Planning transport functions following a major Wellington, New Zealand, earthquake

Wellington's (New Zealand) current road network has some clear vulnerabilities in the event of a major earthquake. Following such an event, the metropolitan area would be cut off by way of existing land routes for around 4 months (until the completion of construction of a key road into the region). Planning has been led by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) and the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) on initiatives to recover transport functions and avoid a potential humanitarian crisis. This has required close engagement with various utility providers, including road network providers and port and airport authorities, along with ferry operators and logistics organisations. While the recovery of the airport will provide quick access for passengers and light cargo, the recovery of the roll-on-roll-off (Roro) ferries, with their innate flexibility of use, will enable larger-scale freight to be brought into the region. The uncertainties around the availability of resilient infrastructure for the Roros to moor up to has led to assessments of the potential use of barges and pontoons which would allow unloading of the Roros. This paper describes the process by which MCDEM and WREMO have worked with the respective stakeholders to develop emergency plans.