Marae around the Ruapehu district are to receive $115,000 funding from the local Civil Defence to self-manage and support the community in emergency events.
The funding came from the Civil Defence Emergency Managemen Resilience Fund Grant.
Ruapehu Emergency Management Officer Andy Chambers said the marae resilience programme was developed with Fire Rescue First Response Ltd.
“The training will initially benefit 25 marae across Ruapehu that were identified following discussions with local iwi and hapū after Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Our discussions looked at what marae were best placed to operate as civil defence welfare centres along with what was needed to lift the ability of iwi and hapū to support the community in a large-scale emergency event.
“Together we identified the need for emergency response training covering the four stages of civil defence preparedness - reduction, readiness, response, and recovery.
“By lifting the skills of iwi and hapū the training programme will provide a solid foundation for marae to have a greater role in emergency response planning and response.”
Chambers added after a review of emergency management practices, it identified the need to have designated, fully prepared facilities for such purposes, which was why they were investing in developing marae as welfare centres.
“Many marae are ideal as welfare centres in rural areas due to their strategic locations and already being set up for large groups of people.
“These attributes enable them to effectively support emergency response and recovery efforts, providing a source of shelter, food, advice, and information within their communities,” he said.
Horizons emergency management manager Chay Hook said the funding for the programme would help take emergency response capability to a regional level.
“By developing the ability of marae to be welfare centres, we add depth to our regional emergency response infrastructure, ensuring a more resilient and prepared community.
“Strengthening Māori skills and resources in this way fortifies the entire civil defence and emergency response system, benefiting all communities across the region.”