Waitematā Civil Defence Emergency Hubs

The nationwide annual test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system took on Sunday 25 May 2025. An alert was sent to everybody – you would have heard it if you have a “capable phone”. The test of the Emergency Mobile Alert allows Civil Defence to evaluate the system, cell towers, and remind us whether our mobile phones are able to receive the alert.

Civil Defence Hubs

The mobile alert test was a good reminder to pull out the Waitemata Local Board Emergency Readiness and Response plan.

If you don’t have a printed copy – download it before an emergency and put it with your other emergency items. You don’t want to be trying to print in a power failure…

So what to do in a Civil Defence Emergency?

In a declared civil defence emergency in Waitematā  places to go depends on the nature of the emergency and official instructions.

Your Primary Safe Place: Your Home 

• Safe at Home: In many emergencies, if you have your emergency supplies, the safest place to be is at home.
• Emergency Supplies: Always keep a well-stocked emergency kit with plenty of food, water, and essentials for at least three days (ideally more). Remember a power outage is likely. The internet could be down. A portable back up power source is a good idea to keep your modem and phones going. Do the research before you need it. Useful for camping holidays! Staying in touch with friends and family is only possible with charged devices.

If You Need to Evacuate:

• Evacuation is a last resort, and you may be advised to do so by official channels. 
• Stay with Whānau/Friends: Your first option for evacuation is to stay with family/friends who are in a safe area.
• Check Official Information: Do not assume a centre is open. Civil Defence Centres will only open when needed and when it is safe to do so. You must check Auckland Emergency Management’s website, social media, or listen to the radio to see which centres are open and operational. There are very currently few identified public spaces to go to in Waitemata during an emergency.
• Civil Defence Centres (CDCs)  and Community Emergency Hubs: These are designated safe places where people can go for help, shelter, and support during an emergency managed by Civil Defence. Community Emergency Hubs are set up by the community. Good spaces for these are being decided on all over Auckland.  Currently we have no identified in advance, Community Emergency Hub locations in Waitematā . There are smaller local spaces that could open urgently for a cup of tea, a place to sleep. A local person will have a key and the authority to open up the building. RSAs, churches, school halls, community halls, university buildings etc

Civil Defence Centres listed in Waitematā  (you must check if open in an emergency):

• • • Ellen Melville Centre – 2 Freyburg Place, Auckland Centre
    • Freemans Bay Community Hall, 52 Hepburn St, Freemans Bay
    • Grey Lynn Library Hall – 474 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
    • Te Manuhurehure Cultural Marae 65/73 Premier Ave, Pt Chev

If the internet is still working you can look to see what is open on line. There is a map but its quite hard to use –  even in normal times. (AEM – it would Be good if this had an address feature where you can type in your street and find the closest open emergency community hub.

Voluntary Response Teams – June 2025 – Currently nothing is set up in Waitematā

Create a Household Emergency Plan:

• • • • Discuss what you will do if an emergency happens. Where will everyone meet? What will you do if mobile communications are down?
      • Decide on meeting places if you can’t get home or are separated (one close to home, one further away).
      • How will you get home? Plan evacuation routes from common places you go to – school, work.
      • For City Centre residents – establish a place to go in the suburbs.
      • Do  you know how to turn off? Water, electricity, and gas at the main switches/valves
• Prepare a Grab Bag: A small, easy-to-carry bag with essentials in case you need to evacuate quickly.Take a “grab bag” with essential items (medications, important documents, warm clothing, food for a short period, phone charger, cash). It’s unlikely you will be able to take pets. This was a big issue in the Hawkes Bay.
• Emergency Supplies: Have enough food, water, torches, power banks at home to be self-sufficient for at least three days.
• National Emergency Management Agency: getready.govt.nz provides general preparedness information.

Stay Informed Through Official Channels

• Auckland Emergency Management (AEM): Is the lead agency for civil defence emergencies in Auckland, including Waitematā  – Grey Lynn, Westmere, Arch Hill, Ponsonby. Their website and social media channels are the official sources of information. As we saw in the floods – locals are often the first to know what is happening. Locals should call AEM with reports of what they see.
•  Social Media: Follow AEM official accounts for real-time updates.
  • Radio– if the power goes out, a solar- or battery-powered radio (or your car radio) can help you keep up to date with the latest news. In an emergency, tune to these stations. These are national stations and will not have the granular detail of what is happening in your area.
  • Radio New Zealand (rnz.co.nz)
  • The Hits (thehits.co.nz)
  • NewstalkZB (newstalkzb.co.nz
• MetService: For weather-related emergencies, check website.
• GeoNet: For earthquake and volcanic activity, check website.