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Disaster and hazard mapping for iwi

What this page is for​

This guide is for people in iwi, hapū, marae, trusts, and community groups who need practical mapping support for emergencies and hazard planning, often with limited time, limited staff, and mixed data quality. It focuses on steps you can do in QGIS or ArcGIS Online, with open data you can access quickly.

Tikanga and safety first​

Before you map, decide what must never be shared publicly. Some layers should stay offline or in a closed group, such as:

  • wāhi tapu, urupā, sensitive sites, and locations tied to whakapapa
  • locations of vulnerable whānau
  • exact locations of critical assets if it increases risk (security, theft, or targeting) If you publish maps, consider using generalised polygons, heatmaps, or grid summaries rather than point locations.

Quick start workflow​

1. Set your area of interest (rohe, catchment, coastline segment). 2. Build a base map package:   - imagery   - roads   - addresses   - critical facilities and marae   - rivers and catchments 3. Add hazard layers (flood, earthquake shaking, tsunami zones, coastal elevation). 4. Add exposure layers (homes, buildings, land parcels, critical infrastructure). 5. Make two outputs:   - a planning map (slow, careful, higher detail)   - a response map (simple, fast, clear, minimal sensitive detail) 6. Save a local copy of key layers for offline use if you might lose internet or power.

Trusted Aotearoa data sources​

Core base layers​

Flooding​

Flood hazard layers vary by region and are often maintained by councils. Common inputs you can combine:

Earthquakes​

For earthquakes, aim for simple products that help people decide where to check first and how to communicate what is known. GeoNet and Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science) resources:

Tsunami​

Tsunami evacuation zones are usually maintained locally, but national guidance is available:

Coastal erosion and sea level exposure​

If you are looking at coastal change, the most useful starting point is high quality elevation and consistent shoreline context, then local coastal hazard guidance from council. LINZ coastal mapping programme context:

Response planning and coordination​

Use a shared structure​

Emergency work is easier when people use the same categories and labels. These references are used across agencies in Aotearoa:

Geospatial practice for emergency management​

Aotearoa has an active emergency geospatial community and guidance:

Case examples you can learn from​

Cyclone Gabrielle, common operating picture and data sharing​

This case study describes how incident and assessment data was brought together for situational awareness, with privacy controls:

Christchurch earthquake response imagery​

High resolution post event imagery is a proven tool for assessment, communications, and recovery planning:

Māori focused GIS support for extreme weather​

A recorded session that is framed for iwi, Māori trusts, and community groups:

Practical templates you can copy​

A. Minimum response map layers​

  • base imagery
  • roads and bridges
  • addresses
  • marae and community facilities
  • rivers and catchments
  • current hazard extent layer (council or event specific)
  • road closures and access constraints (when available)
  • assembly areas and distribution points

B. Simple map outputs that help whānau​

  • where to go (assembly areas, safe routes)
  • what is closed (roads, bridges, access points)
  • what is known (flooded areas, strong shaking areas)
  • who to call (local numbers and roles, kept current)

C. A basic folder structure for a local GIS project​

  • 00_readme_and_rules
  • 01_base_layers
  • 02_hazard_layers
  • 03_exposure_layers
  • 04_outputs_planning
  • 05_outputs_response
  • 06_metadata_and_sources
  • 07_archive_by_date In 00_readme_and_rules, write the rules for what can be shared, what must stay private, and who approves publishing.