About the On-farm Adverse Events Recovery Framework Review
The consultation process
The review process aimed to promote debate to ensure the recovery framework is robust, practical and understood. The consultation also aimed to promote the importance of adverse event planning and awareness.
MAF has consulted with industry groups and local government. The feedback from this initial consultation helped develop the public discussion document, Building Resilience, and has also been incorporated into other MAF work programmes, such as improving adverse event reporting systems.
MAF held public consultation meetings throughout the country during October 2006, and called for submissions in response to the discussion document. Submissions have now closed.
The Summary of Submissions and the On-farm Adverse Events Recovery Framework policy are now available.
Scope of the review
The review focused on recovery after an adverse climatic event or natural disaster, and explores the principles behind the Government’s role at the on-farm level. Wider community recovery measures, such as repairing telecommunications and transport infrastructure, are outside the scope of this review.
In practice there are critical linkages between the recovery phase and the initial response phase. For example, recent adverse events have shown that the efficient restoration of infrastructure in rural communities, particularly the restoration of telecommunications, is one of the primary ways of speeding recovery.
This review of the recovery policy sits alongside three other projects that together look at MAF’s role within the wider Civil Defence Emergency Management system, and the relationship with other government agencies, industry organisations and community groups. In brief:
- MAF is reviewing its response role and capability immediately following an adverse event, including how it meshes with the rest of the response system;
- MAF is considering the role of Rural Support Trusts in adverse events, including their role in building community resilience to future events; and
- MAF is reviewing policy for recovery after a major biosecurity incursion.
The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry will be reporting to Cabinet on the first two of these by December 2007. MAF expects to carry out some targeted consultation as part of its consideration of these issues, but there will not be a discussion document. Building Resilience included a brief commentary on Rural Support Trusts.
The biosecurity recovery issues will take longer to work through. At this stage no timetable or process for consultation has been decided.
Objectives of the review
The On-farm Adverse Events Recovery Framework Review aims to ensure that central government recovery assistance at the on-farm level achieves seven objectives. The objectives are to:
- maintain individual and local communities’ primary responsibility for recovery through risk mitigation and preparedness;
- ensure that any central government recovery assistance is aligned with local government, industry and community group recovery assistance measures;
- ensure basic family welfare needs are met in a timely manner through appropriate and equitable assistance measures;
- enable economic recovery to occur at optimal speed;
- ensure central government recovery assistance measures signal the necessity for sustainable land management practices, prudent risk mitigation and optimal insurance cover by individuals;
- ensure any assistance is delivered efficiently and minimises the Crown’s fiscal risk; and
- ensure the Crown is seen to be acting fairly and reasonably to citizens in hardship, while recognising the role of local government and community agencies.
Contact for Enquiries
email: adverseevents_feedback@maf.govt.nz
phone number: (07) 957 8314
