Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake Head of Research Natalie
Balfour at one of the emergency response containers in the
community / Supplied
Porirua’s
Takapūwāhia community has partnered with It’s Our Fault
scientists to map its exposure to natural hazards and is
using the information to protect people and property from
future events.
The outputs have helped the
community make important decisions about where to place
emergency supplies and how to protect homes and key
resources – like marae, kura and medical centres – from
natural hazards.
Takapūwāhia is
home to 1500 people, the majority of whom are tangata whenua
from Ngāti Toa Rangatira iwi. The land is vulnerable to
earthquakes, tsunami, landslides and other natural hazards,
so Ngāti Toa knew it was only a matter of time before an
event struck and wanted the community to be
prepared.
Board Chair of
Takapūwāhia Marae, Callum Kātene, says, “As climate
disasters increase in frequency and intensity, Māori face
growing threats to their lands, homes, taonga, people, and
culture.”
Technical expertise was provided by
GNS Science and funded through It’s Our Fault, a
collaborative research programme studying Wellington’s
earthquake risk.
Dr Andrea Wolter, a GNS
landslide hazard scientist on the project team says: “This
project in Takapūwāhia demonstrates how science can
support communities to become better prepared and resilient
to these forces.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“We started by meeting with
tangata whenua to determine how we could help – this
included protecting their people, buildings and
infrastructure from the natural hazards they are exposed
to.
“We followed this meeting with data
collection, hazard mapping, impact assessment, a street
survey and a rapid assessment of potential sites to host
emergency supplies.
“We worked with community
members to understand their needs, such as finding buried
river channels, planning sites for community gardens, and
locating their most vulnerable individuals. The result was a
report and maps that show where natural hazards are likely
to affect the community and that recommended potential sites
to host their emergency response
containers.”
Callum adds, “Emergency
management frameworks often fail to incorporate Māori
perspectives, limiting the effectiveness of disaster
response efforts in our community.Future planning
informed by research empowers Ngāti Toa and surrounding
communities to lead themselves in times of crisis with
evidence-based approaches to ensure they are able to better
respond and recover from
disasters.”
“Research has provided many case
studies of how indigenous knowledge complements and
contributes to disaster management. By blending mātauranga
with advanced disaster management practices, we will
identify when, where and how tikanga can provide for the
unique needs of Māori and wider non-Māori
communities.”
Following the success of the
pilot project, It’s Our Fault scientists are looking to
provide similar support to two further Wellington region
communities, based on their risk exposure and interest in
getting involved.
Natural Hazards Commission
(NHC) Toka Tū Ake, along with Wellington City Council and
the Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office, invests
in It’s Our Fault to help Wellington communities build
resilience to earthquakes and other natural
hazards.
Dr Natalie Balfour, Head of Research
at NHC and Chair of It’s Our Fault’s steering committee
says, “Research and modelling is a powerful tool for
decision-making about natural hazards, but we also need real
people to pick up that evidence and incorporate it into
their future planning. It’s fantastic to see communities
like Takapūwāhia actively using science to understand
their risks and build resilience to natural
hazards.”
This post was originally published on here
