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The authority tasked with keeping New Zealanders safe from natural disasters has been criticised for failing to warn Kiwis during the Samoan tsunami.
A review into the emergency last month has found Civil Defence
blunders left the media doing its job.
While images of the Samoan devastation played out on TV screens in
New Zealand, Civil Defence was still scrambling to confirm it had
even happened.
The independent review of the way the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management responded to the September 30 tsunami has identified key failings in the way public information was handled.
The review was conducted by former secretary of foreign affairs and trade Simon Murdoch.
In his report, released on Friday, he says the Public Information Management (PIM) function of the ministry underperformed in the early stages of its response.
"Specifically, it delivered too little authoritative public messaging in the first two hours," he said.
"There is no single reason for its underperformance."
"But it is reasonable to suggest that had there been an early decision to trigger the agreed emergency broadcasting arrangements...a justifiably strong demand for authoritative information could have been better supplied and the public interest better served."
Murdoch says the system was based on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which applied to individuals, teams and sectors.
"Under real-time pressure, the whole system relies upon well-trained personnel, working internally and externally to roles they understand," he says.
"With hindsight, it appears that on September 30 some elements of these SOPs were unworkable for individuals or were not followed."
Some of the systems and operating procedures proved unreliable and the exercise was beset by "random circumstantial constraints" such as staff on leave and IT gremlins.
Vital tight synchronisation unravelled and the coherence of the system's "public voice" was put at risk.
Murdoch says these situations had a cumulative effect on media coverage of the response.
"Frustration about process begat scepticism, first about coherence and then about competence - an impression reinforced by the arrival of pictures of the Samoan devastation before New Zealand authorities felt able to confirm it officially," he says.
Murdoch says the PIM function did recover about 9am (the earthquake that caused the tsunami occurred at 6.48am) and after that its performance was largely satisfactory.
Also released was Friday is a detailed internal review report from the ministry which goes through all the processes and makes 20 recommendations.
The internal review acknowledged problems but says: "When measured by the activities undertaken by those communities at risk from the tsunami, the operation response could be considered to be satisfactory."
"But the response was dogged by perceptions held by the public that it was not well co-ordinated and that authorities did not clearly understand the situation."
Murdoch says the internal review did not duck any issues and detailed communications with ministers.
"My only observation is that ministers, sensing that there may be a (media-led) faltering of public confidence in a vital area of public service delivery, must and will act decisively to establish coherence and to restore confidence," he says.
"Provided ministers receive high quality situational awareness reporting from MCDEM (the ministry) and can see order being brought to these 'sudden onset events' they will also be guided by the established convention about leaving operational command with those whose statutory duties require them to make independent decision in life-and-death situations."
Civil Defence Minister John Carter says with the review reports that "an ongoing and robust" relationship between the ministry and media organisations was a crucial part of correcting the process.
All 20 recommendations in the internal review report would be implemented, he says.
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