Fire and Emergency appoints Local Advisory Committee for Tairāwhiti

The Fire and Emergency Board today announced the six community-minded New Zealanders who will form its first Local Advisory Committee in Tairāwhiti.

The new committee has been established to provide independent community-focused advice to the Fire and Emergency Board and will inform local emergency planning across the area.

The committee will be chaired by Molly Pardoe NZOM who has been a leader in Māori health promotion in Tairawhiti and Bay of Plenty for many years.

Mrs Pardoe says she sees her role on the Local Advisory Committee as an opportunity to keep the focus of community safety as a priority locally.

Mrs Pardoe will be supported by local Health and Disability advocate Louise Bennett as Deputy Chair.

Mrs Bennett, who is currently working with Tairāwhiti DHB assisting with the COVID 19 response, says she wanted to be part of the Local Advisory Committee so she could work alongside Fire and Emergency to strengthen community resilience.

"Being able to help Tairāwhiti communities better understand local risks and issues and get them prepared for emergencies will be a great satisfaction for me," Mrs Bennett says.

Fire and Emergency Board Chair Hon. Paul Swain says the Board’s choice of appointments reflected the emergency management needs of Tairāwhiti with a strong leadership focus on Māori health, rural communities and youth.

"While each member will need to engage widely beyond their existing networks - the Board felt it was particularly vital the voices of whānau, hapū and iwi come through strongly in the advice of the Tairāwhiti Local Advisory Committee."

Now the new members are on board, they are looking forward to meeting and to getting started on this important work. Wider community engagement is expected to begin in early 2021.

More information, including more details about the newly-appointed members of the first seven Local Advisory Committees in Northland, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Chatham Islands, the West Coast, Marlborough, and Otago is available on the Fire and Emergency website.

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