 September 2025

TITLE:	Membership and appointments – Northland CDEM Group
From:	Damian Rio, CDEM Emergency Manager and Kylie Cox, Welfare Coordination Group Representative
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 22 August 2025

Executive summary/Whakarāpopototanga

Whakarāpopototanga | Executive Summary

This report provides an up-to-date list of members and key appointments for the Northland CDEM Group. The list of key appointments is available on the Northland CDEM Group plan webpage.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia | Recommendation(s)

1. That the report ‘Membership and appointments – Northland CDEM Group ’ by Damian Rio, CDEM Emergency Manager and Kylie Cox, Welfare Coordination Group Representative and dated, 30 July 2025 be received.

2. That the CDEM Group notes the new iwi representative is Thomas Hohaia replacing JJ Ripokoi and Hone Dalton, effective 29 May 2025.

3. That the CDEM Group approves the removal of Shona Morgan, Joanne Tasker and Sian Leith and Paula Urlich from their appointed CDEM roles for Whangarei District Council.

4. That the CDEM Group notes the transition of John Burt, Local Controller appointment from Kaipara District Council to Whangārei District Council (replacing Shona Morgan) effective 1^st September 2025; and

5. That the CDEM Group notes that John Burt will continue as a Group Controller on behalf of Whangārei District Council effective 1^st September 2025.

6. That the CDEM Group approves the appointment of Tracey Deane, Kaipara District Council and Esther Powell, Far North District Council as Local Recovery Managers in accordance with CDEM Act 2002 s. 30 (1).

Tuhinga | Background

Membership of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group:

Councillor Stratford	Chair of CDEM Group - FNDC
Councillor Stolwerk	NRC
Mayor Cocurullo	WDC - Mayor
Councillor Lambeth	KDC
Wipari Henwood	Commander, Fire and Emergency NZ
Superintendent Matt Srhoj	Northland Police District Commander
Shona Morgan	NEMA (observer)

Membership of the Coordinating Executive Group:

Simon Western	Chair of CEG – CEO, WDC
Jonathan Gibbard	CEO, NRC
Ruben Garcia	FNDC delegated representative
Jason Marris	CEO, KDC
Wayne Ewers	Inspector, NZ Police
Graeme Quensell	Assistant Area Commander, Fire and Emergency NZ
Sarah Boniface	Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora
Ben Lockie	St John Ambulance
Shona Morgan	NEMA (observer)
Liz Philips	Interim MoH Representative
Sarah Irwin	Northland Lifelines Group
Kylie Cox	Northland Welfare Coordination Group
Thomas Hohaia	Iwi Representative
Snow Tane	Iwi Representative

Controllers:

Group Controller(s)	Local Controller(s) Whangārei District	Local Controller(s) Kaipara District	Local Controller(s) Far North District
Jenny Calder	Simon Western	Jack Rudolph	Alastair Wells
Graeme MacDonald	Victoria Harwood	Alistair Dunlop
Alastair Wells	Calvin Thomas
Simon Western	John Burt
Victoria Harwood
Louisa Gritt
John Burt

Welfare Managers:

Group Welfare Manager(s)	Local Welfare Managers Whangārei District	Local Welfare Managers Kaipara District	Local Welfare Managers Far North District
Kylie Cox	Toby Hoey	Jenny Rooney	Ange Simonsen
Chris McColl (Alternate)	Kate Biddlecombe (Maternity Leave until June 2026)	Siobhan Holster	Kara-Mia Rogers
Raewyn Smythe (Alternate)			Kirsty Roper

Recovery Managers:

Group Recovery Manager	Whangārei District	Kaipara District	Far North District
Mark Trudinger	To be appointed	To be appointed	To be appointed
Jenny Calder

Iwi Representation

JJ Ripikoi and Hone Dalton have stepped down from their roles as appointed iwi representatives. Effective 29 May 2025, Thomas Hohaia has been appointed as the new representative from Te Kahu o Taonui. (Attachment 1).

Local Controllers appointments

Whangārei District Council (WDC) Local Controller Shona Morgan resigned from her position at WDC on 11^th July to take up a permanent position at NEMA. She has been removed from the list of WDC Local Controllers.

From 1^st September 2025 John Burt has moved from Local Controller for Kaipara District Council to be a dedicated Local Controller for Whangārei District Council. The identified Local Controllers for Whangārei will be updated to reflect this change for the next meeting. Whangārei District Council confirmed that John Burt will remain as a Group Controller on behalf of Whangarei District.

Local Welfare Managers transitions

Kate Biddlecombe, Local Welfare Manager for Whangārei District has taken Maternity Leave for 12 months. Her intent is to return to the position of Local Welfare Manager in June 2026.

