WELLINGTON, April 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps needed to address, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said on Tuesday.
While releasing the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events, Mitchell said New Zealand's emergency management system must be appropriate for responding to future emergency events because lives and livelihoods are at stake.
The North Island Severe Weather Events in the first two months of 2023 claimed the lives of 15 people, and the lives of many more were forever changed due to the loss of loved ones and property during the severe storms and floodings caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, Mitchell said.
The system as a whole needs to be addressed, he said.
Weather events and other emergencies have a huge impact on local communities and regions. Any response requires involvement from communities, local and central government, authorities and organizations and emergency services, the minister said.
Further decisions regarding law change will be made in the next few months, including introducing a new bill this term, alongside making system improvements that do not require legislative change, he added.
The existing Emergency Management Bill "does not go far enough or elicit the system-wide change to deliver the robust, fit-for-purpose emergency management framework that New Zealand needs," Mitchell said.
As weather and other events will continue to impact New Zealand, the emergency management system needs to change to meet the reality of the country facing more frequent and severe weather events, he added. ■
