Organisers are hoping one million people will “Drop, Cover and Hold” at 9.26am on Wednesday 26 September as part of New Zealand’s first ShakeOut earthquake drill.The deadly 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Canterbury at 12.51pm on 22 February 2011 was a tragic reminder for individuals and communities to be prepared. ShakeOut aims to stimulate discussion amongst whānau and communities to better prepare for a civil defence emergency. Shakeout is being managed by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Te Puni Kōkiri is working to help prepare Māori communities. So far, more than 284,000 people have registered at the ShakeOut website: www.shakeout.govt.nz