Ministerial Statements — Emergency Management—Flooding in Auckland

I wish to make a ministerial statement on flooding in Auckland today. The upper North Island is experiencing flooding caused by severe and concentrated rainfall. In Auckland, a state of local emergency has been declared by the mayor. A red severe thunderstorm warning is in place for Northland and Auckland. A line of thunderstorms is tracking across these regions and these are likely to be accompanied by torrential rain. An emergency mobile alert has been sent to the whole of the Auckland region advising people of potential impacts and suggesting they plan travel accordingly. Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for some regions, signalling significant rainfall for some areas over the next few days.

We know that following the severe weather in January and Cyclone Gabrielle, many communities will be concerned, worried, or just completely over it, so we continue to stand alongside them. Whilst the response is being led by local civil defence emergency management (CDEM) groups, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has also activated the National Coordination Centre. This means NEMA is working closely with CDEM groups and partner agencies, coordinating requests for information and resources at a national level in support of the locally led response.

I wish to remind everyone listening that this is a potentially dangerous event. Please stay safe and don’t take risks. Heavy rain can cause flooding, coastal inundation, and landslides, especially where the ground is saturated from recent rainfall. Follow the instructions of emergency services and local CDEM groups, and if you feel unsafe at any time, please evacuate to higher ground. Check Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency’s website for road closures before you travel, and drive to the conditions. Please never walk or drive through floodwater and don’t let children play in it. Keep up to date with MetService’s watches and warnings, follow your local CDEM group on their social media accounts, and stay safe out there.

I know that members across this House will join me in expressing our support for the affected communities and thanking everyone involved in the response as this situation unfolds.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do, on behalf of the National Party, indeed join the Minister in sending our best wishes to those who are affected by the developing situation in the upper part of the North Island.

Even as we acknowledge that, other areas of the country continue to seek to recover and rebuild from other severe weather emergency events earlier in this year, including some of the same areas, indeed, that have been hit again today. The updates have been coming in recently so quickly that it is difficult to keep up with them all. There is a measure of uncertainty, therefore, about the situation on the ground, but we can say with certainty that those who have stepped up before have displayed the courage and the community spirit that I’m sure will be replicated again today. In anticipation, and, indeed, acknowledging the works that would already have been done in this space, we thank them, and I’m sure that there is not a member of this House who would not join me in saying that we wish them well. We ask them to be safe for their own sake, even as they put themselves in the line of fire, metaphorically speaking, to support and indeed to save others.

We think of the first responder groups formally designated. We also think of those within the community who group together informally, who step up as individuals to help out their fellow Kiwis in need, and we thank them all.

In addition to the threat to physical life and limb today, we are cognisant as well that there will be a severe mental health toll arising from this event, including and especially where that follows similar events having taken place in similar areas before, and we hope that support will be provided in the days and weeks and months that follow for those who suffer trauma as a result of these repeated events.

My final comment is just to muse—and I don’t put this formally to the Minister today—about the possibility that this House can respond in a legislative way that will enable orders to be made quickly following such events. Of course, that took place recently, with the support of most of Parliament, as put forward by the Government. The National Party supported those moves in urgency because we thought it was the right thing to do to enable quick action to be taken. I think I’m right in saying that these events fall outside the remit, technically speaking, of that legislation, but it may be possible for the response that will be needed in respect of today’s events to be included in that. That’s a discussion for the future, and I don’t make a formal proposal along those lines. But it seems to me that, unfortunately, as a nation, and indeed as a House, these are matters to which we will need to give increasing attention in the years that come, even as we acknowledge that the danger is very much a present one. It is ongoing, and it is also expected to pose further risk today.

So I join with the Minister and, indeed, would encourage anyone to follow the advice that he has given on the public health basis: follow official advice, and do the things necessary to keep yourself and others safe. We will watch with interest and respond as best we can, no doubt as a Parliament as a whole, to the events of today.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT in acknowledgment and support of the Minister for Emergency Management’s motion regarding Auckland. Can I first start by acknowledging the situation at Abbey Caves in Northland. It is developing quickly and there may have been changes since I last checked the media, but as a Whangārei boy who has, shall we say, been made to climb through Abbey Caves by his school a few times, I can’t imagine the distress that people will be feeling with severe rain and flooding and one student still in the caves. I think that our thoughts and prayers should be with those people in that situation up at Abbey Caves, just north of Whangārei.

