About the group

The Hāwea Community Resilience Group (HCRG) is a team of local volunteers, trained and supported by Emergency Management Otago. We are one of 18 Community Resilience Groups across the Queenstown Lakes District.

In an emergency, our role is to:

• Open and run a Community Emergency Hub at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre and at Hāwea Flat School or Hāwea Flat Hall

• Pass official information from the Emergency Operations Centre in Wānaka out to residents

• Pass local information — damage, needs, who needs help — back to the Emergency Operations Centre

• Use local knowledge and connections to help the community support itself

We are not a Civil Defence Centre, a welfare agency, or an emergency service. The first line of preparedness in any emergency is your own household.

Why preparedness matters here 

Hāwea is at the end of the road. State Highway 6 between Wānaka and Hāwea passes Maungawera Hill, which is likely to be blocked by slips or fallen trees in a major earthquake. The dam crossing into Lake Hāwea township could also be affected. The Albert Town and Luggate bridges may not be usable.

In a large event such as an Alpine Fault earthquake, official help will reach Queenstown and Wānaka first. Hāwea may be isolated for some time. Households should plan to look after themselves for at least two weeks with no power, no water, no shops and no outside help.

This is the reason the group exists, and the reason every household needs its own plan.

What to do today

1. Make a household plan 

The single most useful thing any Hāwea household can do is make a written plan. Use the national template at getready.govt.nz/prepared/household/make-a-plan.

A Hāwea plan should cover:

• Where each family member is on a normal weekday, and how you'll reconnect if roads are closed and phones are down

• Who collects the children from Hāwea Flat School or MAC if neither parent can get home

• What happens with pets if no one is home

• An out-of-area contact everyone agrees to check in with

• Where to meet if you can't get to the house

2. Build supplies for two weeks at home 

National Get Ready guidance is three days. For Hāwea, plan for two weeks: water (at least 9 litres per person per day for drinking and basic hygiene for the first three days, then a refill plan from the lake or stored tanks), food that doesn't need cooking, a way to cook if power is out, medications, torches, batteries, a battery or wind-up radio, and an emergency toilet plan.

There are no community food or water reserves. The Community Emergency Hub will not feed households.

3. Get to know your neighbours 

In the first hours and days after an event, your neighbours will be the people who can actually help. Knowing who lives nearby, who might need extra help, and who has useful skills or equipment makes a real difference. 

4. Sign up for Otago Gets Ready 

Otago Gets Ready is the official two-way alert system used by Emergency Management Otago. It's how you'll receive emergency information, and how local information flows back to the Emergency Operations Centre. 

Specific risks for Hāwea

Hāwea has its own geography and its own risks. Read these before relying on generic preparedness advice. 

When the Community Emergency Hubs open 

In a large event, HCRG may open Community Emergency Hubs at: 

The hubs are a place to share information, report damage, find or report lost pets, request first aid, and connect residents who need help with residents who can offer it. They are not a place to collect food or shelter. 

Get involved 

The group needs volunteers — particularly Street Leaders, people with VHF radio or Starlink, medical professionals, and Hāwea Flat residents.  Email us: hello@haweacrg.nz

Official sources

• Get Ready NZ — national household preparedness

• Emergency Management Otago — regional CDEM

• QLDC Emergency Management — district-level information and the full list of Community Resilience Groups

• AF8 — Alpine Fault 8 — Alpine Fault science and scenarios

• AF8 Story Book Hazard Scenario — interactive scenario of a major Alpine Fault event