1. The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) commissioned an independent review of the civil defence emergency management (CDEM) response to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The review’s terms of reference was noted by Cabinet in November 2011 [CAB Min (11) 41/9]. 2. The purpose of the review was to identify, from an emergency management perspective, the practices that should be reinforced and the processes and policies that need improving. It focused on the emergency response and how well the response arrangements in the National CDEM Plan worked. The review included the range of agencies and organisations involved in the response. The scope excluded recovery arrangements. 3. The Cabinet Committee on Canterbury Earthquake Recovery (CER) and Cabinet noted the Review of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Response to the 22 February Christchurch Earthquake (the report) on 24 September 2012 and 1 October 2012 respectively [CAB Min (12) 35/2]. Cabinet directed that MCDEM report back to the Committee on an interagency Corrective Action Plan in response to the report’s 108 recommendations, for noting, by November 20121 . 4. This document represents the interagency Corrective Action Plan (the Plan) and will form the basis for the report to the CER in November 2012.