I further acknowledge the situation in Auckland and particularly in the Epsom electorate. I know that there is absolute gridlock in the traffic system, surface flooding in places, and, of course, enormous concern because of the devastation that occurred only three months ago at the end of January, or the beginning of February, when many homes were flooded, many vehicles were lost. In my recent door-knocking, I’ve found that the effects of that continue right up to this day. To then have another flooding event certainly brings about a large amount of trauma.

In the immediacy, the mayor has declared a state of emergency locally for Auckland, delegated his responsibilities to Desley Simpson, the deputy mayor, and I know that Auckland Council will be under very good steerage with Desley. We expect heavy rains to continue, and what’s important is that people stay safe, get home—assuming that their home is not affected—call 111 only if absolutely necessary because there is an immediate risk to people’s life or their property, and take shelter with friends if necessary. I see that there is one shelter out at Te Manawa library in Westgate, but that’s a long way from most Aucklanders. Many people will be relying on friends and family, and there were so many touching examples of friends and family taking each other in in the late January flood. So you may be OK, but there may be people in your street, in your neighbourhood, in your family, in your workplace, or your friendship group, who are in need of shelter and support over the 24 hours to come, or longer if these floods are bad.

I know that, inevitably, this too shall pass and there will be some analysis of why this keeps happening and what can be done about it, and I just make the point that in a recent survey I did, sent to 6,000 households in the Epsom electorate electronically, I got back responses where, of those who were flooded, 55 percent were aware—in fact, actually, 55 percent of respondents; almost two-thirds of those who were flooded—of previous complaints about the performance of stormwater systems in their street. Of those, 35 percent of respondents had previously complained to council.

I know that there will be a lot of people who will make the argument that this is proof that New Zealand must reduce its emissions. Well, it certainly should, but once you break down why people, real people on the ground, are being affected by events like this right now, the overwhelming majority of homes have actually been OK. The whole of the Stonefields development—well designed, well drained—was not affected by flooding. Places in the Epsom electorate and beyond, where there’s been a lot of intensification and not as much investment in upgrading the drainage capacity and especially drain maintenance, are facing real challenges. That is a lesson that while we need to focus on the immediate challenge, we also need to learn from incidents like this and guide our future behaviour and policy making.

In the meantime, I just wish safety for those affected in Abbey Caves, for those who are affected by flooding in Auckland—and for those who are helping each other out, good on you. That is always the best of Auckland and New Zealand. We will get through it, because this too shall pass. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

E te Māngai, tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou te Whare. On behalf of the Greens and as our Auckland Central MP, I stand in support of the motion from the Minister for Emergency Management, and I actually have a few questions for him, as I understand this format allows.

But firstly, I just wanted to join with colleagues across the House in acknowledging the unfolding situation and the state of emergency before us, particularly the young person still lost in Northland, and their whānau, their community, and the front-line services who are responding to that unfolding situation.

As other MPs have acknowledged, in times like this we do see what is important. We see what it is that we care about and what we focus on, and that is each other. That is our community. It is those values of compassion and care and concern for each other. To that effect, I think it is really important for all who may be listening today to know that the situation is still unfolding, and as my conversations with MetService and the Auckland emergency management bunker have demonstrated, there is the chance that weather may turn for the worse this evening, so Aucklanders and those up in Northland, those in the North Island, should continue to remain in a state of vigilance to minimise travel where it is possible to stay home but also to be very aware of the potential of slips.

To that effect, I do need to reflect on some of the statements that were put out just now by the leader of the ACT Party about how now may not necessarily be the time to reflect on climate change. As we are staring down and looking at yet another one-in-100-year weather event—the several that have occurred in just this year alone—I think that it is, in fact, a stark reminder of the very, very important responsibility that this House has for facing the scientific reality of climate change and for responding with the emergency and urgency that it requires in mitigation and adaptation. That is our responsibility as the supposed leaders of this country.

