Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002

Preliminary provisions

3: Purpose

You could also call this:

"This law helps keep you and your community safe from harm by planning for emergencies and managing risks."

The purpose of this Act is to improve how hazards are managed in New Zealand. You will be safer and better protected from harm, and your property will be safer too. This Act aims to help communities manage risks and be prepared for emergencies.

This Act encourages communities to identify and manage risks, and to talk to each other about risks. You will be able to find ways to reduce risks that are cost-effective, and to check that these methods are working.

The Act also helps plan for emergencies and what to do after an emergency happens. Local authorities will work together to plan and prepare for emergencies, and to respond to and recover from them. They will work with a national strategy and plan to make sure everyone is working together.

The Act encourages different agencies and organisations to work together to manage emergencies, as listed in section 17(3).

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM149795.

Topics:
Government and voting > Emergency managementEnvironment and resources > Town planning
Previous

2: Commencement, or

"When the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 started: 1 December 2002"

Next

4: Interpretation, or

"What special words mean in the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002"

Part 1Preliminary provisions

3Purpose

  1. The purpose of this Act, which repeals and replaces the Civil Defence Act 1983, is to—

  2. improve and promote the sustainable management of hazards (as that term is defined in this Act) in a way that contributes to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental well-being and safety of the public and also to the protection of property; and
    1. encourage and enable communities to achieve acceptable levels of risk (as that term is defined in this Act), including, without limitation,—
      1. identifying, assessing, and managing risks; and
        1. consulting and communicating about risks; and
          1. identifying and implementing cost-effective risk reduction; and
            1. monitoring and reviewing the process; and
            2. provide for planning and preparation for emergencies and for response and recovery in the event of an emergency; and
              1. require local authorities to co-ordinate, through regional groups, planning, programmes, and activities related to civil defence emergency management across the areas of reduction, readiness, response, and recovery, and encourage co-operation and joint action within those regional groups; and
                1. provide a basis for the integration of national and local civil defence emergency management planning and activity through the alignment of local planning with a national strategy and national plan; and
                  1. encourage the co-ordination of emergency management, planning, and activities related to civil defence emergency management across the wide range of agencies and organisations preventing or managing emergencies under this Act and the Acts listed in section 17(3).