Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

After the initial response, the recovery process kicks in and runs in parallel to the response
effort until the emergency is over. There is a transition to the recovery process. What the
Christchurch experience tells us is that we prepare well for the response, but not for the
recovery. If we are to build resilience to such emergencies in the future, we must prepare for
the recovery as well. This requires strategic planning that identifies vulnerabilities to hazards
(both pre-existing and those exposed by the disaster) and which engages with the
community in a meaningful way.
Labour will ensure that recovery planning is embedded in our preparedness planning
and training.
Labour will use the Christchurch earthquake response as a case study to review the
performance of civil defence and emergency services. We will identify any gaps that
emerged and address them.
If necessary we will review the civil defence legislation. We will do this in consultation with all
agencies involved, to achieve a coordinated, effective and efficient emergency response
sector.
Volunteer training and professional development
The leadership and expertise of staff and volunteers are essential to an effective response to
a major event.
In the immediate aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes, various volunteer networks
emerged to help tackle the huge recovery task ahead. From the trained staff helping with
the emergency response to the university students offering to help shovel silt, every helping
hand was needed to make this a manageable task.
However there is a question that must be asked about the sustainability of the volunteer
networks that make up Civil Defence, which have struggled to find new recruits. Do the
emergent networks represent a new approach that could be built on?
Labour will work with Civil Defence to assess both the sustainability of the volunteer
base and also the capacity within communities to undertake the response and
recovery roles in a crisis.
People are the most valuable resource we have in event of a civil defence emergency and
we should support them to be as well-prepared as they can be.
Labour will instigate a nationwide Emergency Management Development
Programme to train staff, and a partnership with tertiary training providers to ensure
staff and volunteers have access to quality training and resources.
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