February 22, 2001

The Auckland Regional Council welcomes the Earthquake Commission’s decision to invest $5.5 million upgrading New Zealand's network of earthquake and volcano-monitoring equipment.

The ARC has made submissions to Government supporting the EQC and Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited initiative.

This decision to install a national monitoring system is great news for regions such as Auckland, which is located on top of a potentially active volcanic field.

In the absence of a national monitoring network, the Auckland Regional Council has operated a basic monitoring capability, so that an early warning of any renewed volcanic activity can be given. An upgraded national monitoring network should improve the ability to predict when and where the next eruption might occur.

"The decision to go ahead with a nationally-funded monitoring network means we can concentrate our efforts on improving our understanding about the risk posed by the volcanic field and developing plans for dealing with an eruption when it occurs,” says Councillor Gwen Bull, Chair of the ARC’s Strategic Policy Committee.

“We can now concentrate on continuing to work with business and infrastructure at ways of reducing their vulnerability to hazards and working with our communities to improve awareness and understanding," she says. "These are the activities local government is best placed to undertake."

The upgrading of the national network will be done progressively over the next 10 years. The transition from a regional council owned and operated network to a nationally funded network is expected to take a few years.
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For further information please call:
Cr Gwen Bull, ph (09) 379-4420 or 025 826 936,
or Louise Chick, Hazards Management, ph (09) 366 2000, extn 8903.

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