Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that eight regions have been awarded funding grants from the 2016 Resilience Fund, an annual fund of $889,000 administered by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM).

'We recognise that some of the best work towards enhancing New Zealand's resilience is happening in our regions. As a Government, we want to support these communities to continue this great work, and help them share their skills and knowledge across the whole country,” Ms Kaye says.

'This year's successful applications will contribute to upskilling New Zealand's Civil Defence Emergency Management sector, helping to better understand and prepare for hazards such as the Alpine Fault, tsunami, and flood risk.”

Recipients include:

• $245,000 to Waikato CDEM Group, for the Integrated Training Framework, which provides a platform for the development of national standard training.

• $245,000 to Environment Southland for Alpine Fault resilience work. This grant provides first year funding of a two year project bringing science and emergency management together to improve understanding of the implications and priorities relating to an Alpine Fault rupture.

• $120,000 to Manawatu-Wanganui CDEM Group, for the development and implementation of the Emergency Management Information System (EMIS), and information sharing and management system for use during emergencies.

• $85,000 to Hawke's Bay Regional Council's East Coast LAB, a multi-agency initiative to improve resilience to communities on the East Coast from off-shore natural hazards including the Hikurangi trough.

• $85,000 to Environment Canterbury's Paleo-Tsunami project, which aims to bring together all known information about paleo-tsunamis both nationally and internationally to help configure, design, and implement an online database.

• $40,000 to Northland CDEM Group, with the Practical Tools for CDEM Welfare Management to facilitate the improvement of welfare planning and management across NZ.

• $40,000 to West Coast CDEM Group, for the West Coast Lifelines Vulnerability and Interdependency assessment, which focuses on vulnerabilities, pinch points, hot spots and interdependencies related to the Alpine Fault.

• $29,000 to Rangitikei District Council for the Flood Uplift Project, a multi-agency approach which will adapt UNESCO guidelines and use community engagement to identify/evaluate options to reduce flood risk.

'These funds will help us to identify and understand our risks, and to prepare for, respond to, and recover back from emergencies. Most importantly, they will help to keep New Zealanders and people who visit our country safer,” Ms Kaye says.

'These projects are about ensuring we are a stronger nation because we will be more informed about natural hazards and be better placed to reduce risk, respond and recover from major events.

'Successful applicants reflect a diverse range of initiatives from assisting with welfare planning, to strengthening training, to research projects.

'The Government is strongly committed to improving New Zealand's resilience to its range of natural hazards. Today's announcement follows last month's $6.2 million Budget boost for the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management to support its efforts to ensure New Zealanders are better prepared for emergencies,” Ms Kaye says.

Ms Kaye says applications for the fund were considered by a moderation panel, with criteria that placed a strong emphasis on applications that improved collaboration, improved resilience at a local and regional level, and promoted consistent approaches.

The Resilience Fund is distributed on an annual basis. For full details on the successful applicants, visit : http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/cdem-sector/cdem-resilience-fund/#current

Source: Office of Nikki Kaye.