Auditor-General John Ryan Photo: Controller and Auditor General
The auditor-general is urging Auckland Council to improve its ability to respond to emergencies.
In a report released today, John Ryan recommended a range of improvements, including updating its Civil Defence plan and holding regular emergency management readiness drills.
He said continued restructuring, staff turnover, and frequent disruptions have seen the council fall behind, and recommended consistent leadership for Auckland Emergency Management.
The audit began in 2019 but was delayed due to the pandemic. It set out to be a deep dive into the council's overall preparedness for an emergency.
It was separate to an independent review of Auckland Council's emergency management response to the flooding this year, by former police commissioner Mike Bush.
Two of the auditor general's six recommendations match those of the flood response review.
Auckland Council has been tasked with updating its Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Plan, now two years overdue.
Ryan recommended the council update and finalise this plan and carry out regular emergency management exercises to test it - backing similar recommendations in the flood response review.
"The overlap in these recommendations reinforces their importance," Ryan said.
"It is essential that the Group Plan is reviewed and updated as soon as possible.
"This is an important opportunity for Auckland Council to continue to assess what it has learned from recent emergency events, re-engage with relevant organisations and communities, and set realistic and achievable goals for improving emergency management in the Auckland region."
He said the council needed to better support Auckland Emergency Management to build momentum with its work programme.
Auckland Council has indicated it would update its Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Plan by early next year.
Its director of governance and CCO (Council Controlled Organisations) partnerships, Phil Wilson, said the council had already made progress on the auditor general's draft findings, released in 2019.
"We acknowledge that the final report is broadly aligned with other recent feedback and reviews on Auckland Council's emergency management function, and the council already has actions underway or planned that will address most issues raised," Wilson said.
The auditor general also recommended the council create a clear strategy and plan for working with communities to build resilience and strengthening working relationships with Māori.
"Our next steps are to review the report's recommendations alongside those actions that are already underway to ensure all are covered," Wilson said.
Although the report was not a response to a particular emergency, it did cover the period when Auckland grappled with water shortages in 2020, a tornado ripped through Papatoetoe in 2021 and that same year when there was flooding in West Auckland.
Ryan said to some extent, these emergencies have tested Auckland Council's emergency management preparedness.
"Although the council told us that it has learnt valuable lessons from responding to these events, and reviews were carried out into the council's response, not all recommendations from those reviews have been systematically implemented."
Not all the lessons from disasters such as the Papatoetoe tornado have been learned, John Ryan found. Photo: RNZ / Jean Bell
He said the council was better placed now, than in 2019, to respond to an emergency.
The auditor-general will follow up in a year's time, on Auckland Council's progress.
"The council has committed to a range of improvements. It is critically important that it prioritises its efforts and stays focused."
