National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy
The National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy set out the overall direction for CDEM in New Zealand from 2002 until 2018.
NOTE: The National Disaster Resilience Strategy which came into effect on 10 April 2019 has replaced the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy. This page provides information about the old strategy.
Under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, the Minister of Civil Defence must complete a National CDEM Strategy. The Strategy sits within the wider emergency management framework, which includes the National CDEM Plan and Guide, and supporting guidelines issued by the Director CDEM.
The Strategy sets out the overall direction for CDEM in New Zealand. It has a vision: Resilient New Zealand: communities understanding and managing their hazards. It also sets out principles and national level goals and objectives. Collectively, these define what we as New Zealanders want to achieve through our CDEM arrangements.
The Strategy was first developed following introduction of the CDEM Act in 2002 and revised in 2008. It will be revised and re-issued again before the end of 2018. By that time it is expected that the lessons from the Christchurch earthquakes will have been fully incorporated into CDEM arrangements and reflected in the Strategy.
National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy (.pdf 1.1mb)
Achievement of the vision defined in the Strategy requires the participation and commitment of the whole community including central government, local authorities, individual departments, businesses, volunteer organizations, and individual families.
Principles and Goals of the National CDEM Strategy
The Strategy confirms five principles agreed by Cabinet that underpinned reforms resulting in the CDEM Act 2002. The principles are:
- Individual and community responsibility and self - reliance
- A transparent and systematic approach to managing the risks from hazards
- Comprehensive and integrated hazard risk management
- Addressing the consequences of hazards
- Making the best use of information, expertise and structures.
The Strategy contains four goals:
- increasing community awareness, understanding, preparedness and participation in civil defence emergency management
- reducing the risks from hazards to New Zealand
- enhancing New Zealand’s capability to manage civil defence emergencies, and
- enhancing New Zealand’s capability to recover from civil defence emergencies.
Each of these goals has a range of objectives supporting it.
Progress in implementing the Strategy
In 2013, the Minister reported to Cabinet on the progress made in implementing the strategy.
National CDEM Strategy Progress Report April 2013 (.pdf 984kb)
A further report is due in 2016.