Martinborough Community Board was awarded the Partnering with Councils Award at this year’s Local Government New Zealand’s annual conference last week in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. 

The award is for the Board’s role in community preparedness in emergencies, especially four events that promoted the role of a Community Emergency Hub.

“The Community Emergency Hub has been here for years and we have had events prior to now but  these were handsdown the best attended and most engaged community practices held across the Wairarapa that I have seen in my time in Emergency Management,” says Nigel Carter, Lead Advisor  Emergency Management for South Wairarapa District Council.

 “These were incredibly successful engagements with the Martinborough community thanks to the fantastic group of locals and the huge amount of energy from the Martinborough Community Board, and in particular, Angela Brown.”

The workshops were open to everyone in the community and taught concepts such as, “Disasters break things but they don’t have to break people”, “Let’s Plan Together” and that a community emergency hub is not a kit or a location but is the people who come together to look after each other.

Local Government New Zealand judges highlighted the Martinborough Community Board’s project as a great model for councils, showcasing out of the box thinking.

The next Martinborough Resilience Project workshop will be on Saturday 21 September and further workshop events are in the planning phase by community boards in Featherston and Greytown.

“So much of the mahi done by local government goes under the radar. That’s why we’re excited to lift the lid on some of the incredible and inspiring work our community board members do,” said a spokesperson for Local Government New Zealand.

SWDC’s Lead Advisor for Emergency Management Nigel Carter says there is a strong theme of being “Alone together in an emergency. This means that even if you are alone due to being isolated in an emergency, you are together with the resources you have within yourselves as a community and the Community Emergency Hubs are a great way to come together to do this.”

Martinborough Emergency Response Practice

Saturday 21 September, 11am to 1pm, Waihinga Martinborough Community Centre, Texas Street

Registrations are open online now at:

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/martinborough-emergency-response-practice/martinborough