Cyclone Gabrielle: Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush to review Civil Defence response

Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush is heading a review of the Cyclone Gabrielle Civil Defence response in Hawke's Bay. Photo / NZME

Former Commissioner of Police and born-again crisis examiner reviewer Mike Bush has been appointed to head an independent review of the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management response to Cyclone Gabrielle.

The appointment of Bush International Consulting was announced on Monday by Emergency Management Group Joint Committee and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council chair Hinewai Ormsby, who signalled a draft report would be ready later this year with a final report in 2024.

Other panel members are former Ngāti Kahungunu iwi board chair Ngahiwi Tomoana, former Wairoa and Taupō police boss Paul Vlaanderen, Debbie Francis - who has been involved in multiple large-scale and high-profile reviews for government and private industry, and former National Emergency Management Agency deputy chief executive and director of operations Gary Knowles.

In the last stages of his five-year-term as Police Commissioner, Bush was appointed in March 2020 to lead the operational arm of the Covid-19 All-of-Government Response Group, and dipped his toes in the water earlier this year to lead an independent review into Auckland Council’s emergency management system and preparedness following the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.

In June he was recruited to run Oranga Tamariki’s youth justice and care and protection residences after allegations of sexual misconduct by staff at care facilities and other claims, and to lead a rapid review of aspects of the facilities.

Bush said the Cyclone Gabrielle panel would follow “a tried and true method of interviewing people who responded during the event and key stakeholders, and will review a lot of documentation”.

It would also set up a process for public input, he said.

Among the outcomes sought by the review is to ensure there are adequate Civil Defence systems and resources in place to protect the region in the future.

Cyclone Gabrielle peaked in Hawke’s Bay overnight on February 13-14, with the loss of eight lives and vast devastation including throughout the Wairoa district, rural areas around Napier and Hastings and south to the Tararua district.

The review of the fatal Auckland calamity found a “system failure” of leadership in the first 12 hours after record-breaking rain on January 27.