RESILIENCE HUBS

Equipping marae and communities to lead their own emergency response

Ready your marae or community centre to respond before disaster strikes

When disaster hits, marae and community centres often become the lifeline – opening as welfare centres and temporary accommodation for whānau and the wider community.

With more frequent and severe events like Cyclone Gabrielle, many communities are being cut off for days at a time. Marae and community facilities want to help, but often lack the gear, plans and trained teams to sustain that support safely.

Crisis Bunker Resilience Hubs provide the infrastructure, resources and planning support to make sure your community is ready, capable and equipped to serve when power, water, roads and communications are disrupted.

Introducing the Crisis Bunker Resilience Hub

The Mana Manaaki Framework

Building community-led emergency capability.

A Resilience Hub is not just a container of equipment. It is a commitment to mana motuhake – the ability for communities to stand on their own feet when disaster strikes.

Through a co-design process we work alongside marae trustees and community leaders to identify the role your facility can play in a real emergency.

Each hub brings together the essential elements required to support your people:

• Power
• Water
• Communications
• Welfare support
• Medical resources
• Emergency planning and training

The result is a community that is prepared, coordinated and capable of supporting whānau and manuhiri when it matters most.

Six Core Systems That Keep Your Community Operational During an Emergency

Every Resilience Hub is tailored to the needs of the marae and community it serves.

Power & Energy

Reliable backup electricity when the grid fails. Solar systems, generators and battery storage power lighting, communications, refrigeration and essential equipment so your marae can continue operating during extended outages.

Communications

Stay connected when normal networks fail. Starlink internet, VHF and UHF radios, and satellite phones allow response teams to communicate with emergency services, neighbouring communities and whānau.

First Aid & Health

Emergency medical support when help may be delayed. Comprehensive first aid kits, trauma supplies, PPE and hygiene equipment help your team manage injuries, illness and wellbeing during an emergency.

Temporary Living

Shelter and bedding for displaced whānau. Stretchers, mattresses, blankets, tents and shelter equipment allow your marae to safely accommodate people during evacuations or when homes are unsafe.

Food & Welfare

Immediate welfare support for your community. Shelf stable food, cooking equipment and essential welfare supplies enable your team to provide kai and support until normal supply chains return.

Water & Sanitation

Safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Water storage, filtration systems and hygiene supplies help maintain health and sanitation during prolonged outages.

How a Resilience Hub Project Comes Together

Every Resilience Hub is developed alongside the marae or community it will serve. Our team works with you from the initial assessment through to installation and capability building.
Community Assessment & Planning
Whakaaweawe. We work alongside your marae or community to understand vulnerabilities, isolation risks, population needs, access points, power and water limitations, and the role your facility may play in supporting whānau and neighbouring communities during an emergency.
Hub Design & Funding Pathways
Whakaritenga. Based on your needs and environment, we help determine the right Resilience Hub model and resources. Crisis Bunker can help identify suitable proven funding pathways and provide supporting documentation for funding applications.
Hub Build, Delivery & Installation
Whakatinanatanga. Your hub is customised with essential emergency systems including power, water, communications, welfare equipment and medical resources. We then deliver and install the hub anywhere in Aotearoa so it is fully operational and ready for activation.
Training & Civil Defence Integration
Whakapakari. We support your marae to connect with regional Civil Defence Emergency Management teams and trusted training providers such as Red Cross. This helps build a confident local response team capable of supporting the community during emergencies.

