Napier Community Emergency Hubs: A Call for Empowering Hub Champions!
Community Emergency Hubs (CEHs) are a community-led initiative that brings residents together to support each other following an emergency. The core purpose is to look after each other before, during, and after an event, ensuring our communities are safe, resilient, and connected.
We're looking for wonderful Hub Champions and Coordinators with excellent people and organisational skills to help drive this resilience movement. This pivotal role involves leading your community to establish its local Hub—a designated location where people gather, connect, and solve problems using the skills and resources which already exist among residents.
You won't just be behind a computer; you'll be actively coordinating and connecting neighbours. This includes organising and running the Hub with the support of Napier City Council, coordinating essential functions like Information Coordination, and running the Needs and Offers board to match community problems with community solutions.
There are multiple roles within a CEH, including Hub Supervisor, Public Information, Community Space, and Communications, and the right person(s) can work with their team to find the roles that give them the most satisfaction.
This role is part of a partnership between your community, Napier City Council (NCC), and Hawke's Bay Emergency Management. The Council ensures substantial support is provided. This includes fully funded training in Comprehensive First Aid Training and Psychological First Aid Training through the Red Cross (each Hub can register up to four people for these courses). NCC also supplies resources such as an Emergency Management Resources and a Tait Portable Radio to increase your hub resilience.
As a Hub Champion, you will also be invited to join the city-wide Hub Champions Support Group, which meets every 12 weeks for networking, shared learning, and training. This ensures you have ongoing support and resources throughout your journey to strengthen community resilience. If you’re interested to learn more, contact Harris.d@napier.govt.nz