The purpose of this inquiry was to ensure that the design of New Zealand’s emergency management system is appropriate to support readiness for, and responses to, future emergency events (landslides, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic activity, floods, and storms) by identifying lessons from three severe weather events that impacted the North Island:

• Cyclone Hale, from 8 to 12 January 2023;
• heavy rainfall from 26 January to 3 February 2023; and
• Cyclone Gabrielle from 12 to 16 February 2023

This inquiry report makes a number of recommendations for the design of New Zealand’s emergency management system.