Real impact for real communities: Project spotlight

Tūhoe Hauora

Tūhoe Hauora

We worked alongside Tūhoe Hauora to establish a fully equipped Resilience Hub – Sustain model in Tāneatua, Bay of Plenty. The hub provides backup power, communications, water, first aid and emergency welfare resources, enabling the community to support whānau through the critical first hours and days after a disaster.
Watch video
Te Rangihouhiri Marae

Te Rangihouhiri Marae

When storms or severe weather cut access to Matakana Island, help can take days to arrive. We worked alongside local leaders and emergency response partners to install a fully equipped Resilience Hub, providing backup power, satellite communications, food, water, first aid and emergency shelter capability.
Watch video
Pirirākau Tribal Authority

Pirirākau Tribal Authority

Working alongside Pirirākau Tribal Authority, we delivered a tailored Resilience Hub for the Te Puna community to strengthen disaster preparedness. The project involved collaborating with Trustees to design a bespoke hub and supporting funding pathways to help secure the resources needed for its establishment.
Watch Video

Resilience Hub Options

Sustain (Container) Resilience Hubs

Made as a fully-equipped emergency response centre to support marae and community centres in community-led emergency response events.

Sustain hub specifications:

  • A-Grade shipping container
  • Delivered and installed on appropriate footings
  • Whirlybird ventilation system
  • Solar panels and powerstation for off grid power
  • Locks & LED lighting
  • Heavy-duty shelving, brackets, and racks
  • Water-tight storage containers
  • Customisable decals
  • Starlink Mini rapid deployment kit
  • EPS insulation (optional)

Container hubs and resources are tailored to suit your unique requirements.

Hubs can be fit out with power, communications, food, water (including storage and purification), temporary living and shelter equipment, first aid, PPE, tools, and other essential welfare resources.

Mobile (Trailer) Resilience Hubs

Made as a mobile solution when rapid response is required. Trailers are the most suitable option when evacuation may be required or if a solution is required to support isolated whānau.

Mobile hub specifications:

  • Enclosed trailers available in a range of sizes
  • Custom internal shelving
  • Solar powered with built-in power station
  • Internal and external lighting
  • Customisable decals

Mobile trailer hubs and resources are tailored to suit your unique requirements.

Hubs can be fit out with power, communications, lighting, water storage and purification, shelter equipment, first aid, PPE, tools, and other essential welfare resources.

Your Next Step

Begin with a Crisis Bunker Needs Assessment to obtain a tailored quote. Once submitted, we’ll get in touch to kōrero about your hub, resource, and training needs, risks, and funding options, and guide your marae or community through the next stage.

FILL OUT YOUR CRISIS BUNKER NEEDS ASSESSMENT FORM

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Resilience Hubs are modified shipping containers  filled with survival essentials such as back up power generators, Starlink satellite communications, food and water, first aid, temporary shelter, and immediate action essentials. These can be installed next to existing buildings (e.g. marae, community centres) or established as standalone bunkers on a site of your choice.

Resilience container hubs are ideally based at a central point in your community and house essential equipment to be utilised in an emergency. These are best situated next to community centres or marae that become welfare centres for communities during disaster events. Mobile resilience hubs are designed for groups who require a mobile option, either to respond to communities that are isolated or communities where evacuation may be likely (e.g. low-lying flood prone areas).

We can guide you on what hub is most appropriate for your community. After filling out a needs assessment form, we can jump on a video call or meet in person to discuss your needs and local hazardscape to ascertain the right hub option for your community.

A Resilience Hub and its contents are entirely shaped around your people, your whenua, and the role your marae or community facility plays in a real emergency. We use a co-design process grounded in mana motuhake, ensuring the solution reflects your needs, your risks and your responsibilities to whānau and manuhiri. We are flexible in tailoring your hub to your vision and are happy to explore new additions or tweaks and source different gear/equipment where possible. Just ask and we can explore together.

Yes, we can work with and fit out existing shipping containers to transform these into sustain resilience hubs. This will involve us adding whirlybird ventilation, a solar power system and panels, locks and lighting, and shelving racks and brackets, which we can do at your site/location.

Resilience Hub projects usually cost between $35,000-$50,000 NZD, which includes the hub fit out, emergency equipment/resources, cost of delivery and installation, and our costs for deployment. We also help eligible groups (not-for profit and registered charities) identity and source funding to cover part of or the entire project cost. Learn more about this on our Support services webpage.