Former policeman John Purkis was swept down a culvert during Auckland’s January floods and managed to survive. Video / NZ Herald
Auckland Council has made progress over recent years in responding to emergencies, but still has much to do, says Auditor-General John Ryan.
In a report released today, “Auckland Council: Preparedness for responding to an emergency”, Ryan singled out the council’s need to do more to help communities prepare for the worst.
Ryan said the Anniversary Weekend floods that claimed four lives were not the focus of the report, saying he was pleased to see that had been canvassed with an independent review by former police commissioner Mike Bush.
That review found the council’s emergency management system was not prepared and senior leaders underestimated their roles.
It said by the time an incident team had completed its first virtual meeting at 6.15pm on January 27, “much of the damage had been done”. It made 17 recommendations, which Bush said should be implemented shortly.
Ryan said his staff had been working with Auckland Council in the second half of 2022 to understand how much progress it had made since an earlier audit in 2019.
That audit had identified substantial concerns with the council’s lack of preparedness for emergencies.
In terms of changes since 2019, Ryan said the council had fully staffed Auckland Emergency Management, a more focused and prioritised emergency management work programme was underway, and a structured training programme had been re-established.
Ryan said while this progress is encouraging, there is still much work to do.
“This includes creating a clear strategy and plan for working with communities to build resilience and strengthening working relationships with Māori.
The January floods caused widespread damage across Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell.
“The Council also needs a more systematic approach to testing its systems and processes by running regular emergency management readiness exercises, carrying out post-event evaluations, and identifying and implementing improvements,” he said.
“The strategic importance of the Council’s emergency management work means there needs to be much closer monitoring and governance oversight,” said Ryan.
“The council needs to better support Auckland Emergency Management to build momentum with its work programme. Consistent leadership and support from governance are key to this.”
In particular, the Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group needs to update and implement the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Plan.
“It is essential that the group plan is reviewed and updated as soon as possible,” said Ryan.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown came in for criticism over his handling of the January floods. Photo / Jed Bradley
“This is an important opportunity for Auckland Council to continue to assess what it has learned from recent emergency events, re-engage with relevant organisations and communities, and set realistic and achievable goals for improving emergency management in the Auckland region.”
Ryan made six recommendations to support the council’s emergency preparedness and management work. Two recommendations – to update and finalise the group plan, and to carry out regular emergency management readiness exercises – are also recommendations in the Bush review into the January flood response.
“The overlap in these recommendations reinforces their importance,” said Ryan.
“I intend to follow up in 12 months on what progress Auckland Council has made against these recommendations. As part of my follow-up, I also intend to look at the Council’s progress against the recommendations in the 2023 independent review.
“The Council has committed to a range of improvements. It is critically important that it prioritises its efforts and stays focused.”
Former police commissioner Mike Bush. Photo / Alex Burton
The Bush review was commissioned by Brown three days after the floods to “look into all aspects, all people, myself included, plus the professionals, plus even the Government’s involvement in the response”.
In announcing the review, Brown acknowledged again the response was not up to standard and he had “dropped the ball” for which had said sorry.
The Mayor was widely criticised for the slowness of his public response to the downpour and the eventual decision to place the Auckland region in a state of emergency after 10pm when flooding was already widespread across the city.
Bernard Orsman is an Auckland-based reporter who has been covering local government and transport since 1998. He joined the Herald in 1990 and worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.
