Key points

In 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006 Environment Waikato surveyed randomly chosen adults living in the Waikato region to assess how aware and ready they were for natural hazard events.

• In 2006, 76 per cent of the people living in the Waikato region could name at least one natural hazard in their area that could damage them or their property (57 per cent in 1998, 81 per cent in 2000 and 69 per cent in 2003).
• The proportion of people who can name three or more natural hazards that could damage them or their property has almost doubled between 2003 and 2006 (from 10 per cent to 18 per cent).
• In 2003, thirty-five per cent of people living in our region were both aware of natural hazards and prepared to cope with a natural hazard event. This is lower than 2000 when forty-two per cent were in this category, but better than in 1998 when less than a third of people were in this category. In 2006, people were not asked if they were prepared.
• In 2003, half of the people (48 per cent) living in the Waikato region were not prepared for a natural hazard event. Whether there is any change in awareness and readiness will be checked again in the 2009 survey.

Source: Environment Waikato

What agencies are doing

• Environment Waikato is working with other local authorities and agencies to reduce the adverse effects associated with natural hazards.
• We maintain a region-wide flood warning system and flood protection schemes.
• Environment Waikato has prepared mitigation and contingency plans for various hazard events.
• Environment Waikato includes provisions in plans and resource consents to control the use of land for the avoidance or mitigation of natural hazards.
• We increase community awareness of the risks associated with natural hazards through environmental education, and encourage the communities to prepare for natural hazards and civil defence emergencies.

What you can do to help

Find out how to be prepared:

• Get copies of civil defence pamphlets from Environment Waikato or district council offices.
• Check the inside cover of the telephone yellow pages to find out what to do.

More information

More detail on this indicator, including how and where this information is collected, is available here.

What we want to achieve

The community outcome we are seeking to achieve by monitoring natural hazards awareness and readiness in our community is:

• Our communities and government work together so that we are safe, feel safe and crime is reduced.