Planned legislation aims to empower agencies, limit disruption to essential services
Mark Mitchell, minister for emergency management and recovery, announced that Cabinet agreed to 21 policy proposals after public consultation to inform the design of the proposed Emergency Management Bill, which will replace the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.
In a news release, the government shared that it plans to pass the new legislation within this Parliamentary term as part of its response to the Government Inquiry into the Response to the North Island Severe Weather Events.
Across the 21 policy proposals, the government said the proposed legislation will:
According to information from the National Emergency Management Agency’s website, the bill seeks to:
Besides the planned legislation, Mitchell said the government intends to deliver operational improvements via the initiatives included in the Strengthening Emergency Management Roadmap for Investment and Implementation.
In the news release, Mitchell explained that some initiatives will tackle, over time, resourcing and training concerns that a number of submitters identified.
From 15 April to 20 May 2025, the government was open to submissions on possible ways to improve New Zealand’s overarching emergency management legislation.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency, notable themes in the submissions included:
The agency noted that 74 percent of responses wholly or partly supported the planned reforms.
“The 324 submissions received were from individuals and organisations ranging from councils, Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups, iwi groups, volunteer organisations, businesses, interest groups such as animal welfare, and groups representing parts of the community such as disabled people, older people, and rural communities,” Mitchell said in the government’s news release.
In the news release, Mitchell expressed gratitude to those who discussed their viewpoints and insights, which supported Cabinet’s decisions on which policy proposals the bill should attempt to progress.
