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Council's Civil Defence Attitude Spot-On

The Chief Executive of the New Zealand Resilience Trust - a vocal critic of Wellington City's emergency preparedness measures - has come out in support of Mayor Kerry Prendergast's plan to get Civil Defence up and going.

The Trust - an organisation that works within communities to improve resilience - has been critical in the past due to the lack of attention paid to the vulnerability of Wellington City. Matters culminated recently when local Civil Defence volunteers approached MP Peter Dunne to intercede on their behalf, a move that captured the attention of both the Council and the public at large.

Since that time two public meetings have been held and much progress has been made. In the meantime the New Zealand Resilience Trust has been carrying on with its plans to support communities with public education and training programmes - a model that will be of benefit to the City's Civil Defence management if the Council choses to collaborate with the Trust.

Today CEO Jarrod Coburn praised the City Council's initiative. "More power to you Madam Mayor," said Coburn, " I salute your assessment of this situation and your positive approach to the future.

"We have had the 'inquisition' - now it's time for the City to join together to resolve our shared vulnerability.

"I'm confident Mike Mendonca and Stavros Michael - with the support of the Mayor's office and Councillors - will be able to provide the leadership required to make this City the most prepared in New Zealand.," said Coburn.

Involving community Civil Defence personnel in aspects of the Council's emergency preparedness planning is an essential first step.
The NZRT not only congratulated Wellington City Council but also highlighted that kudos is owed to Peter Dunne and the local Civil Defence volunteers who had the courage to make this an issue.

Jarrod Coburn offers one piece of final advice. "Let's keep absolutely positively moving forward to achieve our common goal of making Wellington the safest city in New Zealand."

ENDS

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