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Civil Defence and Emergency


Taranaki Emergency Management

The Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEM) is responsible for planning and preparing for a whole range of emergencies in Taranaki and for coordinating risk reduction, readiness, response and recovery.

We are part of the Taranaki CDEM group, along with representatives from Stratford and New Plymouth district councils and Taranaki Regional Council. The group is administered by Taranaki Regional Council.

Visit the Taranaki Emergency Management website to keep up to date.

Civil defence text alerts

Taranaki Civil Defence manages a text alert system which will send a message to your phone in the event of an emergency. Find out more information about the text alerts here.

Hazard App

New Zealand Red Cross has teamed up with Civil Defence, GNS and MetService to help Kiwis make it safely through disasters. The Hazard App sends you official warnings and alerts, tailored to your current and chosen locations, and contains step-by-step guides to help your household create an emergency plan and prepare getaway kits. Information and disaster guides are also pre-loaded in the app so you have instant access, even without cell phone reception or an internet connection.

The app is available free from the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Are you and your family ready for an emergency?

Make a plan with your family to get through an emergency. This only takes a few minutes but can be the difference between knowing exactly what to do during an emergency and worrying about where to meet your family members or panicking about not being able to find your emergency kit.

Do yourself and your household a favour and fill in the form in the link below, print it out, stick it on the fridge and make sure everyone knows the plan. Or save it as a PDF and email it to your family members. Find out more about making a plan here.

In an emergency, you may need to shelter in place at home with no services for three days or more.

If you couldn’t make a trip to the supermarket, the petrol station, the pharmacy or other providers of goods and services, do you have enough in your house for at least three days? Having some key items in easily accessible places is really important in helping yourself and your family in an emergency.

Have you got the basics covered? Basic supplies to have at home

  • Water for three days or more - make sure you have nine litres of water for every person (save large fizzy and juice bottles, give them a good clean and overfill them with water from the tap, replace every 6 months)
  • Long lasting food that doesn’t need cooking (unless you have a camping stove or BBQ), and food for babies and pets
  • Any medications you or your family members require
  • First aid kit
  • Toilet paper and large plastic buckets for an emergency toilet
  • Dust masks and work gloves
  • Pet food if you have pets.

Basic supplies to have in a getaway bag

A getaway bag is great if you have to evacuate quickly, or if you can't get to your Emergency supplies at home.

  • Torches and batteries
  • Radio – wind up or with batteries
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Cash
  • Copies of important documents (online or paper)
  • Walking shoes, warm clothes, raincoat and hat
  • First aid kit
  • Prescription medicine
  • Water and snack food
  • Baby supplies if you have an infant
  • Pet food if you have pets.

Important Documents

Make sure you store copies of important documents in the cloud or in a safe deposit box for safekeeping.

  • Medication List
  • Drivers licence
  • Birth certificate
  • Marriage certificate
  • Passport
  • Mortgage documents
  • Insurance documents
  • Employment information
  • Property deeds
  • Home inventory
  • Bank account numbers
  • Loan documents
  • Credit card numbers
  • Stocks and bonds
  • Important phone numbers
  • Pet microchip numbers
  • Family photos

Don't forget about your pets...

Follow the steps below to get your pets ready for any emergency:

  • Put together a Pet Emergency Kit for each pet - this contains everything that a pets need to get through an emergency at home or if you have to evacuate. Check out the link below to print out your emergency kit checklist.
  • Make sure all your pets are microchipped and registered - SPCA does cheap microchipping at just $40 per pet. Contact your local SPCA for more information.
  • Arrange with friends and family to take in your pets temporarily if you need to evacuate.
  • Ensure your pet has regular vaccinations, as many animal shelters will not accept unvaccinated animals.
  • Bring your pets inside as soon as a warning has been issued or a disaster has occured.
  • If you have to evacuate, always take your pets with you. If your house isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your pet. You can bring your pet to CDCs, we can help house them temporarily while you are away from home. Owners are responsible for all costs associated with pet relocation during an emergency.

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