Paula Urlich, Local Welfare Manager for Whangārei District, retired in June 2025. Paula has served in this role for over a decade, making significant contributions to Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) throughout her tenure. Her dedication has been greatly valued, and we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation for her service.

The Group Welfare Manager is currently collaborating with Welfare Function team members from Whangārei District Council, Kaipara District Council and Far North District Council. Once this development phase is complete, each Council will be requested to further appoint their respective Local Welfare Managers. This process will align with ongoing efforts to build capability and capacity within the Welfare Function.

Local Recovery Manager appointments

Following the process adopted at CEG and Joint Committee for appointment of Local Recovery Managers, the CDEM Group Manager and Group Recovery Manager, along with the district council Chief Executive’s representatives, interviewed prospective Local Recovery Managers. We would like to propose the following appointments:

· Tracey Deane, Kaipara District Council; and

· Esther Powell, Far North District Council.

This appointment will be made under CDEM Act 2002 s. 30 (1).

Local Recovery Managers for Whangārei District Council, Joanne Tasker and Sian Leith resigned from their roles on 25 June 2025 and new appointment/s will need to be made.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: 03.06.2025 Te Kahu o Taonui appointment to NCDEM ⇩

Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Meeting item: 8.1

2 September 2025

TITLE:	Community Response Planning and Marae Preparedness Planning
From:	Damian Rio, CDEM Emergency Manager; Papanui Polamalu, Emergency Management - Iwi/hapū Engagement Advisor; Laura Exton, Emergency Management Specialist – Kaipara and Kori Puckey, Emergency Management Specialist
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 20 August 2025

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This report provides an overview of the community resilience work being carried out by our NCDEM Emergency Management Specialists (EMS’), with a specific focus on Community Response and Marae Preparedness Planning activities.

This report covers Q4 April to June 2025, and the year 2024/2025.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Community Response Planning and Marae Preparedness Planning’ by Damian Rio, CDEM Emergency Manager; Papanui Polamalu, Emergency Management - Iwi/hapū Engagement Advisor; Laura Exton, Emergency Management Specialist – Kaipara and Kori Puckey, Emergency Management Specialist and dated 30 July 2025, be received.

Background/Tuhinga

CDEM continue to maintain strong, collaborative relationships with marae and community groups across Northland. This includes supporting the development of new community response and Marae preparedness plans, as well as ongoing engagement with groups that already have established plans.

This work is a longstanding and integral part of CDEM’s approach, aligning closely with the CDEM Group Plan. Building resilient communities is essential—particularly in Northland, where many remote and isolated communities face multiple hazards. The planning process not only enhances preparedness but also fosters community cohesion and strengthens local response and recovery capabilities.

These efforts are directly in line with the Government’s response to the Report of the Government Inquiry into the Response to the North Island Severe Weather Events, which emphasised the vital role communities play in official emergency responses.

Significant work is also underway to support Marae preparedness planning, driven by initiatives such as the Northland Flood Resilient Māori Communities and Marae kaupapa and the dedicated mahi Māori Relationships role.

Community Response Planning and Marae Preparedness Planning work undertaken

The following graphs highlight NCDEM’s engagement activity from April to June 2025 and across the 2024/2025 year to date. They show new engagement requests, the status of community and marae response plans, and total engagements. This reflects the significant workload and achievements of our Emergency Management Specialists and communities, alongside their other responsibilities.

For this quarter, NCDEM engaged with 13 new community and marae groups. These first-time engagements demonstrate the constant demand from communities for support and preparedness planning (last quarter we had 20 new requests for engagement).

While incredibly important, this work adds to our existing commitments with established groups and contributes to a steadily increasing workload for our Emergency Management Specialists.

“Other” refers to groups outside of Community Response Groups (CRGs) & Marae, such as ethnic communities or vulnerable people groups, where their focus was response planning.

This quarter, NCDEM received 12 new requests for engagement from marae. The bulk of this workload has been in the Far North, followed by the Kaipara District.

Note: new engagement refers to a group that has not previously (or recently) interacted with civil defence, and is now expressing interest in meaningful discussions to strengthen their readiness and response capability through developing a Community Response Plan or Marae Preparedness Plan.

As at June 2025, there were 63 completed Community Response Plans and Marae Preparedness Plans with a Completed status across Te Taitokerau. This is an increase of 8 marae preparedness plans from last quarter.

This includes any plans that are complete but identified for review.

You can view the community response group map here.

Currently, 9 Community Response Plans have been identified for review. These updates are needed either to incorporate new hazard information—such as updated tsunami evacuation zones—or to refresh outdated details like contact or evacuation information.

