Every day, we work with iwi, hapū and marae groups across Aotearoa to help them prepare for emergency events and the disrupting impacts that follow.
Long before the term emergency hub existed, marae were opening their doors to whānau and communities in times of need – as they did in the Christchurch earthquakes, Cyclone Gabrielle and countless other times in recent history.
When disaster strikes, marae naturally become places of shelter, welfare, connection and emergency coordination for whānau and communities.
That role is not new.
But what has changed is the scale, frequency and complexity of emergency events that iwi, hapū and marae are now responding to.
Damage now takes longer to repair, and communities are being cut off for days and weeks at a time, not hours.
Being prepared today means more than just opening the doors open and putting the jug on.
It means having reliable backup power systems, critical communications equipment, a clean water supply, enough emergency supplies for the first 72+ hours and training to help coordinate responses safely.
FIRST72 are experts in building resilient communities from the ground up.
We make it easy for iwi, hapū and marae to be ready to support their community when it matters most. We focus on supporting the people and systems whānau already turn to when things go wrong.
We understand tikanga and manaakitanga, and we work alongside groups to make sure our programmes reflect the values and needs of the people they serve.
Since 2022, we’ve helped 110+ marae across Aotearoa prepare for emergency events.
We’ve also partnered with 26 New Zealand councils, 13 Civil Defence groups and 11 Government agencies including NEMA and TPK and have deployed 47 EPODs to marae and delivered 55+ marae resilience projects nationwide.
We know what works, and we can help you get there.
In partnership with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, FIRST72 delivered 22 EPODs to marae across Te Waipounamu – preparing whānau and hapū for the anticipated Alpine Fault magnitude 8 (AF8) earthquake event.
The AF8 scenario is one of the most significant natural hazard risks facing Aotearoa. When it ruptures, the South Island will face widespread infrastructure damage, with many communities likely to be cut off from outside help for weeks.
For Ngāi Tahu marae – many of which sit in remote or rural locations – being prepared was the difference between weeks of isolation or weeks of self-sufficiency.
Each EPOD we deployed was customised to the needs of the marae it serves, giving whānau immediate access to food, water, power, communications and other critical emergency systems when AF8 strikes.
This resilience project represents one of the largest coordinated marae resilience programmes in Aotearoa, and reflects Ngāi Tahu’s leadership in protecting their people and whenua for generations to come.
In 2022, FIRST72 partnered with Te Whare Maire O Tapuwae – a Wairoa-based Whānau ora organisation – to design and deliver 25 EPODs to marae and community groups across Wairoa.
The project was completed just three days before Cyclone Gabrielle made landfall.
When it struck, Wairoa became completely cut off. Roads were destroyed, power and communications went down, and entire communities were isolated for days – and in some cases, weeks.
But thanks to Te Whare Maire O Tapuwae and the EPODs already on the ground, 25 marae had everything they needed to look after their people, whānau and surrounding communities for the first 72+ hours.
FIRST72’s EPODs – and the kaupapa led by Te Whare Maire O Tapuwae – were later recognised by the NZ Government’s Independent Inquiry into the Response to Cyclone Gabrielle, led by former Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, as a proven model for community resilience.
Since then, our partnership with Te Whare Maire O Tapuwae has continued with additional equipment, resupply following Cyclone Gabrielle, training and resilience kaupapa to keep marae across the rohe ready for whatever comes next.
Ngāpuhi is the largest iwi in Aotearoa, with 55+ marae across central Te Tai Tokerau.
We’ve delivered marae preparedness and resilience kaupapa across the Ngāpuhi rohe including emergency equipment and training to marae from Kerikeri and the Bay of Islands through to Whangārei.
Te Rarawa is the iwi of the Far North west coast, with a rohe stretching from Hokianga through to Ahipara and Kaitāia.
We’ve delivered emergency equipment and training to Te Rarawa marae, supporting whānau in some of Aotearoa’s most remote and isolation-prone communities.
Te Roroa hold mana whenua across Waipoua, Waimamaku and Kaihū valley in the Kaipara.
We’ve delivered marae preparedness and resilience kaupapa for Te Roroa marae supporting whānau across a rohe that’s particularly vulnerable to flooding, road closures and severe weather-driven isolation.
