Emergency Management Bill
The Emergency Management Bill, once law, will replace the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. The aim of the Bill is to give effect to the Government’s inquiry into the response to the North Island severe weather event. The inquiry had found New Zealand’s emergency management system was not fit for purpose and lacked the capacity and capability to deal with significant emergencies.
The Bill aims to strengthen the role of communities and iwi Māori, provide clear responsibilities at the national, regional, and local levels, minimise disruption to essential services and ensure agencies have the tools to do their jobs effectively.
Our submission to the Bill in February 2026 was in support of the Bill’s aims but called for it to better reflect the realities of slow-onset, flood-driven and climate-related emergencies faced by regions like Southland.
The early stages of an event are often operationally significant with monitoring and inter-agency cooperation, and providing time to prepare and inform at-risk communities.
Our submission also asked for clarification to ensure there were no liability implications for early responders, including volunteers; for flood infrastructure to be explicitly recognised as essential infrastructure because it plays an important role in substantially reducing the risk and impact of flooding; a stronger focus on professional capability, a more robust mana whenua partnership and clear national guidance for a staged implementation.
In Southland, emergency management is a shared service with all four Southland Councils, in a dedicated facility at Environment Southland. Our deputy chair Phil Morrison is the chair of the Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.
Environment Southland submission on the Emergency Management Bill – February 2026