I move to those questions to the Minister. Late last night, I received a call from firefighters at the front line, those involved in the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union—particularly those in urban search and rescue—my guys of Pitt Street station. They informed me that with consultation and discussion with their geotechnical teams, and the risk of slips, and the concern about how much water had been absorbed in the ground over the first few months of this year, it would make sense for those at the front line to potentially stand up their heavy rescue team but also to make capacity available for water rescue. I know that they encountered some issues in feeding that up the food chain and trying to get that response, and the standing up of those services and those resources, and that did not occur until after a meeting was held at approximately 10.30 this morning. So, to that effect, my first question to the Minister is just about whether he is confident or comfortable with the flow of communication and the decisions that are being made with regard to, or not with enough regard to, the needs and the points as raised by those on the front line.

The second question was about his confidence with regard to the resourcing that our front-line responders, particularly our firefighters but also our other community and volunteer services, have. I’m aware, for example, that certain trucks that our firefighters are having to respond with in Northland have real limitations on their ability to enter floodwater.

So those two questions, if I may. The first is around the communication with the shop floor and the feeding up of that information to make critical decisions. The second is about the Minister’s confidence in resourcing and the adequate equipment to respond to these supposed one-in-100-year weather events that seem to be continuing to happen.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and thank you to those members who contributed to that. It’s one of the many examples that don’t often get broadcast where the House comes together in full support of our emergency services and those that are working hard on the ground through civil defence and in their own communities. I’ll do my best to address the points that were raised.

I share Mr Penk’s concern about the wellbeing of those that are affected by this. But, of course, we know that mental health consequences from such events don’t always happen immediately and can occur over a long period of time. I want to encourage those that are struggling with this—or, indeed, the previous events—who may find themselves in hardship moving forward to, first of all, contact their GP and seek, of course, the wellbeing support website—Need to talk? 1737 is the place to call for that—and, of course, we will do what we can to support those services to assist those that need it.

In regards to the query about Fire and Emergency, the member knows that that is a matter for the Minister of Internal Affairs, who has oversight responsibility of Fire and Emergency New Zealand. However, I do know that the Minister was in touch with the national commander and that they have assured us that, as is always case whenever urban search and rescue capacity is required, it will be dispatched. There may be a difference of opinion around when the appropriate time is or if, indeed, it is required, but we do continue to have confidence in Fire and Emergency New Zealand. It’s not just the paid staff but the volunteers who step up and serve their community, quite often when they themselves have been affected.

Mr Speaker, if I may, the second question to the Minister was with regard to the resourcing for front-line equipment as well, and whether that is adequate to respond to these crises.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Government has increased the funding to Fire and Emergency New Zealand significantly over the last five years. We do know that, particularly after the merger between urban and rural, some deficiencies in utilities and equipment were identified, and that has been steadily addressed, and we will continue to do that.

As a follow-up—if I may, Mr Speaker—just to that point around greater resourcing deployed to Fire and Emergency New Zealand in particular, the Minister may have heard some concerns, particularly from those on the front lines, as echoed throughout the industrial action at the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union over the past few years, about how that may potentially be filtering down to the front lines. I wonder if the Minister has any of those concerns himself; if so, how it may be that we as a House can go about addressing those potential concerns.

Before I was elected to Parliament, I was a volunteer firefighter myself, and so I have seen significant improvement in the resourcing in that service since this Government came in. I’d like to reiterate the commitment I just made—that that support for the essential services will continue under this Government.

Mr Speaker, respectfully, that wasn’t my question. My question was about how those resources filter down to the front lines. So my question to the Minister: does the Minister feel confident with how those resources that are being granted to that organisation, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, are filtering into the equipment and the front-line staff necessary to respond to these emergencies?

Yeah, I will give a little bit of leeway. This is not question time or a supplementary question, and I note the member’s time has concluded, but did the Minister want to respond in any way?

The Government has absolute confidence in Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Time and time again, they have responded at very short notice to assist their communities, and, again, I reiterate the commitment that this Government has to adequately resource and support our fire and emergency personnel. Any operational decisions and specifics around that is a question for them, but we continue to support them in the best way we can.

💬 SPEAKER: OK, and the Minister has two more minutes to respond if he wishes to.

No.

Thank you.