Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell speaks to students at Wainui Beach School during last year’s ShakeOut exercise. Photo/ Strike Photography
Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell speaks to students at Wainui Beach School during last year’s ShakeOut exercise. Photo/ Strike Photography
Education is key to preparedness and there is no better time to practise that than ShakeOut 2025.
It’s time for Tairāwhiti whānau, homes, businesses, schools and kohanga to sign up for ShakeOut 2025 and prepare to roll out their evacuation plans in the case of an earthquake or tsunami warning.
It’s all happening on Thursday, October 16, at 9.30am, a Gisborne District Council spokeswoman says.
“For the past four years, Tairāwhiti has topped Aotearoa New Zealand for the best regional involvement, and that’s something Tairāwhiti Emergency Management group manager Ben Green isn’t keen to relinquish.”
Green said leading the regional sign-up for this kaupapa was great, but it was “second to what we are really seeking to connect through this campaign”.
“Our main effort for natural hazards risks is the education and preparedness planning for when we have a significant earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the Hikurangi faultline.
“It is great that we have seen the uptake from the ShakeOut campaigns over recent years. Having the highest national rate of sign-ups over the last four years is a good indicator that whānau are engaged with these messages.
“We know they are taking the message home and helping to safeguard their whānau.”
Students from Wainui School during last year’s ShakeOut exercise.
“We have a tsunami risk and our region has experienced these in 1947 and 1960,” Green said.
“A magnitude 9 earthquake in the Hikurangi faultline will have a catastrophic consequence for our region and it is vital that knowing what to do becomes second nature to all.”
ShakeOut is held across the world to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake. It is a self-run earthquake and tsunami drill.
Those in coastal areas are also encouraged to practise a tsunami hīkoi (evacuation walk).
