Neil Kirton is calling for the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Joint Committee to “step aside” and for funding to be “redirected”.
Kirton, a member of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, said the continued delays in establishing terms of reference for a review into the performance of the Hawke’sBay Civil Defence Emergency Management (HBCDEM) Group during Cyclone Gabrielle are “deeply concerning”.
The joint committee is due to accept terms of reference for a review at its next meeting on June 26 and has yet to determine the degree to which the public will be able to participate.
That’s too long for Kirton’s liking, who has previously cited the example of January’s Cyclone Hale. The Auckland City Council commissioned a review three days after that weather event, with its finding published in April.
“It looks like no one is in charge and I am calling on the HBCDEM Joint Committee to step aside in the absence of urgent leadership. The joint committee comprises the region’s leaders and council chief executives,” Kirton said.
The only person to escape Kirton’s criticism was Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, who he applauded for setting up a community hub structure in her district to deal with public feedback and coordinate future emergency responses.
As for HBCDEM, and the joint committee that sits above them, Kirton believes their inability to organise a timely review casts doubt over their preparedness to protect lives in the next natural disaster.
“I believe, locally, HBCDEM has lost its social licence to operate. I am proposing that, instead of being passed to the HBCDEM Joint Committee, a large slice of the annual HBCDEM budget is paid to the newly-emerging community hubs,” said Kirton.
“The HBCDEM is funded through a Hawke’s Bay Regional Council special annual rate of over $3 million. At least $1 million should be redirected to set up these community hubs, rather than disappear into the elusive HBCDEM structure.”
Kirton’s comments were put to HBCDEM, which provided statements from joint committee chair Hinewai Ormsby and HBCDEM coordinating executive group chair Doug Tate in response.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee chair Hinewai Ormsby.
Ormsby is also chair of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council which Kirton sits on, while Tate is chief executive of the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council.
“I understand the cyclone has severely impacted members of our community and the concerns some may have about the pace of the review process,” Ormsby said.
“We are working collaboratively on the terms of reference with partners, including iwi. I have every confidence that this review will happen in a timely fashion and provide insights into the CDEM response to Cyclone Gabrielle.”
Tate’s statement was identical to the one supplied by HBCDEM to Hawke’s Bay Today last week, in which he said the review’s terms of reference would be agreed to on June 26.
