In New Zealand, the Natural Hazards Resilience Partnership has been signed to enhance the country's coordination and cooperation in responding to, and recovering from, major natural disasters.
The associations involved in the partnership are the National Emergency Management Agency, the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tu Ake (NHC) and the Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kahui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ). The aim of the partnership is to improve national resilience by streamlining the sharing of information, aligning resources and strengthening the overall response and recovery system following natural hazard events.
“New Zealand is a country at high risk of natural hazards. Very few areas are without risk, and we know that after personal and whanau safety, the safety and security of your home very quickly becomes a key focus for people impacted by natural disasters. So insurance plays a critical role in helping communities to recover,” NHC chief executive Tina Mitchell said.
“Climate change makes it ever more important that we work together to prepare for and respond to natural hazard impacts.”
Said ICNZ chief executive Kris Faafoi, “Insurance funds a sizeable portion of the recovery from most disaster events. Integrating insurers into the response and recovery allows for the best possible coordination of the entire system.
“The insurance sector can relieve a significant burden from the agencies leading response and recovery by looking after insurance customers and providing certainty to get Kiwis back on their feet as quickly as possible.”