New Zealand is a land of many hazards thanks to our position as an island nation on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, ex-tropical storms and wildfires are all within the realm of possibility. Come hear about our nation’s unique risk context and learn about preparedness and resilience strategies from a South Island perspective.

The bar at Errick's will be open before and after this event for coffee and drinks. Nibbles provided after the talk to encourage the conversation to continue.

Nano Fest in NZSL
This talk will be interpreted live. We are thrilled to have NZSL interpreted talks and events at this year's Nano Fest and welcome Deaf community members to attend - see the full list of NanoFest events featuring NZSL interpretation below. Proudly supported by NZISF and STEM Communication Trust.

Panel:

Craig Gibson – Emergency Management Advisor, Emergency Management Otago

Caroline Orchiston - Director, University of Otago Centre for Sustainability & Associate Director for the NZ Centre for Earthquake Resilience

Jamie Ruwhiu - Programme Manager, Whānau & Emergency Response Team at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Moderator: Aaron Hawkins

Panellist Bios:

Craig Gibson is an Emergency Management Advisor for the Queenstown Lakes Area, with over 30 years emergency sector experience, including roles in the New Zealand Army, the New Zealand Police and the Civil Defence Emergency Management Sector. Craig has experience throughout the country following deployments for emergency events including the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, the 2020 Lake Ohau Village Fire, and most recently he was the Response Manager for the Declared State of Emergency in Queenstown in September 2023. Craig will be presenting the latest thinking on emergency planning for Otago’s maximum credible event – the Alpine Fault.  Particularly the importance of integrated community response planning to support, enable and empower communities in building their resilience.

Associate Professor Caroline Orchiston is Director of the Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago. Caroline has a background in geology, and her research focusses on disaster risk reduction, earthquake response planning, risk communication and societal resilience to disruptive events. She has been involved in a collaboration with Civil Defence and Emergency Management on the AF8 [Alpine Fault magnitude 8] programme, which aims to build response capability for a future South Island earthquake. She is passionate about supporting communities to improve their risk awareness and preparedness for disasters. Caroline lives in Dunedin with her husband and three children, and is interested in permaculture and music. For this talk, Caroline will overview current knowledge of hazards and risks in Aotearoa NZ, particularly plate boundary earthquakes related to the Alpine Fault and Hikurangi Subduction Zone.

Jamie Ruwhiu is the Programme Manager of the Whānau & Emergency Response Team at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. He has worked for his iwi immediately after the March Terror Attacks in 2019, with the Emergency Response Team and has been involved in many events. Jamie’s role for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu is to prepare Ngāi Tahu whānui, the 18 Papatipu Rūnanga and the office of Te Whare o Te Waipounamu to respond to emergencies and build overall resilience for his iwi.

 Moderator Aaron Hawkins is a former Mayor and Chair of the Otago CDEM Group. In that time he spent a few anxious nights in the Civil Defence bunker, watching the rain fall, and more than a few months navigating the Covid-19 pandemic response. He is a strong believer in the need to build stronger communities, to cope with the increased disaster risk created by our climate-changed world. 

NanoFest in NZSL: List of NZSL interpreted events
Disaster Resilience & Preparedness
Drones for Conservation
Why the little things are worth looking at: A conversation with Giselle Clarkson
He kōrero whetū – let’s talk stars
Physics Show