Category Archives: Business

New Zealand is prone to the uncertain and catastrophic potential of natural hazards to impact our homes, businesses and communities. Our ability to recover when disaster strikes is vital to our prosperity and wellbeing.

New Zealand needs to create an environment in which businesses are proactive in becoming more resilient and, when disaster strikes, contributing to the recovery of their communities.

The leadership of recovery can come from many places in the community. There is a strong belief that businesses can take a leadership role, both through the recovery of their own organisations and their contribution to wider community recovery.

We know that businesses can make a major contribution to recovery but there is not always a clear understanding of the different roles they can play and how they can best collaborate with other sectors of the community.

If businesses don’t survive they can’t contribute. Functioning businesses are critical to the economy and recovery through providing and consuming goods and services, employing people, paying tax and contributing to their local communities.

Recovery requires a wide range of people and organisations to work together, often in combinations and ways they haven’t before. Shared goals, clear roles and the right structures and resources must be in place for these collaborations to be successful.

A strong recovery requires strong leadership. It needs a diverse range of leaders and leadership styles that can respond to the changing needs of recovery. The right structures must be in place to support these leaders and enable effective decision-making to agree the way forward, instil hope and build momentum.

Recovery depends on businesses getting through the effects of a disaster. Continued business operations support recovery by continuing to employ staff and providing goods and services in the recovery effort. This keeps people employed and money flowing. It helps establish a sense of normality, hope and confidence within the community.