The project is called the Tairāwhiti Marae Resilience and Emergency Preparedness Project — a partnership between Te Puni Kōkiri, Toitū Tairāwhiti and Te Kaunihera o Te Tairāwhiti (Gisborne District Council).
Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou (TRONPnui) chief executive George Reedy said Ngāti Porou communities had faced a battering this year due to severe weather.
“Their geographic isolation, poor roading and limited access to services make them even more vulnerable.
“Despite the odds, every Ngāti Porou community, along with their hapū leads, have mobilised and are ready to support whānau.
“We have highly organised and committed people within our Coast communities already working at ground level supporting whānau. The pods will help continue to build Ngāti Porou communities' preparedness, resilience and emergency response.”
The first nine shipping containers have already been delivered to TRONPnui. They will be painted with large identifying numbers on the roof that can be seen from the air before being packed with the following emergency equipment that can provide the necessities of life —
■ Covertex emergency shelters — nine-metre-by-six-metre deployable emergency shelters designed for adverse conditions
■ Emergency power — generators
■ Water treatment —– filtration, storage and distribution systems
■ Medical equipment and supplies
■ Communications equipment including a satellite phone
■ Rapid deployment toilet
■ Non-perishable food supplies
■ Camp stretchers.
The pods will be located by marae that are most at risk of a tsunami and flooding and will be placed in safe zones that are as close to the marae as possible.
Mr Green said the project prepared the community for a worst-case scenario.
“This project focuses on after the event. We need to ensure our most vulnerable residents have what they need to survive until they can be reconnected back to the rest of our region.
“We know Tairāwhiti sits in a high-risk seismic area.
“Just off our coast is the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, which GNS says has a 26 percent chance of rupturing over the next 49 years, causing a magnitutde 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.”
Mr Green said another part of the project would be training communities on how to use the equipment.
“It's important there's familiarity with all the equipment that is being resourced so our remote communities can support themselves.
“Hapū and whānau are the key resource that will activate this equipment, so we need to ensure they know how to use it.
“This is why the A&P Show was chosen to display an example of one of the pods.
“We know the Show is a time when our whole region comes together so what better day to show everyone what's being done to prepare.”
As part of the Te Puni Kokiri ‘Kāinga Rua' funding initiative, the first phase of the project has been funded by Te Puni Kōkiri with phases 2 and 3 being covered by Toitū Tairāwhiti — the iwi collective that includes Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata and Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui-ā-Kiwa.
The project team also include Fire and Emergency NZ, NZ Police, St John and NZ Red Cross, reflecting the combined emergency approach for when a state of emergency is declared.