Ngāti Kahungunu is the third-largest iwi in Aotearoa, with a takiwā stretching from Te Wairoa in the north to Te Whanganui-a-Tara in the south.
We’ve supplied emergency equipment and training to several of their marae across Southern Hawke’s Bay, and partnered on regional marae resilience and emergency preparedness programmes across the Ngāti Kahungunu rohe in Hawke’s Bay -including marae affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea are the mana whenua, mana moana and mana tangata of Aotea / Great Barrier Island, the Mokohinau Islands and surrounding outlying islands in the Hauraki Gulf.
We resilience infrastructure, emergency equipment and are currently in the process of delivering EPODs to support whānau and the iwi’s marae, Kawa and Motairehe, on Aotea – one of Aotearoa’s most isolated locations.
With no mainland power grid, limited communications and ferry services that can be cut off for days at a time in bad weather, Aotea whānau need to be fully self-sufficient.
Our kaupapa supports the iwi to lead that preparedness for their people on the motu.
Ngāi Tahu Holdings is the commercial arm of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
Within the group, Ngāi Tahu Tourism operates a collection of iconic experiences including Shotover Jet, Franz Josef Glacier Guides, Dart River Adventures, Hollyford Wilderness Experience, the Dark Sky Project and Hukafalls Jet.
FIRST72 worked with Ngāi Tahu on emergency planning for their tourism businesses, with a focus on the Alpine Fault 8 (AF8) scenario and the deployment of EPODs at high-exposure sites such as Franz Josef and Shotover Jet.
With these businesses being situated in some of the most stunning and isolated parts of Te Waipounamu, Ngāi Tahu carries with it a significant manaakitanga responsibility for the safety of staff and manuhiri (visitors) in the event of a major event.
This work builded on FIRST72’s earlier project with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in 2024, where we deployed 22 EPODs to Ngāi Tahu marae across Te Waipounamu.
Te Puni Kōkiri is the Crown’s principal advisor on Māori wellbeing and development, and the lead government agency supporting marae across Aotearoa.
We’ve partnered with TPK to deliver 47 EPOD projects and 55+ additional marae resilience projects for iwi, hapū and marae across all 16 regions of Aotearoa – making TPK our largest partner in marae preparedness and resilience nationwide.
The Department of Internal Affairs is one of New Zealand’s largest funders of community development and resilience.
With DIA support, we’ve delivered community readiness and resilience projects to marae and hapori across Aotearoa, helping them secure equipment and training they need to look after their people when disaster strikes.
NZ’s most trusted community resilience solution – EPODs give marae everything they need to be self-sufficient for the first 72+ hours. Customised to specific marae needs with 70+ deployed across NZ since 2022.
Grab bags, generators, radios, first aid kits, marae hub kits, emergency food, bedding, PPE plus 500+ other emergency items to fully prepare iwi, hapū and marae before, during and after events.
Tier 3 digital radio systems capable of connecting with Civil Defence, plus FIRST72 Starlink Rapid Deployment Kits that operate on 12+ hour batteries with immediate satellite internet anywhere in Aotearoa.
Specialist training programmes designed for marae and response teams – covering hub coordination, first aid, physiological first aid, emergency communications, CIMS, flood response plus 14 more.
Solar power and battery systems, water storage and purification, backup generators and other critical infrastructure to make marae resilient and fully self-sufficient in our changing climate.
Preparedness wānanga, open days, workshops and events designed to build skills, awareness, capability and connection across your iwi, marae, hapū or whānau.
We’ve also partnered with iwi and marae groups to provide co-branded or white-labelled FIRST72 products as part of their preparedness, awareness and community resilience programmes.
This includes products for internal use (i.e. marae kits, kaimahi gifts or whānau packs) and external activations (i.e. community giveaways, raffle prizes or fundraising prizes).
We can apply your branding across our full range of products, from grab bags through to EPODs.
If you’re interested to learn more, get in touch to start a conversation.
We work with iwi, hapū and marae groups of all shapes and sizes across Aotearoa.
If you’re interested in working with us, get in touch.
Find out how our EPOD Emergency & Disaster Pods can build resilience and self-sufficiency in your community. Download our helpful guide.
