From the tragedy of Christchurch’s 7.4 earthquake to the forecast ‘weather bomb’ that hit Taranaki earlier this year, marae are often there when locals face their darkest times. Te Puni Kōkiri is supporting marae to develop their own emergency plans and plug into the national civil defence network.

“We know in an emergency that marae quickly become the focal point for people to gather and receive support,” says Director of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM), John Hamilton.

“Emergency plans need to be developed and owned by the marae community with ongoing support from the local CDEM Office.”

Some marae have already developed relationships with CDEM and are now designated welfare and accommodation centres. The “Marae Preparedness Programme” is a collaborative programme working with marae collectives, CDEM and Te Puni Kōkiri. It is up and running in the Hutt Valley, Wellington, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Canterbury and beginning in Taranaki.

In Waikato, iwi trust boards are working alongside Te Puni Kōkiri, helping identify marae whose whānau are keen on participating in the civil defence network. The Tainui Waka Alliance is supporting the CDEM mahi and other Māori rōpu – such as Māori Women’s Refuges - are also taking part.

Meanwhile in Wellington, Te Puni Kōkiri is supporting a region-wide marae collective whose members have developed their own Civil Defence Welfare Centre Preparedness Plans. In May, a two-day emergency first aid course saw all eighteen marae representatives pass.

“Marae preparedness is about marae collectives and Māori communities participating alongside councils and other stakeholders as part of Aotearoa’s Civil Defence network in an emergency,” says Te Puni Kōkiri spokesman John Doorbar.

“From welfare to first aid, setting up a seamless connected response network and being part that of the network is the aim.”