Recent work has focused on reviewing all plans for communities and marae located within tsunami evacuation zones, ensuring alignment with the latest mapping.

The number of plans requiring review has decreased from 12, reflecting the significant effort by EMS’ and communities to update and improve plan accuracy.

For the 2024/2025 year, our EMS’ engaged with a total of 94 community groups and marae.

“Other” refers to groups outside of Community Response Groups (CRGs) & Marae, such as ethnic communities or vulnerable people groups, where their focus was response planning.

Note: This figure reflects the number of unique communities engaged, not individual engagement sessions. For example, a marae that participated in three response planning workshops is counted once.

Strengthening Hapū Resilience in Te Taitokerau

35 Marae Preparedness Project & Whirinaki Managed Retreat

In response to increasing environmental risks, two flagship initiatives—the 35 Marae Preparedness Project and the Whirinaki Managed Retreat—have delivered transformational, hapū-led resilience outcomes across Te Taitokerau.

Flood-Affected Māori Communities and Marae Programme: 35 Marae Project – A Tikanga-Led Preparedness Initiative

Concluding in July 2025, the “35 Marae Project” engaged with 47 Marae across Te Taitokerau, despite its name. This initiative was a partnership between Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) and the NRC Rivers Team, focusing on flood mitigation and Marae preparedness.

Delivered through hui and workshops held after hours and on weekends, the programme achieved:

· Hapū-led emergency plans integrated with Civil Defence systems.

· Direct communication with over 220 whānau leaders.

· Infrastructure upgrades enhancing Marae safety and accessibility.

· Strengthened relationships with whānau, hapū, and haukāinga, supported by Māori representatives from Kaipara and Far North District Councils.

The most significant outcome has been the deepening of relationships, reflecting the tikanga, kaupapa, and dedication invested by all involved. The increased workload and growing interest from other Māori organisations, iwi, and hapū signal the beginning of a broader, inclusive movement. Continued support and resources are essential to sustain this momentum.

Whirinaki Papakāinga Managed Retreat: Hapū-Led Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Development

In partnership with NRC and The Urbanist, this initiative is a blueprint for climate-resilient papakāinga development. NRC has been facilitating these conversations which have been possible through National Infrastructure Financing and Funding (NIFF) funds that NRC received. Key features include:

· 166 new homes on elevated land, reducing flood risk for 260+ residents.

· Multi-purpose community hubs for education, emergency response, and cultural revitalisation.

· Integrated food systems supporting sovereignty and sustainability.

· Off-grid infrastructure (solar, water, connectivity) reducing external dependency.

· A whānau governance model embedding long-term hapū stewardship.

This retreat delivers intergenerational benefits—enhancing housing, employment, cultural identity, and mana motuhake.

A Unified Vision for Te Taitokerau

Together, these initiatives represent a strategic shift, where hapū aspirations guide decision-making and government agencies act as genuine partners. By embedding whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga, Te Taitokerau is modelling Tiriti-honouring, community-led resilience.

“This is about building futures where Marae and papakāinga are safe, connected, and empowered, where whānau thrive, whenua is cared for, and hapū lead their own destiny.”

Climate Action

CDEM continue to work alongside the Climate Action Team to support resilience building in vulnerable communities across Te Taitokerau. CDEM staff are active in discussing the NRC Climate Resilient Communities Fund with relevant community groups looking to build local climate resilience and making these connections with the Climate Action Team. Further work to spatially map funding for preparedness and resilience is underway across the wider Community Resilience Group.

We are also trying to align CDEM Marae Preparedness hui and workshops with the Climate Action Team and their Energy, Mara-Kai and Waiora Kaupapa and the use of the Resilience Explorer tool.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

Deputy Chairperson, Vincent Cocurullo	KDC Councillor, Gordon Lambeth	NRC Councillor, Rick Stolwerk
NEMA Representative, Mike Gillooly	NZ Police Representative, Matthew Srhoj	FENZ Representative ,Wipari Henwood
NRC Alternate Tui Shortland	WDC alternate Nicholas Connop	FNDC alternate Moko Tepania
KDC alternate Eryn Wilson-Collins

TITLE:	Confirmation of Minutes - 3 June 2025
From:	Haylee Labelle, Personal Assistant Community Resilience
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 13 August 2025

TITLE:	Receipt of Action Sheet
From:	Haylee Labelle, Personal Assistant Community Resilience
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 13 August 2025

TITLE:	National Emergency Management Agency Update
From:	Shona Morgan, NEMA Representative - Senior Regional Emergency Management Advisor
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 20 August 2025

TITLE:	Declarations During Elections
From:	Damian Rio, CDEM Emergency Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Louisa Gritt, Group Manager - Community Resilience, on 25 August 2025