The Emergency Management Otago Group has Emergency Management Advisors in each of the districts who are responsible for development and delivery of emergency management activities to their communities.
These advisors are led by Team Leaders and supported by a Group Manager, Group Team Leader, Stakeholder Engagement Advisor, Resilience Advisor, Readiness & Response Advisor, Planning and Projects Advisor and Administration Systems Support.
Emergency Management Advisors help promote and enable our communities to be aware of, and become resilient to the hazards they may face.
This is achieved through activities such as:
The Emergency Management Otago Group Office works to coordinate and facilitate the day-to-day planning and project work on behalf of the Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group.
The Group Office is located at 70 Stafford Street, Dunedin, and administered by Otago Regional Council (ORC) with services delivered by Waitaki, Dunedin City, Clutha, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes District Councils.
During an emergency response, the Group Office will often activate the Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) to assist with and coordinate the response at a regional level.
Vision
Otago is a stronger, more connected, and adaptable region.
Purpose Statement
Otago CDEM Group supports communities to:
Advisory groups
A key function of the Group Office is to facilitate strong relationships and networks between organisations that may be involved in an emergency response.
Below are the four advisory groups facilitated by Group Office to provide them with specialist advice. This advice is used to guide emergency planning and keep the Group Office connected to key stakeholders.
The purpose of the Lifelines Utilities Group (LUG) is to assist the Otago region in reducing its infrastructure vulnerability, improving resilience and encouraging utilities to participate in Otago CDEM Group activities. Examples of lifelines utilities include electricity, roading networks, internet and telephone communication networks.
The lifelines group includes representatives from water, power, and transport.
The Readiness and Response Committee is comprised of agencies with a response role in an emergency. The committee aims to improve coordination and cooperation between emergency services, councils’ and emergency management.
The group integrates planning, training, exercises, and systems between each agency, so we are better prepared for emergency responses. Central to this is identifying roles, functions, and responsibilities for each agency.
The Rural Advisory Group (RAG) provide advice of issues relating to the primary sector. The RAG leads a range of agencies in the primary industries, working across the Otago CDEM Group, to prepare for and respond to adverse events within Otago. The scope includes human welfare, production animal welfare, and primary industry business resilience and recovery.
The Welfare Coordination Group (WCG) provides advice on how to provide welfare services (such as accommodation, food, and medicine) during emergencies.
It ensures all appropriate agencies have continuity plans in place for the provision of welfare services in an emergency.
In an emergency response, the welfare team establishes priorities and systems to assist affected communities and individuals.
Civil Defence Emergency Managements priority is public safety; reducing the loss of life and injury, and relieving the distress of those affected by the disaster.
Its role widens when an official state of national or local emergency is declared under section 68 or section 69 of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.
The CDEM Group will decide if an event is so serious that a state of emergency must be declared.
Once a declaration is made the Group Controller is the head of the response and has two key responsibilities:
If a state of emergency is in force, you must follow all instructions given by emergency services and civil defence.
The CDEM Group has appointed local controllers for each of the districts within the region under section 27 of the CDEM Act. Within their respective districts, the local controllers manage local emergencies and report to the Group Controller.
Trained and experienced Controllers are pivotal in leading the response to emergencies in each district as well as at the regional level. They hold their authority from the Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management Group and operate under the provisions of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.
Here is the list of Controllers who are authorised to act in Otago as of 1 September 2024.
Emergency Management Otago Group Controllers
Matt Alley
Richard Saunders
Steve Rushbrook
Laurence Voight
Central Otago District
Sanchia Jacobs
Louise van der Voort
Dylan Rushbrook
Garreth Robinson
Clutha District
Jules Witt
Gavin Scott
Stan Leishman
Dunedin City
John Christie
Sandy Graham
Chris Henderson
Leanne Mash
Scott MacLean
Robert West
Jeanette Wikaira
Queenstown Lakes
Tony Avery
Ken Bailey
Meaghan Miller
Waitaki
Roger Cook
Lichelle Guyan
Peter Muldrew
David Campbell
Contact Details
If there is an immediate threat to life or property, always dial 111 for emergency services.
Phone : 0800 474 082
Email: info@otagocdem.govt.nz
Where to find us: 70 Stafford Street, Dunedin
To contact your local Emergency Management Advisors, head over to your district page:
