TEMO Committed to Setting Bar Higher for Community

The widespread attention to Tairāwhiti’s trifecta of local government awards underlines for the team the importance of the work they do for the region to ensure all communities – no matter how remote – have the best possible chance of being self-sufficient for days during a catastrophic emergency.

Ben Green leads the Tairāwhiti Emergency Management Office which won the 2024 ALGIM Award for the Smart Community Project of the Year for the Tairāwhiti Marae Preparedness and Resilience Project, alongside earlier collecting awards at the Taituara 2024 Awards and Local Government New Zealand 2024 Awards for the Marae Emergency and Preparedness Project and the Tairāwhiti Emergency Management Common Operating Picture.

“Being selected as finalists across multiple award categories is a success in itself but being chosen as category winners is truly special for me and the team,” said Mr Green.

“This recognition underscores our commitment to enhancing community resilience and emergency preparedness through innovative and collaborative efforts.”

And they’re not finished yet, with a slew of exciting and groundbreaking initiatives unveiled recently, with plenty more accolades from leaders in emergency response including Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell and NEMA chief executive Dave Gawn who both sang the praises of a region they said was “absolute excellence”.

“We are by no means where we need to get to, however we strive for that as part of pulling on the uniform every day,” says Mr Green.

Following on from the nationally recognised projects is a focus on resourcing gaps in the region which includes a team working with community groups to place resources into rural areas and Gisborne city (outside of the tsunami zones). Also included are Patutahi, Whatatutu (rural hub), Matawai, Motu, Reporoa and Te Puia Springs with other sites in the planning stage.

“The messaging for what whānau need to do so as to prepare for an evacuation is as important as the placement of resources,” says Mr Green. “We are blessed with hills in Tairāwhiti, but they do not have kai boxes or water on them so grab bags and the initial focus of ‘evacuate to survive’ is as relevant now as it was before Cyclone Gabrielle. Given our fragile infrastructure and topography, we must realistically plan to be isolated for periods of time.”