Peter Boshier. Photo: Getty Images
The chief ombudsman says the country has work to do to build a robust emergency management system as extreme weather becomes more severe and more frequent.
Peter Boshier released a report based on visits to communities hit by a series of extreme weather events which ravaged the North Island at the start of the year, including Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods.
Four people died in the Auckland flooding and 11 in Cyclone Gabrielle, and thousands were isolated and displaced.
The report found the centrally coordinated, locally led strategy needed work, and now, communities and iwi groups were prioritising self-sufficiency in the face of further storms.
There were some communities which felt they had taken a backseat to areas which were easier to access or more newsworthy, or felt funding had not been evenly distributed.
"Some iwi shared how they felt they had been excluded from emergency planning, preparation, and funding," Boshier wrote.
Many people spoke of isolation.
"Some of the communities I visited told me they quickly realised they would need to be self-sufficient - not just for a few days, but in some cases for weeks and months."
Telecommunications were made vulnerable by the storms, with connectivity necessary for money machines and bank cards cut.
"Some iwi gave their own money and set up store credit facilities to help those who needed it the most, which also helped to keep local businesses going and people in work."
Hastings' Tomoana Showgrounds was transformed in February into a regional distribution hub for volunteers, Civil Defence staff, and military personnel to sort through donated clothing, food, and other supplies. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
The collaboration between iwi and local councils was credited with saving lives.
"Many iwi worked to reconnect their communities by clearing roads of debris and trees, and removing silt. Others were able to supply housing for displaced people. In many areas, I heard how marae became community hubs for emergency support and activities.
"But local councils told me they know more needs to be done to ensure marae are sufficiently equipped for this vital community role, as many were overstretched, underfunded and unrecognised."
Some Māori leaders were working on emergency plans and stockpiling supplies or establishing emergency hubs, even training for rescue activities.
"There is much the country could learn from iwi with respect to emergency preparation and response."
Other communities were doing the same, prioritising self-sufficiency, but he noted it was important not to overload local leaders and iwi with this responsibility to avoid burnout.
At the council level, "making fast decisions was difficult when individuals did not have the authority to do so, or information from government had not been received", he found.
Councils spoke of being thinly spread.
"Finding time to meet individuals and small community groups was often a challenge when thousands of people were displaced and hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged."
Another review released this week of the Napier City Council's cyclone response found something similar - that local authorities were "hugely unprepared" for Cyclone Gabrielle.
The events had also highlighted how vulnerable the country's vital infrastructure was in bad weather.
"This is a thorny issue for New Zealand", he wrote, with "nearly 95,000 kilometres of roading, much of it in rural and remote areas. We also have a large number of rivers, streams, bridges and culverts to maintain - over 20,000 bridges across the country, and 20,000 kilometres of permanent and intermittent streams. The Auckland region alone has 6300 kilometres of stormwater pipes".
As the report was not the result of a formal investigation, it could not contain recommendations, but Boshier said he hoped it would provide the new government, councils and other organisations with valuable insights and a chance to prepare better for the next disaster.
The ombudsman's role now was to support New Zealanders who felt they had been treated unfairly: "Their complaints will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated if required".
He said he had already received around 80 complaints and based on past experience, he expected many more in the 12 to 18 months after the storms and floods first hit.
