Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Health
15 October 2015 Media Statement
National Health Emergency Plan updated
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the new National Health Emergency Plan will ensure New Zealand is well prepared to
respond to future events.
“Since the National Health Emergency Plan was published in 2004 there have been a number of significant emergencies and
disasters in New Zealand and overseas,” says Dr Coleman.
“The National Health Emergency Plan 2015 draws on the lessons learnt from the Christchurch earthquakes, numerous severe
weather events in the Pacific, the swine flu pandemic, and the recent West Africa Ebola outbreak.
“The new Plan also takes into consideration the latest research and best practice, and it has been developed in
consultation with local and international experts in health emergency management.”
The Plan provides the health sector with an emergency management strategic framework and describes the roles and
responsibilities, at all levels, across risk reduction, readiness, response, and recovery.
It includes guidance on a wide range of topics such as risk analysis, managing volunteers in an emergency, and border
health protection.
“One of the lessons learned from the Canterbury earthquakes was the need for collaboration and coordination across all
organisations with disaster risk and emergency management responsibilities,” says Dr Coleman.
“Health agencies in Canterbury had worked closely with local emergency management partners before the earthquakes which
laid strong flexible foundations for effective response. These lessons have informed the new Plan.”
The review was carried out in conjunction with the Joint Centre for Disaster Research at Massey University and it was
also aligned with the review of the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan.
The Plan can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website:www.health.govt.nz
ends