scholarly journals Civil defence aspects

1978 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-14
Author(s):  
R. H. F. Holloway
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Earthquake Prediction ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Major Earthquake ◽  
Civil Defence

In New Zealand, Civil Defence exists because many natural hazards and man-made accidents can create disasters of dimensions that could not be dealt with by the normal emergency services. The destructive earthquake without warning is probably the most difficult and dangerous threat to public safety for Civil Defence to contend with. Most other causes of disaster either have some degree of warning or are relatively localised compared with the sudden and widespread effects of a major earthquake. Civil Defence planning is, in a sense, already based upon a vague and imprecise prediction of earthquakes known to be more likely to occur in some areas than in others and accepted as likely to happen at any time. The effect on Civil Defence of
 better earthquake prediction will depend
 on the probability, accuracy (in time, location and magnitude) of such prediction and how soon before the event it can be made.

scholarly journals Counting the cost

1998 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-292
Author(s):  
Geoff Gregory
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Major Earthquake ◽  
Civil Defence ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Risk Managers

The Wellington after the Quake conference, organised by the Earthquake Commission in Wellington in March 1995, sought to answer some of the questions faced by all concerned with the recovery and restoration phases of a major earthquake in a nationally significant city. The papers, which were by a range of international authorities, and the discussions were published later that year, and some copies of the volume are still available from the Earthquake Commission. Then, in November 1996, the Earthquake Commission and the Insurance Council of New Zealand jointly sponsored a seminar on Natural Hazards: Finding, managing and sharing people and information, and a summary booklet was prepared as a record for those who attended and to inform those who were unable to attend. This seminar, Counting the Cost: The economic effects of a major earthquake, was again sponsored jointly by the Earthquake Commission and the Insurance Council of New Zealand, with the intention of looking more closely at the economic effects of a major earthquake. It attracted about 200 participants, most coming from the insurance and banking industries, fund and risk managers, and economists in a range of organisations, although there were also representatives from emergency management and civil defence organisations, local and regional councils, and earthquake engineers. This report on the information presented in the papers and discussions has been prepared to highlight the main conclusions and themes raised, for both the attendees and a wider audience who were unable to be present.

scholarly journals The role of local bodies

1978 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-42
Author(s):  
M. Fowler
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Earthquake Prediction ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
Earthquake Resistant ◽  
Civil Defence ◽  
New Buildings

Responsible local authorities throughout New Zealand anticipate a recurrence of earthquakes which experience and historical records have proven. Some have declared themselves bound by the M.C. Act, Clause 301A, which requires earthquake risk buildings demolished or upgraded to at least a minimal acceptable standard. All are bound to require new buildings to conform to present earthquake resistant codes, and most have established
a Civil Defence organisation. None are programmed to operate upon the advice of the anticipated time of a predicted earthquake. Yet the application of the science of Earthquake Prediction will require not only the total co-operation of Central Government, but even more importantly that of Local Government to align the population to the worthwhileness
 of heeding both false and true predictions.

scholarly journals Support structure design for New Zealand Forest Products Ltd's No. 5 Recovery Boiler

1987 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6
Author(s):  
R. D. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Seismic Performance ◽  
Time History ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Seismic Resistance ◽  
Simple Application ◽  
Major Earthquake ◽  
Lateral Forces ◽  
Industrial Boilers

Internationally, the seismic resistance of large industrial boilers appears to be addressed by the most simple application of relatively low equivalent static lateral forces which are resisted elastically. This paper describes measures taken to ensure a predictable
and controlled seismic performance of such a boiler
during a major earthquake. Inelastic time-history methods of analysis were used to confirm that the desired performance would be achieved. As a result the client was able to purchase a relatively standard boiler in the international marketplace and still achieve a level of seismic resistance consistent with the best NZ practices.

scholarly journals Demographic and Psychological Factors and Preparation for Earthquakes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Matthew John Spittal
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Unrealistic Optimism ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Major Earthquake ◽  
Earthquake Preparation ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Control Risk

