Wellington resident Barrie Hutton says the flyer which direct people to publishing firm Markat's website is irresponsible. Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman
- Wellington resident says "Get Ready Emergency Planning Guide" pamphlet linking to private publishing firm's website is 'irresponsible'.
- NEMA says it contacted the firm 'Markat' in July requesting they cease production or remove Civil Defence branding.
- NEMA says people should bookmark the Get Ready website and local Civil Defence Group.
- Lawyers for the firm say the single sided flyer was originally a brochure made in conjunction with Civil Defence in 2019.
- They say they agree to make changes to the document before continuing with further publication.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is distancing itself from a flyer with Civil Defence branding made by a private company that has been turning up in mailboxes in Wellington this month.
It said the document was "obviously not official information" and the company had agreed to cease producing the leaflets in their current form in early July.
The firm, Markat, said it jointly developed material with Civil Defence in 2019 and had permission to distribute the material.
Man says flyer 'irresponsible'
Wellington resident Barrie Hutton said he was mystified to find the sparse single sided pamphlet headed Get Ready Wellington District Emergency Planning Guide in his mailbox last week.
But his surprise turned to disbelief when he scanned the large QR code above instructions to keep the document on the fridge "for easy access in case of an emergency" and found it led to the website of private publishing firm Markat.
The website lists various publications it hosts: from the likes of Citizens Advice Bureau, Neighbourhood Support Magazine, Safetywise and a children's cookbook as well as a booklet of Civil Defence information entitled "Get Ready".
With a little scrolling and a couple of clicks readers can view or download the 48 page booklet made up for 20 districts with Civil Defence information interspersed with advertisements for local businesses
But the document arriving in Wellington mailboxes this month was a single sided reproduction of the booklet's coverpage dominated by instructions to scan the large QR code for "hands free reading" with Civil Defence and Get Ready website addresses in small print beneath the code.
Hutton said he felt the flyer was "irresponsible" and "potentially dangerous".
"It looks very official, if you believed it was going to help you and you do what it says - kept it handy or on your fridge - at the moment you needed it, you scanned it, that could be potentially dangerous," Hutton said.
Hutton said - as a marketing tactic - the pamphlet was "beyond belief".
"It's completely mystifying and why any marketing company could see any advantage to themselves or why anyone would do that," he said.
NEMA says pamphlets 'not official information'
NEMA's Anthony Frith said the agency did not endorse the pamphlets.
"Neither NEMA nor the local Civil Defence Groups have been involved in the development of the pamphlets currently being distributed.
"We have reached out to Markat to express our concerns and they have advised us they intend to cease production of the leaflet in its current format," Frith said.
Frith said he welcomed any group that wanted to distribute information about how to prepare in an emergency as long as it was accurate and official information.
"The Markat website is obviously not official information," he said.
2019 brochure reduced to a single page 'due to printing and distribution costs'
Anne Ryan of law firm Lane Neave - acting for the Job Agency Limited trading as Markat - said the pamphlet was "jointly developed" by Markat and and the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management in 2019 ahead of the agency becoming NEMA.
"Markat had permission from Civil Defence to distribute the pamphlets on an ongoing basis. Current staff at Civil Defence seem unaware of this arrangement and the person at Civil Defence who our client collaborated with, has apparently left the organisation," Ryan said.
Ryan acknowledged the flier was originally in a booklet form but had been recently changed to a pamphlet "due to printing and distribution costs".
She confirmed Markat had been contacted by NEMA on July 5 requesting it's branding be removed from the pamphlet and a disclaimer added to noted that the company had no association with NEMA.
"Our client explained to NEMA that the pamphlet had been prepared in collaboration with Civil Defence, but nevertheless agreed to comply with NEMA's requests, noting that it had just finished a print run (i.e. the Wellington run) and would make the changes NEMA required before moving forward with any further publications," Ryan said.
Anthony Frith said it was a good idea for people to set up their computers and phones so they did have quick access to official emergency information.
"What we would say to people is to bookmark the Get Ready website and their local Civil Defence Group, follow their local group on social media and, in an emergency, to turn on the radio," Frith said.
