Mark Mitchell Announces Reforms to Enhance Disaster and Emergency Management

The NISWE Inquiry was commissioned to review the response to severe weather events and identified a range of structural issues within New Zealand’s current emergency management framework.

The New Zealand Government has outlined a comprehensive five-year vision to enhance the country’s disaster resilience and emergency management system, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery, Mark Mitchell, announced today.

Minister Mitchell emphasized that lessons learned from recent severe weather events, such as Cyclone Gabrielle, Cyclone Hale, and the Auckland Anniversary floods, have underscored the need for urgent reforms. These events, coupled with findings from the North Island Severe Weather Events (NISWE) Inquiry, highlighted significant gaps in the country’s ability to respond effectively to emergencies.

"It’s clear from the NISWE Inquiry that our current emergency management system is not fit for purpose," said Mitchell. "These recent disasters have shown us how severe and long-lasting their impacts can be on our communities. We must take decisive action to equip our emergency management system to handle future events better."

Findings of the NISWE Inquiry

The NISWE Inquiry was commissioned to review the response to severe weather events and identified a range of structural issues within New Zealand’s current emergency management framework. Although many of the findings echoed previous inquiries, Mitchell affirmed that the Government is fully committed to implementing all headline recommendations from the report.

"Many of these recommendations are not new, and we’ve heard them in past inquiries," Mitchell acknowledged. "However, now is the time to act. It’s clear that our communities deserve better, and we will deliver on that."

A Five-Year Vision for Emergency Management Reform

Titled Strengthening Disaster Resilience and Emergency Management, the Government’s long-term strategy outlines five key areas of reform designed to create an adaptive, streamlined system capable of responding to future crises. The plan aims to strengthen New Zealand’s emergency management capacity through the following focus areas:

Adopting a Whole-of-Society Approach: Encouraging collective responsibility for emergency management by involving all sectors of society, including individuals, communities, and businesses, alongside government bodies.

Supporting Local Governments: Enabling local authorities to maintain a consistent standard of emergency management across New Zealand, ensuring regional preparedness and response capacity meet national expectations.

Professionalising the Workforce: Building capability and capacity within the emergency management workforce by introducing more professional training and development opportunities to ensure responders are highly skilled.

Fostering Collaboration: Enhancing cooperation and communication between different parts of the emergency management system to create a more cohesive response to crises.

Strategic Focus on Implementation and Investment: Prioritizing funding and resources for effective implementation of reforms, with a focus on long-term resilience and preparedness.

Moving Forward: Legislative Changes and Community Involvement

Mitchell highlighted that while the overhaul will be complex and take time, immediate actions can still be taken. He stressed the importance of individual and community preparedness, encouraging all New Zealanders to have a personal emergency plan in place.

"We all have a role to play in keeping ourselves and our communities safe during emergencies. Preparedness is key," said Mitchell. "Make sure you have a plan. We may not know when the next emergency will happen, but we can certainly be better prepared."

In addition to the upcoming reforms, the Government plans to introduce a new Emergency Management Bill later this term, which will enshrine these structural changes into law. A public-facing roadmap outlining the next steps in the work programme will be released early next year.

Minister Mitchell remains realistic about the challenges ahead but is confident that the planned reforms will ensure New Zealand is better equipped to face future disasters.

"These changes won’t be a quick fix," Mitchell said. "Our emergency management system is inherently complex, but the steps we are taking today will make a real difference in our ability to respond to and recover from emergencies in the future."

With the new strategy in place, the Government is positioning itself to not only address the immediate gaps in emergency preparedness but to create a long-lasting framework that prioritizes resilience, collaboration, and proactive investment.