Risk Returns

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Humanitarian response and disaster risk

reduction in New Zealand and the Pacific

Dr. Richard Smith, Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, New Zealand

ew Zealand is an island nation astride a vigorously

active tectonic plate boundary in the southwest Pacific

Ocean. Its geographic location means the country’s 4.3

million inhabitants are subject to a wide range of potentially

destructive hazards including frequent earthquakes, local and

distant-source tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, flood-

ing, and extreme weather.

As a developed country, New Zealand

is also highly reliant on its networked infrastructure, which is

particularly vulnerable to the range of natural hazards as well

as other man-made disruptions.

Many communities are located in areas likely to be affected by

extreme events. For example, Auckland city, home to one-third

of the country’s total population, and its major commercial hub,

sits on a widespread dormant volcanic field. The capital city,

Wellington, and many other communities in the North and South

islands, are located close to major active faults capable of very large

magnitude earthquakes.

Despite this high exposure, the country had been spared a

major disaster for several decades, with the lull broken by two

large earthquakes within a six-month period. The first on 4

September 2010, was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake near the city

of Christchurch in the South Island, directly affecting more than

480,000 people. Fortunately, no deaths and only a few serious

injuries were reported. New Zealand was not so fortunate when

a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on 22 February 2011, under

the city of Christchurch. At the time of writing this article, New

Zealand remains in a state of national emergency with a current

estimate of 182 deaths from this earthquake. The proximity and

shallow depth of the 22 February event resulted in violent ground

shaking estimated to be three to four times more intense in the

city than that which occurred during the 4 September event. The

result is a higher degree of destruction to buildings within the city.

Of the 70,000 buildings across the city assessed by structural engi-

neers, 4050 (5.8 per cent) have been assessed as seriously damaged

and unsafe. This figure rises to 852 or 23.1 per cent of central

business district buildings, and 844 or 50.7 per cent of heritage

buildings. The event is set to become the most costly disaster so far

in New Zealand history, with extensive losses to older buildings,

unexpected failures of concrete multi-story structures, damaged

infrastructure and impacts on the local communities that are still

being tallied. Notably, the largely light-framed timber structures

favoured for residential buildings in New Zealand performed very

well under extremely violent ground shaking.

New Zealand has always had a high awareness of the need to

construct buildings to withstand earthquakes, with four revisions to

the building code since 1970, including a 1992 revision

that specifically outlined how a building must perform

to withstand the forces expected in an earthquake. The

building code may be reviewed again following the Royal

Commission on the Canterbury Earthquake to ensure

the latest seismological, geotechnical and engineering

science resulting from this event is incorporated into

future construction and to strengthen existing build-

ings. A commitment to thorough science and research,

good engineering, strong and well-enforced regulation,

and comprehensive reduction and readiness activities

will continue to be needed to reduce the risks to New

Zealand from future earthquakes.

Disaster risk reduction and emergency

management in New Zealand

The Christchurch earthquake has served to underscore

for New Zealand society the importance of investment in

disaster risk reduction (DRR), planning and preparedness.

The contemporary approach to DRR and emergency

management in New Zealand advocates collaboration

and coordination across agencies and sectors (public

and private), between different levels of Government,

and between Government and citizens.

The framework

aims to address all hazard risks through the ‘Four Rs’ –

reduction, readiness, response, and recovery.

The approach recognizes that not all hazard risks

can be reduced to zero; however, their impacts can be

reduced through the process of risk reduction, pre-

event planning, effective response arrangements, and

a better recovery process that seeks opportunities to

reduce the impact of future disasters.

Important principles of the New Zealand approach

include: (1) individual community participation in deci-

sion making; (2) comprehensive and integrated hazard

risk management; (3) planning based on consequences;

and (4) making best use of expertise, structures and

information.

Disaster risk reduction: local

Most disasters occur at the local level. Even large

events consist of many small incidents that together

give the event its scale. Hence, New Zealand’s hazard

risk management and planning frameworks place a

strong emphasis on local action. Individuals, commu-

nities and local government are best placed to decide

2003