For the first time in over 20 years, New Zealand Response Teams (NZRTs) from across the North Island will come together in Wellington for Exercise Poseidon, a large-scale earthquake response drill. Among the key sites for this 36-hour exercise is Porirua’s Police College, where teams will test their emergency response capabilities in a simulated casualty and animal search-and-rescue operation on Saturday, 5 October.
Exercise Poseidon is designed to assess the readiness of NZRTs in responding to a major Wellington earthquake. The drill offers an opportunity for teams to enhance their inter-team coordination, practice deployment to different regions of Aotearoa, and refine their skills in disaster scenarios. Jeremy Holmes, Regional Manager of Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO), emphasises the importance of such exercises.
“Working together as one team will be critical to helping support our communities after a disaster. To be able to put that into practice during peacetime is a significant step in enhancing our country’s response capabilities,” says Holmes.
The teams involved are all volunteers who train weekly to maintain their readiness for emergencies. Their tasks during this exercise include search and rescue operations, reconnaissance, community assistance, and impact assessment. During the 2023 North Island Severe Weather Events, 190 NZRT volunteers were deployed to areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, providing critical support over 1,290 days of service.
Several partner agencies, including the Ministry for Primary Industries and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, will participate in the exercise. Holmes stresses that collaboration across agencies is essential for coordinated disaster responses.
“Collaboration like this is critical to making sure we are on the same page when it really counts,” he says.
Porirua’s Police College will serve as one of the major sites for this exercise, giving local responders an opportunity to hone their skills in preparation for future emergencies.