A woman is filling a water bottle and another woman is stocking a cabinet with medical supplies and other unmarked items

Te Takatū Kāinga Home Ready

Looking for our Earthquake Planning Guide? Available in 17 different languages.

When disaster strikes, your life can become up-ended quickly:

  • Your safety is an issue as well as the comforts you take for granted every day
  • It could be hard to travel, communicate with loved ones, and get access to essential supplies, such as food and water

If there is no functioning wastewater system, you could find yourself sharing a portaloo with 37 of your neighbours each morning! Taking some simple steps to prepare now will help prevent you from doing that.

Get home ready with our resources below

Create a household plan

Having a basic plan in place will help keep you safer, connect with loved ones faster, and protect some of your most important assets.

Emergency Supplies

Ensure you have emergency supplies such as food and water stored to help get you through a major disaster.

Store emergency water

Emergency water is the single best thing you can store to be more prepared for a major earthquake. You should have enough to last for 7 days.

Person crouched under a house with a torch checking their foundations.

Make your home safer

Making your home safer will reduce the damage caused by an earthquake and allow you to stay in your home.

City street with multiple high-rise buildings.

High-rise buildings

People who live or work in high rise buildings face unique challenges during an earthquake. Learn about what to do before, during and after an earthquake.

Two groups of neighbours having a BBQ together

Meet your neighbours

Your neighbours are your first source of support following a major disaster, so it’s important to get to know them now rather than later.

A family of 3 people indoors with a grab bag ready to go. A concerned parent holding a baby is pointing out of the room

Grab bags

A grab bag, or getaway kit, is a small backpack of essential items which you can take with you if you need to evacuate your home or work in a hurry.

Two people preparing for a disaster. A person indoors placing a water container on the bench next to an emergency toilet which is a bucket with a toilet lid placed on top. A person outdoors who has dug a hole holding a bucket and shovel. There are two oth

Emergency toilets

After an earthquake, don’t flush! The pipes that take away your wees and poos may be broken, so you’ll need to think about what you can use for an emergency toilet.

Three people talking to each other after a disaster. One person has a speech bubble with a wifi icon, another has a speech bubble with a no cellphone service icon, one person is using a wheelchair. There is a picture of a cellphone screen showing social m

Emergency Information

Find out where to get the most up-to-date information in an emergency.