Despite challenging weather conditions, the Buckland Community Emergency Response Expo on 4 October 2025 was a great success, bringing together more than 400 community members and 10+ organisations from across Auckland and the Waikato.

Special recognition must go to Ian Farrant and the Buckland Hall Community Hub Team for their outstanding effort and months of planning to deliver such a well-organised and engaging event!

FIRST72 was proud to be involved, supported by AMI Insurance, with a joint focus on household emergency preparedness and flood resilience.

Together, we hosted two interactive stalls and contributed to the community expo including through several giveaways:

• 20 Household AMI x FIRST72 Grab Bags (valued at $250 each);
• 2 AMI x FIRST72 Community Hub Emergency Kits (valued at $3500 each), one donated to Buckland Hall and another to Tuakau Community Response Group; and
• A 7-piece “Floody” Barrier system donated to Ratana Church to support local flood readiness (thanks also to Watersmart).

The day also provided a valuable opportunity to connect with the broader emergency management system/network including Auckland Emergency Management, Auckland Council Waikato Civil Defence, Waikato District Council, St John, Red Cross, Neighborhood Support, RRT, AREC, FIRST72, AMI Insurance, FENZ, Police and St John Ambulance.

A big thank you to everyone involved – a strong demonstration of what successful community events look like in action!

Looking forward to next year already.