Media release: Council continues improvements to Auckland’s emergency preparedness, says Deputy Auditor-General

Auckland Council continues to make progress in its work to improve the city’s emergency preparedness, says the Deputy Auditor-General in a new report.

Auckland Council plays the central role in overseeing emergency preparedness in the Auckland region. Auckland Emergency Management is the part of Auckland Council responsible for co-ordinating all planning activities related to hazard and emergency management.

Flooding in 2023 that affected Auckland and the wider North Island was a reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness. The Auckland Anniversary weekend floods of January 2023 and Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 led to loss of life and widespread damage to property.

Two independent reviews commissioned by the Council into its response to the 2023 floods, and our June 2023 performance audit Auckland Council: Preparedness for responding to an emergency, identified the need for a significant programme of improvements to Auckland Council’s emergency preparedness. Auckland Council has accepted the recommendations of all three reviews.

For this follow-up work, the Auditor-General’s staff wanted to know whether Auckland Council had clear and realistic plans to implement the 51 recommendations of the three reviews, and what progress it had made in implementing them.

“Our work found that Auckland Council has made significant progress in addressing the recommendations, and is better placed than it was in early 2023 to respond to the next major emergency,” says Andrew McConnell. “However, more work is needed to fully implement, embed, and test the changes made from the three reviews, and to provide assurance to the public that Auckland Council is ready for the next emergency.”

The Deputy Auditor-General also identified the ongoing role the Council has in supporting all Aucklanders to improve their emergency preparedness.

“It is essential that Auckland Council prioritise work to understand gaps in community emergency preparedness and target its resources towards communities that might need more support,” says Mr McConnell.

“Since the 2023 floods, Auckland Council has made significant steps towards setting up a well-functioning emergency response system, in line with review recommendations,” the Deputy Auditor General says.

“However, emergency preparedness in Auckland is not the responsibility of Auckland Council alone. All of us have a role in preparing for emergencies. The council has a challenging leadership role in helping to ensure community readiness and this must remain a key priority for the next stage of its work.”

ENDS