Understanding our role in Readiness and Recovery: Waiharara/Kaimaumau Recovery Research and Hawke’s Bay Recovery Team Pilot Evaluation released

Traditionally, Fire and Emergency has concentrated on risk reduction and response activities. With the adoption of the widely recognised approach to emergency management: the 4Rs of reduction, readiness, response and recovery, the readiness and recovery parts are still relatively new to the organisation.

Currently, there is minimal internal intelligence within both readiness and recovery areas to define the organisation’s purpose and role in connecting with and understanding our communities’ make-up, what they value, their strengths and challenges, as well as what their hazards and risks are. By doing this, we are then able to understand where we fit and what we need to do to support the development of resilient communities.

To address this, the National Community Readiness and Recovery team has commissioned research into Northland’s 2021-22 Waiharara/Kaimaumau fire [PDF, 2.2 MB] and an evaluation of the Hawke’s Bay Recovery Team [PDF, 1.8 MB]. Along with the Evergreen Crescent research(external link), these reports will be used to develop a better understanding of our role and responsibilities within readiness and recovery, as well as where we sit in the wider context as a support to other agencies delivering recovery activities.

Overall, this research shows the importance of ensuring that the readiness and recovery initiatives are just as well considered and planned as reduction and response. It is also clear that working collaboratively with our communities and partner agencies will only enhance the resilience of our people and the communities we serve throughout each phase.

The research is helping shape a clear vision for the creation of tools and documents to assist our people in delivering best-practice readiness and recovery initiatives for our communities.

A Readiness and Recovery Framework, guidelines and a toolbox of processes, templates, handbooks, quick guides, and activities to support our people in their readiness and recovery initiatives are currently being developed by the National Readiness and Recovery team.

The Waiharara/Kaimaumau Fire Research and Hawke’s Bay Recovery Team Evaluation reports are available on the Portal.

For more information, contact michelle.griffiths@fireandemergency.nz