Northland woman appointed to New Zealand's Emergency Management Assistance Team

Northlander Shona Morgan receives her certificate of appointment from Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare. Photo / Supplied

Shona Morgan is always ready for an emergency.

And the Northland emergency management professional is one of 15 people appointed to the first New Zealand Emergency Management Assistance Teams.

More than 100 people applied for the roles.On-call teams – previously referred to as Fly-In Teams – provide support in an emergency anywhere in the country.

The concept, described as "a vital new capability", was announced last year by the Government as part of the Emergency Management System Reform, a package of improvements to New Zealand's emergency management system.

Members of the inaugural team assembled in Wellington last week, where Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare presented them with certificates recognising their three-year appointments.

Morgan said she had a bag packed with gear including a tent, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, hard hat, torch and a first aid kit. It's kept in a cupboard of her Whangārei home and means she is ready to deploy to any emergency situation.

"It means we turn up in a community and make sure the people are being cared for without being a burden ourselves."

Morgan joined the Air Force as a 19-year-old and said five years in the catering division helped her learn to deal with demands under pressure.

"It also teaches you about self resilience and working in an organised environment to a high standard."

She also has a degree in psychology. Morgan has been a full-time member of the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group for the past six years.

She was involved in the 2013 Northland floods, was part of the Civil Defence team that worked out of Wellington during the Kaikoura earthquake and was in Nelson for the fires that evacuated 3000 people.

She said the two-week intensive final course that was part of the selection process was "like nothing I have ever done before and completely not what I expected".

"The course was extremely challenging with 15-plus hour days, various activities to replicate the austere environment we could potentially be deployed into and a lot of leadership training and developmental reflection.

"The highlights of the course for me were the overnight stay at Waiwhetu Marae in Wellington, the high ropes course, spending the day with All Blacks psychologist Ceri Evans, and the 36-hour exercise we coordinated out of tents with very few resources."

She said the ethos of the team was about contributing expertise to support local responses.

"It's not about coming in and taking over command of a situation."

Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group manager Graeme MacDonald said Northland had a track record of contributing to responses elsewhere in New Zealand and, on occasion, internationally.