A joint venture between AREC and Tairāwhiti Emergency Management has added another solid layer of communication back-up should other systems fail . . . and it could be a gamechanger for Tairāwhiti.

Schools across the region are now better prepared to cope in an emergency thanks to the first tranche of emergency radios have been rolled out by Tairāwhiti Emergency Management.

Earth Sciences New Zealand earthquake geologist Dr Nicola Litchfield is delving into the past to help prepare Tairāwhiti communities for the future.

She’s recently spent time at Waihau Bay and Pouawa exploring coastal cliff exposures of uplifted beach deposits to see how often and how big earthquakes in the Hikurangi Subduction Zone or offshore faults have been, to better forecast what could come.

Work is progressing on a full review of the Tairāwhiti Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group Plan, the key document that guides how the region prepares for, responds to and recovers from emergencies.