This report outlines preparations New Zealand households have made for a natural disaster, using information from the 2010 New Zealand General Social Survey (NZGSS). It follows a similar report using 2008 NZGSS data (see Natural disaster preparation at home).
We present findings on how natural disaster preparations have changed since 2008. The information helps us determine how prepared New Zealand homes are for future natural disasters and how fast they can recover.
Key Results
The 2010 NZGSS results show some improvement in household preparation for a natural disaster. For example, more homes in the Canterbury and Wellington regions, and more couples with dependent children, were prepared than in 2008. This improvement is partly due to the Canterbury earthquakes that were occurring from September 2010 to March 2011 when the survey was underway. The survey came out of the field shortly after the 22 February 2011 earthquake, so the results do not reflect the full effect of that earthquake on household preparations.