New emergency pods in marae to help prepare for future natural disasters in South Island

Te Rūnanga o Ngā Maata Waka and Ngā Hau E Whā marae executive advisor Norm Dewes checks out the new emergency pod at Ngā Hau E Whā marae. Photo: RNZ / Rachel Graham

Emergency pods will be set up at 24 marae in the South Island in a bid to be better prepared in the face of a natural disaster.

The pods are a collaboration between Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Te Puni Kōkiri, and will be set up in 18 Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga marae and six urban marae.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu chief operating officer Ben Bateman said the idea of the pods came about after the flooding in Tai Rāwhiti last year.

“Marae have become local emergency response centres after a number of natural disasters, in some cases feeding a thousand people a day.”

Te Waipounamu was at high risk of an Alpine Fault rupture, which was deemed a potential catastrophic level event, and could leave many communities isolated, and the ability of responders could be limited if infrastructure was damaged, Bateman said.

“This is such important mahi as it highlights the importance of emergency preparedness in our Ngāi Tahu Takiwā,” he said.

“We want to empower our people to offer support and manaaki to whānau and the community during emergency events.”

Arowhenua marae in Temuka.

The first pods have gone into Arowhenua marae in Temuka, and Ngā Hau E Whā marae in Wainoni, Ōtautahi (Christchurch)

Te Rūnanga o Ngā Maata Waka and Ngā Hau E Whā marae executive adviser Norm Dewes said it was not a question of if, but when an event would happen.

The pods would help them be better prepared for the next big event, Dewes said.

“The most recent event here, a serious one, was the earthquakes, and we were ill-prepared for that when it happened,” he said.

“Now I think the community is coming alive and it is providing an opportunity for the community and government agencies to co-operate and collaborate.”

During the earthquake response, Ngā Hau E Whā marae catered for 26 government agencies and helped them be accessible to the community, Dewes said.

The contents of each pod will be tailored to local requirements but may include generators, water filters and satellite phones.

Te Puni Kōkiri regional director David Ormsby said marae have always been a place people have turned to during an emergency, and this helped them to be a bit more prepared to meet the demand.

The pods would be set up to respond to different potential issues, such as earthquakes or flooding, depending on the location, Ormsby said.