A decade on in Christchurch, earthquake aftermath

Audio, Radio New Zealand

How the physical, mental, emotional and financial aftershocks of Christchurch's deadly earthquake which claimed 185 lives, are still being felt 10 years on.

Extended audio: Chilling emergency calls from aftermath of Christchurch ea…

Articles, Videos, TV3

Ten years on and these recordings are a raw reminder of that fateful day.

Gaining ‘authority to operate’: Student‐led emergent volunteers and establ…

Research Papers, Lincoln University

There is growing expectation that local volunteers will play a more integrated role in disaster response, yet emergent groups are often ‘outsiders’ to crisis management, prompting questions of the conditions and processes by which these groups can forge relationships with established response agencies, and the tensions which can arise those interactions. This article analyses how student-led volunteers, as an emergent group, nevertheless gained “authority to operate” in the aftermath of the 2010-2011 earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand. Our study demonstrates how established response agencies and emergent groups can form hugely impactful and mutually supportive relationships. However, our analysis also points to two interrelated tensions that can arise, regarding the terms by which emergent groups are recognised, and the ‘distance’ considered necessary between emergent groups and established response agencies. The discussion considers implications for inclusiveness, risk and responsibility if emergent volunteers are to be further integrated into disaster response.