CDEM Groups

CDEM Groups and CDEM Group plans

Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups (CDEM Groups) are a core component of the CDEM Act 2002.

16 CDEM Groups have been formed across New Zealand as committees of elected councillors from each council within regional boundaries.

Download a graphic illustrating the CDEM Groups and their associated Councils (.pdf 3.2mb)

The Group delivers CDEM through its executives, planners and operational staff of the many agencies involved in CDEM. Groups can be viewed as a consortium of the local authorities in a region working in partnership with emergency services, lifeline utilities and government departments, amongst other things, to:

identify and understand hazards and risks
prepare CDEM Group plans and manage hazards and risks in accordance with the 4R's (reduction, readiness, response and recovery).

The CDEM Act 2002 provides more information on the formation of CDEM Groups

CDEM Groups are also explained in Section 5 of the Guide to the National CDEM Plan.

CDEM Group Plans

Under the Act, every CDEM Group must prepare and approve a Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan (CDEM Plan). These plans must state and provide for:

the local authorities that have united to establish the CDEM Group
the hazards and risks to be managed by the Group
the CDEM necessary to manage the hazards and risks
the objectives of the plan and the relationship of each objective to the National CDEM Strategy
the apportionment between local authorities of liability for the provision of financial and other resources for the activities of the Group, and the basis for that apportionment
the arrangements for declaring a state of emergency in the area of the Group
the arrangements for co-operation and co-ordination with other Groups.

The Act requires that CDEM Groups consult with the public over the development of their CDEM Group Plan and that interested persons may make submissions about the proposed plan to the CDEM Group. Each CDEM Group Plan must be reviewed after five years in operation.