Civil Defence and Emergency Management capabilities: An assessment of New Zealand's framework and humanitarian logistics response to the Christchurch Earthquakes 2011

Abstract

Effective management and leadership in readiness for and response to disaster events can mean the difference between life and death. As well as shaping the scale of the impact that these events can have on the economy and social stability of a country. This study focuses on New Zealand’s civil defence and emergency management (CDEM) capability to logistically respond to disaster events. Data were gathered from a survey of 83 CDEM managers and specialists, face to face interviews at national, regional and local levels, triangulated against important secondary sources. We use the context of the devastating 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquakes to analyse the performance of the CDEM sector and its humanitarian logistics response. We found that while New Zealand possesses the foundation of a robust framework of emergency management legislation, a National CDEM Plan and other policies, the implementation and performance against this framework highlighted a range of deficiencies. In a number of cases these areas require urgent attention. While it is timely to contribute academic literature that focuses directly on New Zealand’s CDEM capabilities, readiness and response, we argue that our findings have implications for the humanitarian logistics field in general.