<p>New Zealand, like many countries, is at risk from a number of natural disasters including flooding, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The risk of exposure to such disasters over the course of a lifetime is substantial (Norris, 1992). Despite this, many New Zealanders are unprepared for the consequences of a natural disaster; nearly a quarter of New Zealand homes have flaws which could see them seriously damaged or detached from their foundations in a major earthquake (Ansell & Taber, 1996). Recent research suggests that psychological variables contribute to people's lack of preparation for natural disasters. A limitation, however, of much of this research has been the lack of attention paid to the psychometric quality of the instruments used to measure key constructs. The present investigation aimed to examine the relationships between different dimensions of personality and earthquake preparation in a large sample of Wellington residents using psychometrically sound measures. Measures of locus of control, risk, and earthquake preparation were first evaluated in a series of studies using both university students and Wellington residents. These questionnaires were then administered, along with items pertaining to the construct of unrealistic optimism, to a total of 358 Wellington residents. The results showed that locus of control, risk precaution, home ownership, and length of residence were significant predictors of earthquake preparation. Moreover, people exhibited evidence of unrealistic optimism, as demonstrated by both a belief that they were better prepared for a major earthquake than an acquaintance, or other Wellingtonians, and by a belief that they were personally less likely than others to suffer injury in a major earthquake. The implications of these results for emergency managers are discussed and several recommendations are made.</p>

scholarly journals Community Governance and Civil Society: An Examination of the Purpose, Intent and Structure of Residents' Groups in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jarrod Coburn
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Health Board ◽  
District Health ◽  
Community Governance ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Civil Defence ◽  
Charitable Activities

<p>Residents’ groups have been in existence in New Zealand for almost 150 years yet very little is known about them. The collection of residents’, ratepayers’ and progressive associations, community councils, neighbourhood committees and the like make up a part of the community governance sector that numbers over a thousand-strong. These groups are featured prominently in our news media, are active in local government affairs and expend many thousands of volunteer hours every year in their work in communities… but what exactly is that work? From the literature we see these groups can be a source of local community knowledge (Kass et al., 2009), a platform for political activity (Deegan, 2002), critical of government (Fullerton, 2005) or help maintain government transparency and accountability (Mcclymont and O'Hare, 2008). They are sometimes part of the establishment too (Wai, 2008) and are often heard promoting the interests of local people (Slater, 2004). Residents’ groups can be set up to represent the interests of a specific demographic group (Seng, 2007) or focus on protecting or promoting a sense of place (Kushner and Siegel, 2003) or physical environment (Savova, 2009). Some groups undertake charitable activities (Turkstra, 2008) or even act in a negative manner that can impact on the community (Horton, 1996). This research examines 582 New Zealand organisations to derive a set of purposes that residents’ groups perform and ascertains how their purposes differ between geo-social and political locality and over three distinct eras of community development. The thesis also examines the relationship between residents’ groups and councillors, council officers, district health board members and civil defence and seeks to uncover if the level of engagement (if any) has an affect on their overall raison d’etre. The research concludes with a typology of New Zealand residents’ groups along with the key purposes of each type.</p>

Working Together, Building Capacity - A Case Study of Civil Defence Emergency Management in New Zealand

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 565-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Yao Lee ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Exercise Programme ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Psychosocial Effects ◽  
Civil Defence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
New Zealanders

New Zealanders are exposed to multiple natural hazards. The country has experienced major disasters in the past, but recent decades have been relatively uneventful.1This paper reviews the New Zealand approach to civil defence emergency management (CDEM), as introduced by the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 (the CDEM Act). The approach promotes co-operative planning and sustainable management of hazard risks through the “4Rs” - reduction (of risks), readiness, response and recovery. It recognises the central government’s roles of national coordination, and emphasises the responsibilities of regional CDEM Groups, local government and communities for managing local hazard risks. The paper reviews various initiatives to illustrate that capacity building is a collective effort requiring active involvement across central and local government, nongovernmental agencies, communities and all individuals. New Zealand’s preparedness is examined from several perspectives, including: the level of public preparedness, lessons learned from real emergencies, a national exercise programme, and a monitoring and evaluation programme. The paper concludes that New Zealanders are making progress but difficulties remain in persuading all parties to work towards the vision of a “Resilient New Zealand.” 1. This paper was submitted before the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand (where the second largest city Christchurch is located) on 4 September 2010. Fortunately, no deaths and only a few serious injuries were reported as a result of the earthquake. The impact on buildings, infrastructure and economy, and psychosocial effects are being assessed as the paper is being finalised. However, the event is set to become the most costly disaster so far in New Zealand history. It will also be the most significant real test for many years of New Zealand’s emergency management arrangements, but it is too soon for an assessment in this paper of their effectiveness.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document