What is marae resilience in New Zealand?

Marae resilience refers to ensuring marae are properly resourced with infrastructure, funding, and support to act as emergency hubs during disasters.

Why are marae important during emergencies?

Marae often serve as frontline shelters and coordination centres, providing food, shelter, and support to communities during crises.

What is the Marae Resilience Package?

The Marae Resilience Package is a proposed government initiative to fund infrastructure, supplies, and long-term support for marae as civil defence hubs.

Why is Cyclone Vaianu raising concern?

Cyclone Vaianu highlights ongoing risks from extreme weather events and exposes gaps in New Zealand’s disaster preparedness, particularly for rural and Māori communities.

Must Fund Marae Resilience Package Ahead Of Cyclone Vaianu

As Cyclone Vaianu approaches, marae resilience in New Zealand isn’t theoretical — it’s the difference between communities coping or collapsing. Te Pāti Māori are warning that without urgent Government action, the same failures seen after past disasters will repeat.

Te Pāti Māori is calling on the Government to urgently deliver a dedicated Marae Resilience Package, ensuring marae and communities are fully resourced and prepared ahead of Cyclone Vaianu. Co-leader and Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi says it is the Government’s responsibility to act before disaster strikes, not after.

We’ve seen this before — and we still haven’t fixed it

“Our first concern is the safety of our people. Marae are often the first place people turn to in a civil emergency. They need essential access to power, water, supplies, and communications before disaster hits. Marae must be empowered and properly resourced to meet the urgent needs of our communities” said Waititi.

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“During emergencies like Cyclone Gabrielle, COVID-19, and the Christchurch earthquakes, marae acted as frontline shelters and coordination hubs without formal support, funding, or legal recognition. Marae cannot continue to carry this level of response alone.”

Te Pāti Māori is demanding immediate rollout of the Marae Resilience Package, including:

Formal Recognition of Marae as emergency response hubs

Upfront Government funding for emergency supplies and infrastructure:

Access to generators, water storage, and communications systems
Long-term investment to strengthen marae as civil defence hubs

Waititi said the potential impact of Cyclone Vaianu highlights the urgent need for proactive Government action.

So why are marae still expected to carry this alone?

“These are no longer once in a generation weather events. Year after year our communities carry the load. Many marae are still expected to respond and rebuild without the Government providing any proper support or investment.”

“Marae must be recognised for what they already are, essential. They must be valued as such, and it is the responsibility of the Government to invest in their protection, their sustainability, and their evolution. When our marae thrive, so too do our people.”

Te Pāti Māori urges the Government to act now, and whānau to stay connected, follow local guidance, and check in on kaumātua and neighbours as Cyclone Vaianu approaches.

Because right now, the pattern is painfully familiar — disaster hits, marae step up, Government thanks them afterwards. Then nothing changes. If Cyclone Vaianu lands the way it’s tracking, we’ll once again see who actually holds communities together — and who just turns up for the photo op after.