It’s been five years on since the Christ Church earth quakes which shattered buildings and communities and took 185 lives, injured thousands, destroyed more than half of the CBD and damaged tens of thousands of homes.

Since the Christ Church earthquake on 22nd February 2011, thousands of tremors have been recorded but the question remains – are New Zealand better prepared for disaster?

The city faced enormous challenges. Many remain unresolved. The political approach of the national government to response and recovery has raised important issues for understanding the politics of disasters.

If an earthquake happens on such a scale again how can we avoid residents feeling powerless by the government’s approach to recovery?

What was learnt from the recovery operation and how can New Zealand and Australia be better prepared in dealing with disaster?

Response and recovery issues are relevant around the world as climate-related disasters become more frequent particularly in Australia with widespread bushfires from Western Australia to Tasmania.

Emergency response and recovery will be discussed at the 5th Australian and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference.

The Conference held at Jupiters, Gold Coast, 30-31 May 2016 will follow the theme ‘EARTH, FIRE and RAIN’ and examine issues that impact preparedness, resilience, response and capability. To register for the conference CLICK HERE.

Click here to follow the conversation on signs of progress, public discontent and studies demonstrating how the Christ Church community felt excluded by centralised powers.