New Emergency Management Plan
Expect improved coordination and better operating procedures in any future local emergency in the lower and central North Island as a result of new Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan which has just been approved.
The Plan has just been signed off by the Manawatu-Wanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management Group’s Joint Standing Committee which consists of the Chairman of Horizons Regional Council and the Mayors of the seven territorial authorities in the region. It is the first plan in the country to be reviewed and approved under new guidelines set by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
The aim of the Plan is to get greater consistency in emergency management across the parts of region covered by the plan and to ensure that the various local government agencies work well together at both the political and operational level. The Plan is focused on high level strategic goals and objectives but does not deal with specific operational matters.
The Plan however sets out standards for the declaration and management of local emergencies, the delegations to controllers, and systems to guide the recovery phase following an emergency. It also defines accountabilities and sets in place a management and governance structures.
The Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee, Garrick Murfitt says while some people see strategy documents as pretty boring and lacking detail, they are in fact extremely important because they give the high level direction that is necessary for organisations and groups to function effectively. “This is particularly the case when managing a local emergency because there are many different agencies, all with different tasks but with the same goal. Everyone needs to know how the others the operating and have confidence that task will not be duplicated or others missed. This is a significant achievement and this revised CDEM Group Plan will serve the Group well in the future,” says Mr Murfitt.
Horizons Regional Council is the regional authority covering Tararua, Horowhenua, Manawatu, Palmerston North City, Rangitikei, Wanganui and Ruapehu. It also encompasses some parts of Taupo, Stratford and Waitomo Districts.
Horizons has statutory responsibility for protecting and maintaining the environment and managing the natural and physical resources of fresh air, clean water, productive land and natural ecosystems.
Its work includes flood protection, soil conservation, pest control and environmental monitoring and protection, helping to create tomorrow’s future today.
