Crises come in all shapes and forms, from natural disasters to major accidents, failure of a critical supplier, or reputational storms.
Whatever the cause, if a disruption is not well managed it can affect your ability to provide core services and significantly damage your reputation.
We can work with you to:
- assess your crisis readiness and recommend a plan to give you the reassurance that your organisation is ready.
- assess your business continuity maturity and recommend a plan to make sure your business continuity plans are effective.
- update your emergency response plans and make sure they are fit for purpose and communicated across all your team.
- test your plans with desktop exercises using realistic scenarios and review your response in a safe environment.
- make sure your organisation is continually learning and ready for when the next crisis hits.
Want to feel more confident about your crisis response capability?
Crisis response & recovery services
We can help with:
- Crisis management planning
- Emergency management
- Business continuity plans
- Crisis leadership
- Crisis communications
- Crisis exercises
- Crisis support
- Crisis and incident debriefs
- Capturing lessons learned
Examples of our work
The Board's role in a crisis
We work with large organisations to facilitate a conversation between the executive and board about their respective expectations and contributions during any crisis. It also includes reflecting on lessons learned in previous crises and agreeing on principles for future crisis management.
Review of emergency response
In 2023, we worked with Napier City Council to review their emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle. The review covered the Council's internal response coordination, including crisis management and business continuity, and external response, including civil defence and emergency management.
In response to the review's recommendations, we are continuing to work with the Council to develop a Business Continuity and Crisis Coordination Management Framework to ensure they can operate with minimal impact on critical operations and key services.
The Board's role in a crisis
We work with large organisations to facilitate a conversation between the executive and board about their respective expectations and contributions during any crisis. It also includes reflecting on lessons learned in previous crises and agreeing on principles for future crisis management.
Capturing lessons learned
In the months following the initial wave of COVID-19, we worked with a New Zealand district health board to capture lessons learned from their response to the pandemic.
Our facilitated independent debrief process involved interviews, workshops, a survey, and a review of secondary data. Our recommendations have helped them to embed lessons learned in their future response processes.
The debrief process was not about identifying failures or enacting blame. It was about learning through battle and sharpening tactics and strategy for next time.
Capturing lessons learned, before they are lost to memories, is a key part of building crisis response capability.
Asbestos in emergencies
We worked with a New Zealand central agency to update their emergency response plans, including updates to recognise recent emergency issues including lockdowns and armed offenders. This included working with specialist asbestos consultants to consider appropriate emergency procedures for buildings with identified and encapsulated asbestos.
Creating right-sized Plans
Working with a major New Zealand construction company, we helped them navigate their particular challenges in creating Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plans.
Our client had geographically dispersed, project-based teams exposed to a wide range of risks. We facilitated a process that empowered teams to create their own business continuity plans. This process helped build awareness, ownership, and capability in teams to be ready for disruption.
Building business continuity capability
We worked with a New Zealand city council to further enhance their business continuity capability.
The Council wanted all their staff to be prepared and ready to manage disruption as a natural extension of their day-to-day roles, including a shared understanding of known and potential disruption risks, continuity options, and solutions.
To achieve this, the Council needed to ensure that staff had the skills, tools, and drive for the ongoing maintenance and embedding of contingency plans across their diverse activities and services.
Providing external assurance
We worked with a major New Zealand critical infrastructure provider to assess their business continuity and crisis readiness maturity and recommend steps to improve maturity.
This process provided assurance for risk and audit, and a structured programme to continue building their crisis readiness maturity.
Understanding geospatial issues within the Emergency Management sector
Working with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, we engaged with public and private organisations within the emergency management sector to analyse challenges and opportunities for improving geospatial data sharing to support emergency and disaster response in New Zealand.
Through a series of interviews, test cases, and desktop research, we delivered expert analysis of the current barriers to geospatial data sharing and developed recommendations to improve data sharing for emergency management.
Examples of our work
Review of emergency response
In 2023, we worked with Napier City Council to review their emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle. The review covered the Council's internal response coordination, including crisis management and business continuity, and external response, including civil defence and emergency management.
In response to the review's recommendations, we are continuing to work with the Council to develop a Business Continuity and Crisis Coordination Management Framework to ensure they can operate with minimal impact on critical operations and key services.
The Board's role in a crisis
We work with large organisations to facilitate a conversation between the executive and board about their respective expectations and contributions during any crisis. It also includes reflecting on lessons learned in previous crises and agreeing on principles for future crisis management.
Capturing lessons learned
In the months following the initial wave of COVID-19, we worked with a New Zealand district health board to capture lessons learned from their response to the pandemic.
Our facilitated independent debrief process involved interviews, workshops, a survey, and a review of secondary data. Our recommendations have helped them to embed lessons learned in their future response processes.
The debrief process was not about identifying failures or enacting blame. It was about learning through battle and sharpening tactics and strategy for next time.
Capturing lessons learned, before they are lost to memories, is a key part of building crisis response capability.
Understanding geospatial issues within the Emergency Management sector
Working with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, we engaged with public and private organisations within the emergency management sector to analyse challenges and opportunities for improving geospatial data sharing to support emergency and disaster response in New Zealand.
Through a series of interviews, test cases, and desktop research, we delivered expert analysis of the current barriers to geospatial data sharing and developed recommendations to improve data sharing for emergency management.
Providing external assurance
We worked with a major New Zealand critical infrastructure provider to assess their business continuity and crisis readiness maturity and recommend steps to improve maturity.
This process provided assurance for risk and audit, and a structured programme to continue building their crisis readiness maturity.
Asbestos in emergencies
We worked with a New Zealand central agency to update their emergency response plans, including updates to recognise recent emergency issues including lockdowns and armed offenders. This included working with specialist asbestos consultants to consider appropriate emergency procedures for buildings with identified and encapsulated asbestos.
Creating right-sized Plans
Working with a major New Zealand construction company, we helped them navigate their particular challenges in creating Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plans.
Our client had geographically dispersed, project-based teams exposed to a wide range of risks. We facilitated a process that empowered teams to create their own business continuity plans. This process helped build awareness, ownership, and capability in teams to be ready for disruption.
Building business continuity capability
We worked with a New Zealand city council to further enhance their business continuity capability.
The Council wanted all their staff to be prepared and ready to manage disruption as a natural extension of their day-to-day roles, including a shared understanding of known and potential disruption risks, continuity options, and solutions.
To achieve this, the Council needed to ensure that staff had the skills, tools, and drive for the ongoing maintenance and embedding of contingency plans across their diverse activities and services.