One in five NZ households ready for a natural disaster

Ōtautahi - One in five New Zealand households are prepared for a natural disaster with basic emergency preparations, Stats NZ says.

Basic preparations are enough food and water for three days and a household emergency plan in case of a natural disaster.

Thirteen percent of people lived in a household that didn’t meet any of the requirements for basic emergency preparations, according to the 2021 general social survey just released Stats NZ says.

Many households are unprepared for a natural disaster such as an earthquake, flood or tsunami.

While most households had enough food, only around half had enough water. In the event of a disaster, households should have enough water for three days, which is at least 9 litres for each person.

In 2021, 47 percent of people said their household had enough water and 83 percent had enough food for three days. Just 31 percent of people said their household had an emergency plan.

The proportion of those who said their household was prepared for an emergency was relatively unchanged from 22 percent in 2014 when the data was last collected.

People in rural areas and Wellington are more prepared than the national average. A third of people in rural areas lived in a household that had basic emergency preparations compared with 19 percent of people living in urban areas.

A total of 36 percent of people in the Wellington region lived in a household that had basic emergency preparations.

But in Auckland, 14 percent of people had basic emergency preparations, less than the national average.

In 2021, 25 percent of those living in owner-occupied homes said their household had basic emergency preparations, compared with just 13 percent of those who lived in rental homes.

Those who lived in owner-occupied households were more likely to say they had an emergency plan and enough water for three days than those in renting households.

People aged 25–44 years were less likely to live in households that were prepared for emergencies than older people.

Around a quarter of 45–64-year-olds and those aged 65 and over lived in households that had basic emergency preparations, compared with 14 percent of 25–44-year-olds.

Basic emergency preparedness in Canterbury has declined to 25 percent in 2021, down from 40 percent in 2012. 

Following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, more households were prepared for an emergency, but 10 years later, preparedness has dropped.

Canterbury preparedness increased between 2008 and 2012, with the proportion of people with prepared households almost tripling.

While Canterbury preparedness has declined, Wellington region and national preparedness remained high after increasing from 2008 to 2012.