Newshub tried to interview Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence controller Ian Macdonald, but was told he is on leave this week. So Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst spoke on behalf of the Civil Defence group.
When asked if anyone would be held accountable, she said: “This isn’t about people, it’s about systems and processes… and about how we manage to bring all the parts of the emergency management system together. We know the system is broken for our region and the country.”
New Emergency Management Bill on the cards
The inquiry is the second such review that’s revealed a raft of issues, after a report by former police commissioner Mike Bush found the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Emergency Coordination Centre “lacked situational awareness and intelligence about much of the danger and damage until too late”.
The scope of the latest inquiry was much wider, and covered the emergency management for most of the North Island. It revealed that “communication and warnings were non-existent or insufficient”, and “the capability and capacity of people and infrastructure was overestimated or lacking”.
The panel was also “frustrated that many of these recommendations are not new and were suggested in previous reviews”, from earlier weather events, but nothing has been done to implement them.
However, instead of fixing the existing emergency management legislation, the minister is committing to creating a completely new Bill.
“It is my intention to introduce a new Bill this term, alongside making system improvements that do not require legislative change,” said Mitchell.
The inquiry is warning that even if fully implemented, their recommendations alone will not fix the problems. They’re urging the Government to considerably boost its funding for councils and communities – as they only get $900,000.
“There’ll be budgetary decisions, and those sit at Cabinet level. I can’t speak to those now,” he said.