Late Agenda of HB Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee

HB CDEM Group Joint Committee

28 April 2023

Subject: Cyclone Gabrielle Review – update and feedback

Reason for Report

1. The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with a formal update on the project timelines for the review of the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group response to Cyclone Gabrielle and to provide an opportunity for members to provide free and frank feedback on the Draft Terms of Reference and Draft Review Framework.

Officers’ Recommendations

2. Officers are seeking feedback from the Joint Committee on the draft Terms of Reference and Review framework, as well as confirmation that the Scope for the review can be provided to Te Kāhui Ohanga o Takitimu (TKO) for consideration.

Executive Summary

3. Cyclone Gabrielle has had a significant impact across all of Hawke’s Bay, leaving an indelible mark on our nation and the region’s history. Having now been through the immediacy of the response to the event, now is the time to consider improvements and lessons that should be learnt from the event, to ensure that the region is prepared for future events.

4. This paper provides an outline of the process for the review of the Group’s operational response to the event and draft Terms of Reference and Review Framework for feedback from the Joint Committee.

5. The report also sets out the next steps for further engagement with Mana Whenua partners and provides a vehicle to receive feedback from members on both draft documents.

Background

6. On 13 and 14 February 2023 New Zealand’s North Island was struck by Cyclone Gabrielle. In Hawke’s Bay the Cyclone caused significant flooding, damage to critical infrastructure, widespread damage to homes and businesses and significant impact across the horticultural and rural communities. In the ultimate loss and impact of any event, eight people lost their lives during the Cyclone.

7. The Region, through the darkest and earliest moments of the event, was isolated – both physically and digitally with communication impossible and essential lifelines lost. The scale of the event in terms of both impact and magnitude cannot be underestimated.

8. Across the region – individuals, neighbours, community, partners, contractors, councils and the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group all stood up to take action, each working in the hardest way possible in what was the most incredible time in living memory for all of the Hawke’s Bay region to experience.

9. Again, the scale of the event should not be underestimated. As a region we should remain proud of the incredible stories of support, initiative and heroism that have emerged and continue to do so from Cyclone Gabrielle. While there is much to be proud of, there is undoubtedly lessons to be taken away from the event, not just for Hawke’s Bay, but for all of New Zealand as a result of this significant event.

10. The lessons learnt will be across all of Hawke’s Bay – from individual lessons about future preparedness, through to wider agency lessons learnt for both the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as well as Government in their own respective responses.

11. It is critical that across the network of community that forms the fabric of ‘Civil Defence’, there is a co-ordinated and structured approach to reviewing and taking away the lessons learnt from Cyclone Gabrielle.

12. The Joint Committee, as the ultimately accountable body for Civil Defence across Hawke’s Bay, has recorded and shared its joint commitment to the community by seeing that a review of the response completed. This review is intended to give community confidence that lessons learnt from the event will be taken away.

13. In delivering on this commitment, the purpose of this paper is to present an outline of the phases and a timeline for the initial phase of the review, and to present an opportunity to provide free and frank feedback on the draft Terms of Reference and Review Framework in an environment that also protects the privacy of people in seeking to address any specific concerns that the Joint Committee may identify.

Review Timing and Phasing

14. The review is currently planned in four phases. The Draft Review Framework outlines the overall phases as part of the review. The four phases proposed are:

Phase One - Development of Terms of Reference and Review Framework

15. The Draft Terms of Reference and Review Framework will be developed for consideration by the CDEM Joint Committee as the accountable entity for the performance of CDEM within Hawkes Bay. The process will include input from a range of key senior leaders, CEG partners for the final Terms of Reference and Review Framework. The Framework will be presented for approval by Mana whenua partners and by the Joint Committee as the entity ultimately accountable under legislation.

Phase Two – Early Thematic findings

Review of Agency debriefs/reviews of the response to Cyclone Gabrielle

16. Analysis of debriefs / review materials (where available) from partner agencies, and Mana whenua to inform early thematic findings will occur.

Stakeholder survey

17. An online survey is proposed to gain quantitative and qualitative information aligned to the scope from a wide range of stakeholders including Mayors and other elected representatives, Mana whenua, response personnel, partner agencies and volunteer organisations. Those involved in formalised community-based response arrangements connected with any community response plans, welfare provision and community led centres (including Marae) will also be included in the survey.

Phase Three – Deep dive into thematic findings

Key Stakeholder interviews

18. Targeted interviews/focus groups will explore early thematic findings, build a deeper picture of the drivers for these themes, and support identifying where process or practice improvements could be made. Targeted key stakeholder interviews/focus groups will include representatives from the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group, Iwi, partner agencies; and other agencies and volunteer organisations that supported the Cyclone response.

Phase Four – Operational Review Report

19. Preparing the Operational Review report reflecting the scope outcomes. The report will outline analysis of root causes and issues, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for improvement for consideration and discussion by the Hawke's Bay CDEM Group. The review report will detail recommendations to inform the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group work programme aligned to the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group Plan.

