Research
Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and landslides threaten many societies worldwide, with devastating financial, economic and social consequences that modern technological societies cannot ignore. In New Zealand, historical evidence and scientific research convincingly demonstrates that risk to the population and economy from geological hazards is significantly greater than the experience of the last 60 years would indicate.
One of EQC’s roles is to facilitate research about natural disaster damage, methods of reducing or preventing natural disaster damage, and the insurance provided under the Earthquake Commission Act. EQC research aims to reduce the Crown’s liabilities arising from geological hazard events and to make communities more resilient to such events.
EQC contributes to national capability building and fosters research in relevant areas of earth science, engineering, architectural design, building technologies, social science and emergency management. Elements of this strategy include:
- Capacity to invest in core infrastructure to support research, including databases, enabling technologies, students and academic learning;
- Boundary-spanning programmes that support knowledge and technology transfer from basic research to professional practice, across institutions, disciplines and sectors;
- Encouragement of research contributing to the evidential base for policy discussion and strategic action on land use planning, building design and construction practice, civil defence readiness, recovery planning, and related training and capability development.
Research is facilitated through biennial and non-biennial grant programmes which are contestable and required to meet standards of open science review. The biennial fund is allocated in each odd numbered year, under a two-step selection process, chaired by EQC and guided by a technical panel of multidisciplinary experts. The non-biennial fund is allocated to support postgraduate student research at universities.
EQC from time to time purchases research to address specific operational needs. Such work is offered through a standard tender process or negotiated in those cases where natural monopolies or complexity of scope make a consortia approach preferable. EQC retains the services of a small number of technical advisors to support these processes, under the direction of a research manager who is a member of the EQC executive management team. EQC Board oversight of the research function is delegated to the Research Committee of the Board.
The design, implementation and operation of a national hazard monitoring and warning system GeoNet is funded at the level of ~$8 million annually under a 10-year agreement with the Crown Research Institute, GNS Science. All data are made freely available. GeoNet constitutes a major research equipment facility that also underpins civil defence readiness and will inform EQC’s catastrophe response and recovery planning following any large earthquake or volcanic eruption.