Dave has a range of interests within the Emergency Management field, with a current focus on promoting infrastructure resilience and the implementation of new national post-disaster building safety evaluation arrangements. He is the National Engineering Lifelines Co-ordinator, and is a Past-President of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.
An earthquake engineer by origin, Dave has observed first-hand the impacts of a number of significant events including the Kobe and Taiwan earthquakes, and this has generated a passion for improving Civil Defence Emergency Management planning in New Zealand.
Dave's particular field of expertise is in the strategic project co-ordination of multi-agency projects and programmes.
Recent projects include the facilitation of the national exercises 'Ruaumoko' in 2007/08, 'Capital Quake' in 2006, and 'Taurus', a Foot and Mouth Disease Simulation for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2005. In 2007 he facilitated a disaster response simulation for the gathering of FRANZ partner representatives from France, Australia and New Zealand. He has also been involved in the establishment and oversight of a World Bank-funded project to enhance Samoa's Disaster Management capability.
Dave is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the University of Canterbury-led Resilient Organisations research programme.
Projects
- Development and Delivery of Group Emergency Operations Centre Training (December 2007)
- Mass Evacuation Plan for the Auckland Region (December 2007)
- Niue Island – Development of National Disaster Plan (October 2007)
- Maritime New Zealand - BCP Development and Training (October 2007)
- Exercise Capital Quake (November 2006)
- Assessment of the Capacity and Capability of the Auckland Region CDEM Group (August 2006)
- Greater Wellington Regional Council - Flood Procedures Operations Plan
- Government of Samoa/World Bank - Sustainable Infrastructure Asset Management (C4) Project
- Northland CDEM Group - Marsden Point Community Response Plan (November 2005)
- Auckland Engineering Lifelines Group - Report on Resources for Lifeline Utility Response and Recovery (September 2005)
- Shell Todd Oil Services - Annual Exercise (December 2003)
- Gas Association of New Zealand - NGOCP Exercise (September 2003)
