National backs state of emergency, repeats offer to take bipartisan stance on climate adaptation

With six regions declaring local states of emergency as they respond to Cyclone Gabrielle's fury, the government has the party's full backing, leader Christopher Luxon says.

The Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty signed the declaration just before 8.45am today as the effects of the cyclone became clear.

It is only the third time in New Zealand's history an event has met the criteria, following the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 and Covid-19.

McAnulty said the declaration will allow for better co-ordination and efficient allocation of resources as widespread power outages, flooding, slips and damage to properties are experienced across the North Island.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of National's MPs this morning, Luxon said the party fully supported the national declaration of a state of emergency.

"When you've got six major regions that have actually declared local states of emergency and it actually gives an ability to get comms and resources and communication in place, then it's entirely appropriate," he said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are really with people doing it really tough at the moment, and we think about the communities that are very disconnected and have been cut off. We think about people that have been displaced from their homes and we're also very conscious of people that are fighting for their lives”.

Luxon said emergency responders and community groups have been doing an incredible job and advised people to follow Civil Defence advice and warnings.

The response has been well managed, much better than in the Auckland flooding of a fortnight ago, he said, and there will be a bigger conversation over the years across many governments about building climate adaptation into key infrastructure.

"Over these last few weeks what have we learned ... what we need to be able to do is to continually improve and work on our emergency management response."

Luxon said the party was offering cross-party support on a climate adaptation plan.

"These are important issues but they are deeply, deeply complex issues about who pays for it fairly in terms of insurers, individual property owers, taxpayers, ratepayers, is it this generation, future generation ... it will be a multi-decade effort and it's really important that we can work together in a bipartisan way.

"I think it will be part of a review, a good set of questions to ask why over 50 years there's been houses built in places that maybe aren't appropriate now and we should be really clear about that, so making sure councils have authority and power to do that will be important."

National has been clear about its position on climate change, he said, and supported the net carbon zero 2050 goals, the NDC commitments for 2030 and emissions reduction budgets.

"We're fully on board with climate change, be under no illusions about it. We might have slightly different means to deliver those ends but we want to see those ends delivered, big time."

He said putting Todd Muller in the position as Climate Change spokesperson showed the priority the party has for climate change.

National's criticism of the growth in bureaucrats in government was a "quite different scenario" compared to Civil Defence capability, Luxon said.

MPs who were still in their communities should remain there, he said, but about 25 of the party's MPs were in Wellington. Parliament's business committee was discussing the likely adjournment of the House for the day.-with inputs from- rnz