Residents of Hanmer Springs township are preparing for voluntary evacuation on Sunday 6 April 2025 as part of a multi-agency wildfire evacuation exercise.

Hurunui Council’s Emergency Management officer Allan Grigg says the evacuation is voluntary and is aimed at residents and visitors who are within the town boundary during the time of the exercise.

“Evacuation will be voluntary to help residents and visitors become familiar with the Hanmer Springs wildfire preparedness plan. The field exercise will only be aimed at those who are within the town boundary during the exercise and who want to participate,” Grigg says. “Those people outside the Hanmer Springs township are welcome to participate in the exercise if they wish – this is a great opportunity to practice your household emergency plan and gain an understanding of how such an evacuation would look and feel.”

The exercise brings together emergency services, the Hanmer Springs Community Emergency Response Team, Waka Kotahi NZTA, Hurunui District Council, residents, local businesses, schools, accommodation providers, and tourists to test Hanmer Springs’s wildfire preparedness plan.

Hurunui Civil Defence Emergency Management will be the lead agency for the exercise on Sunday 6 April, which will run throughout the day, with the public phase of the exercise taking place between 2pm and 5pm.

Residents and visitors who would like to participate in the voluntary evacuation and who require assistance on the day are urged to get in touch with the Council.

Residents will hear the instruction to evacuate via public address systems and the town siren. The evacuation point is the paddock south of Amuri Helicopters at 561 Hanmer Springs Road, SH7A.

“We will have volunteers patrolling to ensure properties are safe during the exercise and to be available to help people evacuate,” Grigg says.

The field exercise will utilise platforms used in real events, such as North Canterbury radio station Compass FM, emergency services vehicle sirens, public address systems, evacuation teams who will be door knocking, and the Hanmer Springs community Facebook page. All messaging will start and end with the words ‘Civil Defence Exercise’.

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