Disaster preparedness

Analysis and evaluate risk

These resources will help you to identify risks and mitigation measures for your collection.

Disaster Preparedness Resource 

This practical guide connects sector professionals with interactive planning tools, geospatial resources, and experts in the field to help inform strategic decision-making and planning.

Preventive conservation

How do you safeguard the items in your museum? This guide from National Services Te Paerangi looks at practical steps you can take to ensure the protection, safety, and security of your collection.

Identifying risk

Below are more resources to help you analyse, evaluate and mitigate risk in your area.

• Risk Evaluation Planning Programme (REPP) (AIC)

• Museums and Disaster Risk Reduction: Building resilience in museums, society, and nature (ICCROM)

• The ABC Method: a risk management approach to the preservation of cultural heritage (ICCROM)

• Risk Management Guide (ICCROM)

• Risk Management Fact Sheet (Museum and Gallery Services, Queensland)

• Local climate change risk assessments (Ministry of Environment)

National Disaster Resilience Strategy

• Urutau, ka taurikura: Kia tū pakari a Aotearoa i ngā huringa āhuarangi – Adapt and thrive: Building a climate-resilient New Zealand (Ministry of the Environment)

Natural Hazards and Risks

Resources that assist in identifying natural hazards in your region:

• Natural Hazards and Risks (GNS Science | Te Pū Au)

• Natural hazards in your area (interactive map) (Natural Hazards Portal)

Disaster preparedness poster

A quick reference guide to help your museum prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impact of a disaster.

We can send you the poster (A2 size) – your first copy is free. Additional copies cost $15 each. Contact us to place an order natserv@tepapa.govt.nz

Writing a plan

These resources provide guidance and templates to assist in writing a disaster plan

Minimising Disaster

Is your museum ready for disaster? Damage from a burst water pipe? Or devastation by earthquake, fire, or flood? This guide from National Services Te Paerangi looks at how to plan for recovery from emergencies.

Do the people who work at your museum know how to respond immediately? This guide from National Services Te Paerangi shows you how to develop an emergency procedures flip chart.

Health and Safety Flipchart template

Case study: Sergeant Gallery

Other resources

• AICCM: Be prepared – guidelines for small museums writing a disaster preparedness plan (Get Ready)

• Get your marae ready for an emergency (Get Ready)

• Get your work ready for an emergency (Get Ready)

Emergency supplies and information

Consider the location of your supplies – can they be found easily? Are they stored in scattered locations? Is a key required to retrieve them? If the power is out, could you find or retrieve them?

• Disaster planning activity (American Alliance of Museums)