12. Question No. 12—Emergency ManagementTĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Minister for Emergency ManagementQuestion No. 12—Emergency Management12. TĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Minister for Emergency Management: How is NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) helping to build a safe and resilient New Zealand which is ready to respond to emergencies?Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Emergency Management): May I begin by acknowledging the emergency management professionals and volunteers that have been working hard to support communities through the severe weather events of the past week. I must also acknowledge the impact that this severe weather has had on individuals businesses and farming communities. I've been in contact with the mayors of the affected districts who are reporting that their local emergency management operations are responding well. Our emergency management system has been strengthened in recent years with the National Emergency Management Agency leading the work to put people and communities at the heart of our system and decision making. The Government has substantially increased NEMA's ability to support New Zealand communities in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.Tāmati Coffey: What steps has the Government taken to protect New Zealand from significant emergency events?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: In addition to establishing the National Geohazards Monitoring Centre deploying a network of Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis buoys to provide early warning of tsunamis and storm surges establishing emergency management assistant teams who can be flown around the country to provide support to local responses rolling out the Emergency Mobile Alerts system and opening NEMA's 24/7 Monitoring Alerting and Reporting Centre. We are also improving Kiwis' preparedness in the event of a tsunami with the launch of Aotearoa's first nationwide tsunami evacuation map. This map enables Kiwis to enter their address to find out if they are in a tsunami evacuation zone and where to go to stay safe. It then provides in-depth local evacuation information. This is the first time we've had a single map of this kind for the whole country.Tāmati Coffey: What feedback has the Minister received from rural and provincial councils on the emergency management system?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: I've recently made visits to 22 rural and provincial councils and will have met with all 55 by early October. A consistent message I've been hearing is that emergency resilience is top of mind for rural communities particularly in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events. Mayors and councillors have emphasised how much they value the strong working relationship they have with NEMA and with their locally-based teams. It is important to note that when emergencies occur the Government is quick to respond through support to the mayoral relief fund. This supports communities with rapid access to funding for their immediate needs. And we continue to monitor even after the weather event passes so that we can be aware of the full extent of the impact on communities. It is critical that we continue to build up NEMA's capability to support people and communities through these emergencies.