12. Disaster Preparedness—Tsunami Warning SystemCLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) to the Minister of Civil DefenceDisaster Preparedness—Tsunami Warning System12. CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) to the Minister of Civil Defence: Does he support the call from Dr Ken Gledhill Director of GeoNet for a 24/7 tsunami warning system; if so when will the Government provide the funding for that system?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Acting Minister of Civil Defence): Work on that possibility had begun before the events of last Monday morning and will continue. Once all that work is completed then we will be able to make a determination about how the result of that work may be implemented.Clare Curran: Is today's Dominion Post editorial correct that the situation is insane that GeoNet does not have round the clock staffing that every minute counts" and that "The Government must take action straight away."; if so why will he not urgently provide the funding for this?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Largely because we have a group of people inside the Government working on the prospect and I would rather take their advice than that of the Dominion Post. Clare Curran: Does he agree that the tsunami warnings on Monday morning were confusing to the public given that tsunami sirens in New Brighton and Sumner did not sound until 2 hours after the earthquake struck and an hour after the national civil defence website instructed coastal residents to move to higher ground immediately? Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: All decisions about turning on sirens etc. are made by local authorities. I think the breakdown here has occurred in the transfer of information from the civil defence emergency management bunker to that particular authority and I am still trying to find out exactly what happened there. Clare Curran: Why is it that a national public emergency alert system is not yet available to the public given that his Government has spent $538000 in the last 2 years to develop such a system which has been found to be well designed and was described by the previous Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management as having the potential to be a critical component of a public alerting system?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Work on having a public alerting system has been as the member points out going on for quite some time. That work will continue once civil defence is away from its immediate task of assisting in this current event. I would expect that in due course there will be a public warning system. What I would have to say to the member is that there are many of us who have experienced public warning systems in other jurisdictions and observed that many people become somewhat inured to the message that comes through those systems unless they are less frequent and more targeted. There is no simple answer to all of this. I think there is a great deal to be learnt out of the very real frightening and threatening situation that developed on Monday morning and I am sure that all of those lessons will be packaged into a response for the future.Clare Curran: Does he accept it is a priority for New Zealanders to have a properly functioning tsunami 24/7 warning system and a national emergency public alerting system?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Given that the Government has been working on this for a time and has committed funds to it it would be churlish for me to say anything other than yes."