Military man to head Civil Defence

A new Civil Defence leader will unite the region's emergency management.

Ian Macdonald has been appointed as the group manager for the Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management office.

His main goal was to develop a regional approach and build resilient communities.

"If you look at Christchurch as an example, the community had to look after itself for quite a long period of time," Mr Macdonald said.

"That's one of the areas we really need to focus on - the community being more resilient when these things happen."

Mr Macdonald, currently a Hastings District Council manager, would also serve as the primary group controller in a regional scale event. The new role was part of work over the past six months to strengthen the region's Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group office.

The role was not specific to one council but answered to the regional board of chief executives, including the five territorial authorities, the district health board and the regional head of the police.

Mr Macdonald is a member of the NZ Army Reserve (Territorial Force), with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and has been deployed to the Middle East for 12 months where he served with the United Nations in Israel, Syria and South Lebanon.

"My military experience and work as an officer included a lot of training around problem analysis and decision-making in pressure situations," he said. "It will help around the response and recovery side of the house."

Mr Macdonald would start in the role on September 5 and intended to visit the region from Wairoa to Central Hawke's Bay learning about the different communities' needs.

A major review of the Hawke's Bay Regional Civil Defence Plan was also needed over the next 12 months.