The Whakatane District Recovery Project team has been recognised at the 2018 Civil Defence Awards.

They are among four recipients from around the country who received an Innovation Award from Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management Director Sarah Stuart-Black.

This award recognises exceptional innovation or creativity that has pushed the boundaries of current CDEM practice in New Zealand.

The Whakatane District Recovery Project team were acknowledged for their work on the Liveable Homes Project and the wider Whakatane district recovery, following the April 2017 floods that badly affected Edgecumbe.

'Civil Defence Emergency Management attracts dedicated and talented people, and these recipients are representative of the commitment and innovation we see right across the sector,” says Minister of Civil Defence Kris Faafoi.

'These award recipients have set an excellent example for those who follow, and deserve recognition at the national level.”

One gold and three silver Civil Defence Emergency Management awards were presented this year.

The 2018 CDEM Gold Award was presented to Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management Capability & Operations Manager David Coetzee for his work championing the implementation of Emergency Mobile Alerts.

Silver Award recipients are:

• John Clarke for his significant contribution to emergency management in the Tairāwhiti region over the past 35 years.

• Derek Phyn, a GIS analyst at Waikato regional Council, for the significant contribution he has made to Civil Defence Emergency Management through his efforts in promoting the use of GIS in emergency management.

• Northland welfare manager Claire Nyberg for the significant contribution she has made to local, regional and National welfare arrangements.

Other Innovation Award winners include:

• Auckland Emergency Management for Recovery Walkthrough

• Cardno New Zealand Ltd and Wellington Water Ltd for Infrastructure Resilience: keeping water flowing to 400,000 people following a major earthquake in Wellington

• Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Community Resilience Team for the development of programmes to improve community readiness and response

The awards also involved the recognition of the dedication of a number of individuals for 20, 30 and 40 years' service to Civil Defence Emergency Management. Full details will be made available on the Civil Defence website.