Bay of Plenty Lifeline Utilities Group

What is the Bay of Plenty Lifeline Utilities Group (BOPLG)?

Lifeline utilities are entities that provide infrastructure services to the community such as water, wastewater, transport, energy and telecommunications.

Lifeline utilities have responsibilities for planning and coordinating in a way which enables the continuation of these services in an emergency, with assistance from CDEM Groups, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), other relevant government agencies, regulatory bodies, and organisations should a crisis event occur.

The Bay of Plenty Lifeline Utilities Group (BOPLG) is a group of public and private utilities working together to contribute to joint initiatives to mitigate our natural hazards and threats, thereby reducing risk to Bay of Plenty infrastructure and communities.

The group exists to support lifeline utilities to meet their legislative requirements, particularly those under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.

The BOPLG's mission statement in the Bay of Plenty Group Charter is: "To reduce vulnerability of Bay of Plenty region's Lifeline Utilities to local, regional and national emergency events".

Our Members

Our Purpose

BOPLG supports the coordination of activities to fulfill BOPLG member duties as set out in the CDEM Act 2002.

Section 60 defines duties of lifeline utilities to:

• ensure that it is able to function to the fullest possible extent, even though this may be at a reduced level during and emergency;
• make available to the Director in writing, on request, its plan for functioning during and after an emergency;
• participate in the development of the national civil defence emergency management strategy and civil defence emergency management plans;
• provide, free of charge, any technical advice to any CDEM Group or the Director that may be reasonably required by that Group or the Director; and
• ensure that any information that is disclosed to the lifeline utility is used by the lifeline utility, or disclosed to another person, only for the purposes of the Act.

Our Objectives

Through collaboration, the Group's objectives are:

• Encourage and support the work of members in identifying and mitigating the effects of hazards on lifeline assets and business operations.
• Facilitate communication between members in order to increase awareness and understanding of each organisation's independencies.
• Coordinate lifeline utilities input into Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) planning activities.
• Create and maintain awareness of the role and importance of lifelines within the Bay of Plenty region.
• Promote ongoing research and technology transfer aimed at protecting and preserving the lifelines of the Bay of Plenty region.
• Develop best practice approaches to reduction, readiness and recovery measures for emergency events.