National Disaster Resilience Strategy

The National Disaster Resilience Strategy (NDRS) is the vision for Civil Defence Emergency Management in New Zealand.

The NDRS sets out what we expect of a resilient New Zealand, and what we want to achieve from 2019 to 2029.

This Strategy is for all New Zealanders, and all those who live, work or visit here. It is a common agenda for resilience. Individual organisations, agencies, and groups can align with it for collective impact.

The Strategy came into effect on 10 April 2019. It replaces the previous National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy. It will last for 10 years, although it can be reviewed before then if necessary.

Download the National Disaster Resilience Strategy

Read the English full version of the National Disaster Resilience Strategy (.pdf 5.9mb)
Read the Reo Māori full version National Disaster Resilience Strategy (.pdf 2.5b)
Watch the National Disaster Resilience Strategy Summary in New Zealand Sign Language

There is also a summary version of the NDRS available online and in pdf. This outlines the key points in the Strategy:

Translations and alternate formats

The NDRS Summary is also available in:

Simplified Chinese
Hindi
Korean
Samoan

And it is available in:

Audio
Braille
Easy Read
Large print
New Zealand Sign Language

Find translations and alternate format versions of the NDRS.

Vision, goal and priorities

Our Vision

New Zealand is a disaster resilient nation that acts proactively to manage risks and build resilience in a way that contributes to the wellbeing and prosperity of all New Zealanders.

Our Goal

To strengthen the resilience of the nation by managing risks, being ready to respond to and recover from emergencies, and by enabling, empowering and supporting individuals, organisations, and communities to act for themselves and others, for the safety and wellbeing of all.

Our priorities and objectives

Each priority of the Strategy has six main objectives.

Identify and understand risk scenarios (including the components of hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and capacity), and use this knowledge to inform decision-making
Put in place organisational structures and identify necessary processes – including being informed by community perspectives – to understand and act on reducing risks
Build risk awareness, risk literacy, and risk management capability, including the ability to assess risk
Address gaps in risk reduction policy (particularly in the light of climate change adaptation)
Ensure development and investment practices, particularly in the built and natural environments, are risk-aware, taking care not to create any unnecessary or unacceptable new risk
Understand the economic impact of disaster and disruption, and the need for investment in resilience; identify and develop financial mechanisms that support resilience activities

Ensure that the safety and wellbeing of people is at the heart of the emergency management system
Build the relationship between emergency management organisations and iwi/groups representing Māori, to ensure greater recognition, understanding, and integration of iwi/Māori perspectives and tikanga in emergency management
Strengthen the national leadership of the emergency management system to provide clearer direction and more consistent response to and recovery from emergencies
Ensure it is clear who is responsible for what, nationally, regionally, and locally, in response and recovery; enable and empower community-level response, and ensure it is connected into wider coordinated responses, when and where necessary
Build the capability and capacity of the emergency management workforce for response and recovery
Improve the information and intelligence system that supports decision-making in emergencies to enable informed, timely, and consistent decisions by stakeholders and the public

Enable and empower individuals, households, organisations, and businesses to build their resilience, paying particular attention to those people and groups who may be disproportionately affected by disasters
Cultivate an environment for social connectedness which promotes a culture of mutual help; embed a collective impact approach to building community resilience
Take a whole of city/district/region approach to resilience, including to embed strategic objectives for resilience in key plans and strategies
Address the capacity and adequacy of critical infrastructure systems, and upgrade them as practicable, according to risks identified
Embed a strategic, resilience approach to recovery planning that takes account of risks identified, recognises long-term priorities and opportunities to build back better, and ensures the needs of the affected are at the centre of recovery processes
Recognise the importance of culture to resilience, including to support the continuity of cultural places, institutions and activities, and to enable the participation of different cultures in resilience

National Disaster Resilience Strategy Toolbox

The NDRS Toolbox can help you promote and put the Strategy in place. It resources and assets to help promote the strategy.

Visit the National Disaster Resilience Strategy Toolbox

Development of the National Disaster Resilience Strategy

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management held workshops to develop a new Strategy. The workshops started in 2016. They involved representatives from over 300 organisations.

A draft for public consultation was also released.

View the public submissions on the draft National Disaster Resilience Strategy (.pdf 22mb)

Other documents also helped create the strategy. These included:

Last updated: 28 Nov 2025