Civil Defence
Concerns for children in Mangere house fire
The Fire Service has spent much of the night fighting a blaze in an abandoned house in Mangere's Robertson Rd, amid concerns there were children inside. The police have spoken to three young people… Audio
Man braves Waikato currents to save 8yo girl
A volunteer firefighter who braved the currents of the Waikato River to save an eight-year-old girl says he had to act quickly. Nathan Spitzer was driving past Ngaruawahia Fire Station in his tractor… Audio
Kaikōura a year on: Two minutes of terror upends land, lives
Over the past few days RNZ has spoken with people in Kaikoura about their experiences of 2016's 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Audio
Kaikōura a year on: GNS holds Marlborough field day
As many reflect on last year's Kaikōura earthquake, some of the world's top earthquake scientists are using it as an indicator for the future. More than 100 experts from 20 countries have joined New… Audio
Wellington shaken on eve of Kaikōura quake
Wellingtonians were shaken awake on Sunday night by a a 4.8 magnitude earthquake which struck at 11.28pm and was centred 30km west of the city. The quake, which many heard coming before they felt it… Audio
Debating the address
The Governor General has officially summoned the new Parliament and now MPs are debating whether to send her a thank you note. Video, Audio
Andrew Little to meet Pike families, discuss mine re-entry
Labour's Andrew Little will be meeting with Pike River families in the next week to discuss plans for re-entering the mine. He joins us to discuss the plans. Audio
Emergency centres may fail quake standards
Civil defence emergency centres in quake zones may not meet the rigorous building standards required for them to withstand a big shake.
Big quakes could undermine Civil Defence ability to operate
Many Civil Defence headquarters around the country may not be safe in an earthquake. This, despite a requirement they're able to be worked in straight after any big quake. Audio
Calfornia wildfires: Residents return to burnt homes
Firefighters battling the wildfires in northern California have made some progress in the last few hours. Winds are dying down, giving firefighters a break in the weather. The fires have been raging… Audio
New Otago tsunami maps show evacuation zones
Civil Defence has released new maps of the Otago coast that grade which individual properties would be evacuated in a tsunami alert.
Tighter furniture rules could save many lives in house fires
Living room furniture made out polyurethane is such a deadly hazard firefighters are demanding tighter rules they say would save lives. They argue making sofas and chairs more flame resistent could… Audio
'Drastic reduction' in fire deaths possible
Firefighters say regulating the amount of flammable material used in furniture could reduce the number of people killed in house fires by up to half. The government is looking into whether regulating… Audio
Farmers consider use for quake-damaged land
North Canterbury farmers are looking at what other uses their quake-damaged land could have, including native planting, beekeeping and tourism.
After the flood, still high and dry
Edgecumbe residents are unlikely to be back home for Christmas, six months on from the stopbank failure and devastating flood, the local mayor says.
Faulty fire trucks fixed, due back in action
A multi-million dollar fleet of fire trucks is expected to be back on the roads by December - nearly one year after a union blacklisted them over safety fears. The Man-model trucks - worth more than… Audio
Civil defence test wakes up vodafone customers at 1:30am.
Civil defence test at 1:30 this morning wakes up a large number of vodafone customers. Audio
Civil Defence sorry for midnight notifications
Civil Defence has apologised for mistakenly sending smartphone test alerts in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A message sent at 1.32am on Wednesday read: "This is a test message for the… Audio
Report leaves Edgecumbe locals without answers
Edgecumbe residents say a new independent report into the town's disastrous flood has not answered their questions - including who is to blame.