Partnership with Mana whenua

20. Specifically, to ensure partnership with Mana whenua is achieved through the review, the following immediate steps are being taken in the development of the Terms of Reference and Review Framework. These have been outlined and recommended by the Co-chair of the Matariki Governance Group, Leon Symes. The steps are:

20.1. Leon Symes – Co-chair of Matariki Governance Group and Bayden Barber, Chair of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, and Chrissie Hape, Chief Executive of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated have been/are being interviewed in the development of the Terms of Reference and Review Framework alongside HB CDEM Group Joint Committee members.

20.2. Once the draft Terms of Reference and Review Framework have been received and feedback has been provided on both documents by the HB CDEM Group Joint Committee, the drafts will be provided to Te Kāhui Ohanga o Takitimu (TKO) (a collective informally representing Iwi/Māori economic interests in Hawke’s Bay) for their review and feedback.

20.3. This input from TKO will then be developed into the draft documents with a feedback loop to Leon Symes and TKO if required, however TKO’s endorsement is critical.

20.4. Once confirmed by TKO, a draft will be provided back to the HB CDEM Group Joint Committee with the aim being to have the Terms of Reference and Review Framework adopted by the Joint Committee for implementation.

Timelines

21. The current draft timelines to be confirmed in the Terms of Reference and the Review Framework are:

Phase	Deliverables	Completed by
One	1. Independent review Terms of Reference approved by the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group Joint Committee. 2. Independent Review Framework. 3. Stakeholder Engagement Plan.	May 2023
Two	4. Review of Agency Debriefs/ Review. 5. Development of a Hawke's Bay-specific survey for Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group response to Cyclone Gabrielle including tailored lines of enquiry for groups of stakeholders. 6. Execution of a Hawke's Bay-specific survey to defined stakeholders involved in the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group response to Cyclone Gabrielle. 7. Combined analysis of feedback from the interviews and survey findings to capture early thematic findings.	June 2023
Three	8. Key stakeholder interviews within the Hawke's Bay CDEM Group, Iwi, partner agencies, and other agencies and volunteer organisations that supported the Cyclone response in the Hawke's Bay region. 9. Combined analysis of feedback from the interviews and survey findings to capture broad theme areas.	18 August 2023
Four	10. Development of an Operational Review report.	30 September 2023
Four	11. Brief CDEM Joint Committee on Operational Review After-Action report findings.	November 2023

22. Officers will work to confirm the programme however, as outlined earlier in this report, officers are working to present the draft terms of reference and review framework back to the Joint Committee for their adoption in mid/late May 2023.

Roles/Responsibilities

23. The draft Terms of Reference outlines a proposed structure for roles and responsibilities in the review. The Joint Committee will remain ultimately accountable for the review.

24. An area still to be confirmed and specific feedback from the Joint Committee will be essential in guiding, is who may make up the review advisory group, if retained in the proposed Terms of Reference. This will be discussed at the meeting.

25. Other roles, including Project Sponsor and Project Management Support are outlined in the draft Terms of Reference.

Options Assessment

26. At this point there are no practical alternative options being proposed by Officers, with the review being a critical and expected outcome - as good practice, but also as sought by the Joint Committee and from a community expectation at large.

27. The Committee’s only alternative option at this point would be to stop the review or seek a ‘restart’. Neither of these options are recommended or considered practical alternatives by Officers.

Financial and Resource Implications

28. The initial body of scoping work is being funded by the Hawke’s Bay CDEM Group. The review is being supported by external contractor Simplexity, who will be present at the meeting to coordinate and seek general feedback on the Terms of Reference and Review Framework.

29. Currently further support is being provided by the CDEM CEG Chair as the Project Sponsor, and operational support from the HB CDEM Group.

30. How the project is funded, coordinated and delivered will be detailed in future reports to the Joint Committee on the review project, however this begins to be outlined in the draft Terms of Reference and Review Framework.

Consultation

31. This will be explicitly explored as part of the development of the Terms of Reference and the Review Framework once finalised.

32. There are also important crossovers with recovery planning where consultation and engagement with communities at a local level will occur. There are also distinct differences between partner, community, Council and Group-led and coordinated CDEM responses across the region. These, in the widest sense, are understood by the community to just be Civil Defence. This approach to engagement is considered as part of the Draft Terms of Reference.

Next steps

33. Having provided this report and the draft Terms of Reference and Review Framework Officers will, upon receiving feedback from the Joint Committee, connect with TKO to provide the draft review for their input and consideration. Officers will then be working on the next steps to see the drafts presented back to the Joint Committee for their adoption in mid/late May 2023.

Decision Making Process

34. Council and its Committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act). Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

34.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

34.2. The use of the special consultative procedure is not prescribed by legislation.

34.3. The decision is not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy.

34.4. Given the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided, and also the persons likely to be affected by, or have an interest in the decisions made, the HB CDEM Group Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting directly with the community or others having an interest in the decision.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee:

1. Receives and considers the Cyclone Gabrielle Review– update and feedback staff report.

2. Confirms that the draft Terms of Reference and draft Scope for the review of the HB CDEM Group Operational Response to Cyclone Gabrielle can now be considered by Te Kāhui Ohanga o Takitimu (TKO).

Authored & Approved by:

Doug Tate

HB CDEM Coordinating Executive Group Chair

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