WREMO — Lifeline utilities

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Lifeline utilities is a term described in the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Act 2002 for organisations that provide essential infrastructure to the community. The Act says that lifeline utilities must “function at the fullest possible extent, even though this may be at a reduced level, during and after an emergency".

Lifeline utilities cover:

Ports and airports
Road and rail networks
Radio and television networks
Water supply, wastewater and stormwater
Petrol and diesel
Electricity and gas
Telecommunications

Lifeline groups in the region

There are two lifeline groups in the Wellington Region

The Wellington Lifelines Group (or WeLG) was established in 1993 to co-ordinate the physical risk management activities of Wellington utility and transport service providers.

What the Wellington Lifelines Group does

The Wellington Lifelines Group works with its members to:

Learn from each other and co-ordinate activities
Facilitate discussion, particularly on hazard understanding and risk reduction measures on the Wellington Region’s infrastructure
Identify the effects of hazards on infrastructure, and to mitigate against those effects
Facilitate increased understanding of the interdependencies between infrastructure organisations
Develop best practice approaches to risk reduction, readiness, response and recovery for lifelines
Maintain awareness of the importance of lifelines, and of reducing their vulnerabilities.

Members of the Wellington Lifelines Group

Membership of the Wellington Lifelines Group is open to all lifeline utilities and related organisations operating in the Wellington metropolitan area, subject to payment of the annual membership grant. The current members are:

Contact the Wellington Lifelines Group

Contact the Wellington Lifelines Group's Project Manager

Group members area

Wellington Lifelines Group members can login for more information

The Wairarapa Engineering Lifelines Association (or WELA) was formed in 1996 following a public meeting to discuss the risks to engineering lifelines from natural hazards, the likely impact on the local community and what was being achieved by other study groups in New Zealand.

What the Wairarapa Engineering Lifelines Association does

The Wairarapa Engineering Lifelines Association works with its members to:

Study the Wairarapa’s engineering lifelines to assess levels of risk from natural hazards and suggest mitigation measures to reduce the level of risk
Support existing lifeline providers by updating and refining information on hazards and mitigation measures, and by participating in research on engineering lifelines.

Members of the Wairarapa Engineering Lifelines Association

The current members of the Wairarapa Engineering Lifelines Association are:

Lifeline Reports

Restoring Wellington's Transport Links After a Major Earthquake, 2013 (PDF, 2.3 MB)

This report pulls together information gained from recent work carried out by the transport infrastructure providers.

Lifeline Utilities Restoration Times, 2013 (PDF, 2.7 MB)

This report provides a summary of likely restoration time for key lifeline utility services, following a major earthquake involving a rupture of the Wellington Fault.

Wellington Region CDEM Group Fuel Plan, 2015 (, 6 KB)

This plan enables the Lifeline Coordination section of the Emergency Coordination Centre to support the fuel sector in an emergency in the Wellington region. It is designed to be used when the disruption caused by the emergency exceeds the fuel sectors ability to respond. It also provides supporting background on the fuel sector and CDEM.

Lifeline utilities