Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Act 2002

This Act focuses on the sustainable management of hazards and enabling communities to achieve acceptable levels of risk. The Act defines hazards as: “something that may cause, or contribute substantially to the cause of, an emergency”.

Under the Act, local authorities are required to establish a joint Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEM Group) for their region. There are currently 16 CDEM Groups comprising a regional consortium of local authorities, emergency services, health organisations, and lifeline utilities.  Their role is to identify hazards and mitigation activities, and gaps in hazard knowledge and inefficiencies in mitigation. They implement initiatives to address the gaps and inefficiencies. Hazard and risk reduction requirements identified as part of this process will be implemented mostly through RMA and Local Government Act planning.

Last updated at 12:52PM on February 8, 2018