Community Emergency Hubs pilot

We’re establishing Hubs where you can pitch in to help your neighbours in an emergency.

What is a Community Emergency Hub?

In a disaster, it’s likely official services will be stretched to a point where they must prioritise the most urgent callouts. The people closest to you, your neighbours, will likely be a key source of support.

A Community Emergency Hub, or Hub, is a place where you and your neighbours can go to help each other in a major emergency and share skills and resources, information about what’s happening in your neighbourhood, and support others who in the same situation as you and your family.

Our pilot programme

We are introducing Community Emergency Hubs to some suburbs in Tauranga in February 2025. These will be run by the community, and you can pitch in to help.

We will be launching the Hubs in Matua, Ōtūmoetai, Bellevue and Brookfield. Community events, with food and fun activities, will be held in these neighbourhoods where Hubs would be established in an emergency, enabling you to get to know your neighbours in a comfortable setting before you might need to support each other.

If you live nearby, we’d encourage you to attend the events, learn about the Hubs, establish what skills and resources you have around you, and find out how you might be able to support your neighbours in a time of need.

Being prepared for an emergency

It’s important you make sure you and the people and things you care about, are ready. Every household’s plan will be different, so we encourage you to plan in case you have to rely solely on your own resources, and resources in your neighbourhood, for some time.

For more information on what to do to get through, head to the Get Ready website.

Frequently asked questions

When would a Community Emergency Hub be needed?

A Community Emergency Hub is needed when there has been an emergency, such as an earthquake or cyclone, where people need assistance, and the support needed is beyond the current capability of council and emergency services. There are keyholders near each Hub who will be available to open locations for neighbours to pitch in when the time comes.

We appreciate our community is always keen to help out in emergencies, and Hubs are a great way to offer your skills and support the people around you while the most urgent callouts are prioritised.

How do the Hubs run?

Each Hub has a Hub Guide, which walks you through how to coordinate your neighbourhood response, and what roles need filling. Roles are allocated on the day, depending on who turns up.

While the Community Emergency Hubs are set up to run without official assistance, Civil Defence / Emergency Management are always here to help. Hub teams can communicate with the Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre and seek help for issues you need some extra support with addressing in your neighbourhood.

How do Hubs fit into the official emergency response?

Community Emergency Hubs will be run by the community and will pitch in to help their neighbours in a coordinated way, while Civil Defence is prioritising the most urgent callouts. While the Community Emergency Hubs are set up to run without official assistance, Civil Defence and Emergency Management are always here to help.

What about Civil Defence centres? Will these still be set up in a major emergency?

Yes, Civil Defence centres would still be established in major emergencies. The Community Hubs will continue to be a community-led space you can go if you need assistance in an emergency.

Will other neighbourhoods get Community Emergency Hubs?

We will be looking to roll Community Emergency Hubs in other neighbourhoods in Tauranga, once we have completed the pilot programme in Ōtūmoetai, Bellevue, Brookfield, and Matua. We expect to consider this in mid-2025.