Ch…ch…ch…changes: Emergency Management Act information

Monday, 7 September 2026

It’s time to cue up some David Bowie, and turn and face the [change].

In October 2024, the Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery announced that a new Emergency Management Bill would be introduced. The Emergency Management Bill is a new law that replaces the current Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.

Now, we know legislation isn't exactly dinner-table conversation. But the reason for these changes is important.

Following Cyclone Gabrielle and other significant emergencies, reviews found that while communities, councils, emergency services and response agencies achieved a lot under difficult circumstances, the current system could be clearer, stronger and better coordinated. The Bill aimed to address those lessons and create an emergency management system that is better equipped for the challenges ahead.

The Government has said the new Act aims to:

• strengthen the role of communities and iwi Māori in emergency management
• provide clearer responsibilities at the national, regional and local levels
• establish a higher minimum standard of emergency management across New Zealand
• help minimise disruption to essential services during emergencies
• ensure agencies have the tools and powers they need to respond effectively when emergencies occur.

Those working in the emergency management sector are quite aware of what they’re going through, but as a community member, the days may seem the same for you (okay we’re going to be honest, these Bowie references are getting hard to fit in, so hopefully you get the gist!)

Your local emergency management teams will still be helping communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. We'll still be encouraging households to have a plan, know their hazards, and be ready to look after themselves and their neighbours when things go wrong.

Behind the scenes, however, there are some important changes.

Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Groups will transition to be called Emergency Management Committees (EMCs). While the name is changing, the purpose remains the same: bringing councils and emergency management professionals together to plan for and manage hazards and emergencies across the region. That may eventually mean some refreshed branding and logos too.

You may also notice more emergency management involvement in outputs surrounding natural hazards, resilience and community preparedness, alongside the work already being done by your local council and other organisations.

So what does this mean for you? The honest answer is that you probably won't notice dramatic changes overnight.

Emergency management will still be built on the same principle that has always underpinned successful responses: communities helping communities.

All parts of society have a role to play, with the intention that risks should be managed by those who are best placed to manage them. That means that the work you, your whanau and community groups do now in readiness, will serve everyone better in the next event "cause we know it's all worthwhile."

What this reform aims to do is make sure the organisations supporting that effort are better connected, better coordinated and better prepared when emergencies happen.

Over the next few years, there will be sector-wide improvement, with better tools that will enable information to be shared across agencies and with & from communities, to target resource where they're needed.

Want to know more? A good place to start is the NEMA website: Emergency Management Act » National Emergency Management Agency