Auckland Council’s emergency management system was not prepared for the January 27 floods and senior leaders underestimated their roles, a damning review has found.

The review, undertaken by former police commissioner Mike Bush at a cost of $100,000, said by the time an incident team had completed its first virtual meeting at 6.15pm, “much of the damage had been done”.

“This unprecedented event unfolded with extraordinary speed. Minutes mattered,” said the 106-page report.

The report, commissioned by Mayor Wayne Brown to “look into all aspects, all people, myself included, plus the professionals, plus even the Government’s involvement in the response”, is highly critical of the council’s emergency management and civil defence.

Four people lost their lives.

Key findings include:

• Council’s emergency management system - the operating model and relevant plans, policies and procedures - was not prepared for an event of this magnitude and speed.
• Gaps in preparedness, including superstorm emergencies, were known to key council staff in advance but on January 27 they remained works in progress.
• Relationships and communications between key players at the council, including the mayor, civil defence committee chair Sharon Stewart, chief executive Jim Stabback and emergency management staff were not sufficiently inclusive in the critical early stages.
• Senior leaders underestimated the importance of their visible leadership roles which had an adverse impact on communications and public confidence.
• The emergency management team appeared to lack the command, crisis and leadership skills to cope with the event.
• The move to Super City planning for emergencies contributed to a bias that the council’s size and systems could handle anything.
• Rather than a model based on central planning and local delivery, it was largely centralised on planning and delivery. This weakened local knowledge that could have better supported communities.

Former police commissioner Mike Bush at the press conference this afternoon. Photo / Alex Burton

The Bush report covered the 48-hour period from January 27, but is weighted to the first 12 hours of the event response.

At a press conference at the council headquarters in central Auckland this afternoon, Bush said the review was conducted into the extreme stress of the flood event, rather than a forensic investigation.

Bush said in 2018 an earlier report into similar events made several recommendations that were not fully implemented and the report suggested areas of emergency management can be improved - specifically leadership.

Aucklanders expected and needed clear communication, delivered with empathy, Bush said.

He added, Auckland Emergency Management. staff doing their best under difficult circumstances - as were many emergency staff and Aucklanders - were the “true heroes of this event”.

Emergency responders and everyday Auckanders were described by Bush as the "true heroes". Photo / Hayden Woodward

The flood was an important “wake up call” for Auckland Council and its civil defence and emergency management team, Bush said. He said the 17 recommendaitons in the report should be implemented shortly.

Auckland’s mayor was widely criticised for the slowness of his public response to the downpour and the eventual decision to place the Auckland region in a state of emergency after 10pm when flooding was already widespread across the city.

The Bush report said within Auckland Council, there was an opportunity for better advice and support to the mayor’s office – both before and during the event – by the chief executive and his officials about how to provide leadership, information and assurance to the public during emergencies.

A man tries to clear the drain outside his house in Greenlane during the January 27 floodind. Photo / Dean Purcell

During the weather emergency, the mayor and his team should also have been more active in demanding information and asking questions of the chief executive, his officials and the emergency management team, said the report.

On the night of the floods, the report said, Brown was emailed a copy of the factsheet to declare a state of local emergency at 7.32pm, but had not previously been given any advice as to Auckland’s emergency operational plans, procedures and contact.

“Nor did we come across any protocols or procedures that identified who was responsible for advising the mayor on civil defence and emergency management.”

The report said the later declaration of emergency, establishment of evacuation centres and related public messaging came too late to provide Aucklanders with timely public safety advice and reassurance.

Bush qualified the review team’s findings, saying the review was always intended to be a short, sharp, ‘rapid’ examination of what happened during a crucial time in Auckland’s history.

“While the council has been generous with the release of documents, we are also not convinced we have seen all relevant materials, given the rapid timeframe of the review

“We have been unable to locate documents that indicate a briefing to the incoming Mayor by the Civil Defence Emergency Management Committee or co-ordinating executive group, between his assumption of office in October 2022 and the event of 27 January 2023, as to what was expected of the mayor during an emergency,” the report said.

Mayor Wayne Brown: ‘I dropped the ball that night’

In a statement, Brown said he accepts the recommendations of the independent review and will work to ensure the panel’s recommendations are implemented.

“The tragic events of January 27 have affected us all deeply,” Brown said.

“Four people lost their lives, and hundreds have lost their homes. I have acknowledged that I dropped the ball that night – the communications weren’t fast enough, and I was too slow to be seen. I stand by my previous apology to Aucklanders.”

The report also confirms Brown signed a declaration of local emergency immediately upon being advised of the need for that declaration, and that emergency services did not require or request an earlier declaration.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has apologised for his handling of the disaster. Photo / Jed Bradley

Other problems with the council’s preparations and response were also set out in the report, which included mayoral office staff not receiving timely and accurate information about events as they unfolded.

“I accept that I should have been more assertive in demanding information, so that I could provide Aucklanders with public safety advice, practical support, and reassurance. I assumed that the systems were better than they were,” Brown said.

“The preparation wasn’t good enough – that’s clear from the fact that some of the planned Civil Defence Centres flooded on the night which contributed to delays in establishing the sites. That just shouldn’t happen, and we need to make sure we can set-up those sites faster in future.”

Brown said he wanted Aucklanders to know he is “focused on making sure that we all do better”.

“I also want to acknowledge Auckland Emergency Management and Council staff, first responders, councillors and local board members, iwi, community leaders, and everyday Aucklanders who stepped up. The report is not focused on individual staff, who did exceptional work in very difficult circumstances.

“In previous mayoral terms, the council has significantly reduced funding for Auckland Emergency Management and known problems at the time of this flood were still being addressed. My proposed budget seeks to address some of that funding shortfall to bolster our response capability.

“I campaigned on a promise to fix Auckland and I am committed to fixing this problem by sponsoring the review of Auckland’s Emergency Management prevention preparedness and planning, and ensuring the urgent completion of the Auckland Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Plan.”

Jim Stabback, Auckland Council's Chief Executive Officer (right), and Mayor Wayne Brown on Brown's first day of his term. Photo / NZME

Stabback, Auckland Council’s chief executive, also said that he, the council’s executive leadership, and emergency management staff will consider the report’s findings, recommendations, and report back on an implementation plan.

“As with any emergency response, we welcome the opportunity to review how our systems performed, what worked and what didn’t, what we can learn, and how we will immediately make improvements,” Stabback said in a statement.

“Recommendations that can and should be easily or immediately implemented, will be. In some cases, actions are already underway.”

Stabback said the floods were “unprecedented” and the size and scale of the disaster had unexpected intensity, and the complexity of gathering a clear picture of what was unfolding, “especially in the first 12 hours”.

“[This] made this event unlike anything we have experienced before. We were not as well prepared for it as we could have been.

“We remain committed to ensuring Aucklanders are prepared for an emergency and being ready to respond when the worst happens.

“Throughout this response, our staff have worked tirelessly, with professionalism and compassion, and I am immensely proud of their continuing efforts to support the people of Tāmaki Makaurau.”