Pirirākau Hauora and Crisis Bunker staff after the resilience hub installation in Te Puna. Photo / Supplied
As extreme weather events become more frequent, a Bay of Plenty business is stepping up efforts to help communities prepare ahead of disasters.
Papamoa-based kaupapa Māori business Crisis Bunker, founded in 2023, focuses on building resilience through practical emergency preparedness and management solutions.
It delivers emergency kits and large-scale resilience hubs designed to help families, groups, and communities prepare, respond, and recover 72+ hours after a disaster.
The hubs are purpose-built 20ft (6m) A-grade ventilated containers equipped with emergency shelter, food rations, cooking and water supplies, first aid, power supplies such as a generator and power banks, communications including a Starlink system and UHF radios, sleeping provisions, tools, wet weather gear, hygiene and sanitation, and emergency evacuation backpacks.
“We work in preparedness, not response. We do the work prior,” said founder and chief executive Hamish Coulter.
Coulter said his mission was to build a “national network” of emergency resources, training and systems.
He established Crisis Bunker after seeing the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, particularly in rural and isolated communities.
Coulter said he saw how marae and community centres became central lifelines after a disaster.
“But unfortunately, they didn’t have the resources, planning or training to adequately respond.”
He set the business up to support community-led disaster response by providing communities with practical tools and systems to stay safe and connected.
“We’re trying to equip them to become their own sort of civil defence.”
Crisis Bunker has installed 43 resilience hubs nationwide and has more than 100 in the pipeline with marae, iwi, community groups, and schools.
Coulter said there was a “huge amount” of demand in the emergency preparedness space.
“They [resilience hubs] provide the resources and welfare support so that marae or community centres can activate as central beacons for the community.”
He said the hubs were a place people could go knowing someone would be there to offer support and “even a cuddle”.
“The mental side of a disaster has a huge impact on communities, and knowing they’ve got somewhere they can go, who has the means to connect them with people, or give them first aid, is a real peace of mind for them.”
He said beyond the resources, Crisis Bunker worked with communities to establish emergency management plans.
“In Aotearoa, we’re experiencing continual weather events, and that’s not just things like tsunamis and earthquakes that traditionally we’re worried about.”
Coulter said most regions were dealing with severe rainfall events leading to flooding, road closures, and landslides, causing devastation.
“Civil defence can often be stretched quite thin, especially in rural and isolated communities.
“Communities are now understanding that, and they need to be proactive and prepared.”
He said the January 22 deadly landslide in Mount Maunganui was proof that “nowhere is safe”.
“We assume that the Mount is the one place where we haven’t really had any major disasters. We all need to be taking it seriously.”
He said Crisis Bunker experienced a surge in demand for preparedness projects following the landslide.
“Resilience isn’t just a one-off thing, it’s a long-lasting relationship, and as weather events keep evolving, we’ll continue to evolve, improve and provide more resilience as we go forward.”
The latest community-led collaboration between Crisis Bunker and Pirirākau Tribal Authority resulted in the installation of a resilience hub in Te Puna.
The hub is based at Pirirākau Hauora on Lochhead Rd and was a project based around the community’s population, needs, and hazard risks.
“Most communities don’t have spare money for resilience in this space. The infrastructure needs to be robust and long-lasting,” Coulter said.
Pirirākau Tribal Authority kaitautoko Paula Beilby said in a statement the resilience hub would build Te Puna’s emergency preparedness and disaster response capacity.
“So the community can be self-reliant when an emergency or natural disaster hits.”
Beilby said the kaupapa was initiated by a board member involved with emergency management who recognised the importance of disaster preparedness in the community.
“The hub is an important resource for us to be fully equipped to look after our whānau and hapū.”
She said the landslide at the base of Mauao reminded the organisation of how vulnerable its whenua and communities can be.
“We felt a responsibility, an obligation to be better prepared for our hapū and wider community.”
The resilience hub will act as a central point for disaster management, ensuring Te Puna residents have access to information, resources, and support during emergencies.
“It just makes so much sense to be prepared,” Beilby said.
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.