Ian Macdonald, longstanding ‘Controller’ of HB’s Civil Defence and Emergency Group, has resigned.

Before taking on the role of Group Controller in 2011, he held several senior planning roles at Hastings District Council and has been a member of the Army Reserve for over 30 years, currently holding the rank of Colonel.

Some in the community have heaped blame on Macdonald personally for local government’s inadequate preparedness for and response to the Cyclone Gabrielle disaster. Improperly, IMHO.

It must be noted that the various reviews of the response all have strongly emphasised that the scale and intensity of the event was profoundly “overwhelming” (the term used by all reviewers) to all systems, processes and players. 

A more equitable allocation of ‘blame’ would include:

• People and businesses who chose to locate in places of historically known risk.

• Councils who have allowed them to do so, while providing shoestring funding for disaster management and defence measures more equitably provided across the community.

• Having five councils to stumble all over each other – not quite a model for crisis management.

• Lifeline service providers placing equipment in stupid places.

• Lax regulation of forestry practices.

• Contractors/companies failing to maintain warning systems or provide redundancy.

• Dysfunctional protocols and procedures dictated from central government (as all reviews have noted).

• And hey, why not blame the catchment boards of a by-gone era who failed to heed the lessons of earlier disasters (e.g., 1938) or anticipate decades before ‘climate change’ was imagined that stopbanks might not suffice.

The ‘failures’ of our cyclone response lie on many doorsteps, not on any individual. Too many people to locate and line-up to sack.

As for Ian Macdonald, here are appropriate comments from HBRC Chief Executive Nic Peet making the resignation announcement:

“Ian is highly respected in the CDEM sector nationally. He has chaired the CDEM regional sector group for a number of years and actively contributed to the CDEM sector at a national policy level while also being involved in various national responses.”

“While Ian has thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and rewarding work involved in emergency management in the CDEM role, he feels the timing is right for a change for him and his family and to let someone else take up the reins to build on what has already been achieved in Hawke’s Bay.

“Ian can genuinely be proud of his service to Hawke’s Bay and the wider New Zealand during some of our most difficult times. There have been many events over the years where Ian has been involved in leading or supporting the CDEM response. While Cyclone Gabrielle immediately comes to mind, Ian has also led the regional CDEM responses for the COVID 19 lockdowns, the 2020 Napier flooding, and the Nelson Floods in 2022. 

“Ian’s commitment to serving the community needs to be acknowledged and commended.” Amen.   

And on the in-coming side of the ledger …

HB-based John Hamilton has been appointed Independent Advisor to the region’s Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Joint Committee.

The Joint Committee consists of the region’s mayors and HBRC chair, supported by CDEM staff and councils’ chief executives.

This appointment is intended to bring a senior experienced outside view to redesign and  implementation of HB civil defence structure and activities in response to the reviews and recommendations that have been completed at both the regional (Mike Bush report) and national (Sir Jerry Mateparae report)  levels in response to last year’s North Island disasters.

The outcomes expected of this appointment include: 

• Provide independent knowledge and experience of the emergency management system in NZ in the governance of the Committee;

• Provide a future focused best practice governance view of Emergency Management in NZ;

• Drive independent public accountability and enhanced performance of the HB CDEM Group;

• Seek to restore community confidence in regional and local emergency management for the HB region.

Mr Hamilton has served as Director of the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (2006-2014). He was appointed National Coordinator for the response to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and was responsible for coordination of the national response and for implementation of recommendations made in the post-earthquake review of the response.

Prior to his civil defence experience Mr Hamilton served 35 years in the Royal NZ Air Force, enlisting as an officer cadet and culminating as Chief of Air Force in the rank of Vice-Marshal.

CDEM Joint Committee Chair Hinewai Ormsby praised Mr Hamilton’s experience and commented on recent progress with implementing review recommendations:

“We have already moved forward with a number of including supporting the development of 31 community and Marae hubs across the region with work on a further 40 progressing. We have also been increasing our operational capability with 312 council and partner staff across the region attending emergency management training.”

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