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NZMAT NewsletterDecember 2015 Issue 7Inside this issue:

What has NZMAT been up to?Training ParticipationNZMAT Training 2016RNZDF Exercise Southern KatipoIntroducing NZMAT Team Leader – Ryan McLaneWHO Emergency Response ExerciseSW Pacific Cyclone Season Notification for NZMAT Trained MembersChanges to the NZMAT Reference GroupThe El Nino effect on the SW Pacific AreaPast Tropical Cyclones in the SW Pacific Area: 2010 – 2015Online Training Courses AvailableUpcoming Conferences

Participants on the plot EMT Coordination Cell course held in DarwinAustralia November 2015

From the desk of Charles BlanchDirector Emergency Management, Ministry of HealthNZMAT activity has been focussed on ensuring that we are appropriately prepared for a domestic or international deployment in light of the increased likelihood of tropical cyclones (as well as drought!) in many parts of our region. Against this current context we are working to ensure NZMAT is equipped and established to meet all of the technical and core standards to register with the WHO as a type 1 out- patient Emergency Medical Team as well as maintaining the ability to provide a specialist surgical cell to work out of existing health care facilities or with another team.One of the six WHO Emergency Reform priority areas post Ebola is the development of mechanism for a Global Health Emergency Workforce (GHEW) and Emergency Medical Teams (previously Foreign Medical Teams) are a key element of this.Whilst global policy continues to evolve what is becoming clear is that the EMT framework will continue to provide clear technical and core standards that will help strengthen national team capacity as well as international teams, enhance the capability of affected Ministries of Health to coordinate their own assistance and expand EMT from a focus on acute surgical response to Sudden Onset Disasters to other areas such as mental health, child and maternal health and public health outbreak response.Initiatives such as the pilot EMT Coordination Cell course which we had two staff attend are incredibly important and reflected the mechanisms used between WHO and the affected governments to successfully coordinate over 150 EMTs in the Philippines post Typhoon Haiyan, 170 teams registered for the Nepal Earthquake and 27 EMTs in Vanuatu post Cyclone Tracy.The WHO Secretariat is working through issues like logistical support (where do self-sufficient teams get their fuel from, how is the medical supply chain ran after the first two weeks, how does the response model for outbreak response (where they facilitated the construction of many of the ebola treatment centres used by EMTs) differ from Sudden Onset

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To be considered for a NZMAT deployment you need to:Register your interest to join NZMATComplete a NZMAT Team Member training courseHave a valid passport, valid for at least 6 months prior to expiry dateHave up-to-date vaccinationsComplete and maintained your D4H profileFor more information regarding deployment requirements, please review the NZMAT Operations Manual which can be found at:

Disasters and how teams that have pre-registered are mentored to meet standards and then verified that they can actually do what they say they can do.So how can you help?Firstly make sure you are personally prepared, that you have spoken to your employers about registering and that your personal affairs are all in order.Secondly there are on-going exercises, visits and working groups that inevitably come up at short notice. We’ll try and give as much notice as possible but sometimes we don’t get it ourselves or things change.Thirdly if you have a specific interest ask how you can help out.

I’m hugely grateful to the clinical staff around the country that have provided input and review of equipment and consumables for the team welfare and medical kits and the patient cache. With a bit more work these will be in place and available for deployment early next year, but will need to be periodically reviewed.We are also pulling together a range of reference material electronically and envisage this being available in drop box folders and on D4H. If you have material you think may be useful please send it through to Judy.Lastly have a fantastic Christmas and I hope whatever shifts you are working you get some quality time with family and friends.

Charles Blanch

NZMAT on deployment – Vanuatu in March 2015 post Cyclone Pam

What has NZMAT Been Up To?

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Behind the scenes, NZMAT has been busy at work:

Identifying equipment, medical consumables and pharmaceuticals to support a NZMAT FMT 1 capability for both team support and patient treatment

Attending Emergency Medical Team (EMT) meetings / workshops to further work in developing international standards / guidelines

Finalising ‘Memorandums of Understandings’ (MoU) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and NZ Defence Force

Hosted a Pre-season Cyclone Deployment discussion exercise in October attended by MFAT, MoH, NZFS USAR and NZDF representatives in Auckland to:- Walkthrough and test of the NZMAT deployment process –

from the time MFAT receives a formal request from an affected Government to the NZMAT team returning to New Zealand

NZMAT Pre-season Cyclone Deployment Meeting– October

Attended NGO Disaster Relief Forum (NDRF) in October hosted at the RNZDF Whenuapai Air Base to go through preparation requirements of freight and personnel for air movement on RNZDF aircraft.- NZMAT members Dr Chris Denny, RN Michelle Peperkoorn

and Pharmacist Kiri Atkin accompanied NZMAT Programme Manager Judy Fairgray attended the meeting L to R: Kiri Aikman, Michelle Peperkoorn &

Christopher Denny

Flight Sergeant Chris McMahon presenting RNZAF air movement information

Looking inside the C130

Participated in the RNZDF Exercise Southern Katipo in November held on the West Coast which gave NZMAT members the opportunity to see (and use) the RNZDF field hospital in operation.- NZMAT members Dr Chris Jephcott, RN Megann Devereux and RN Janet Barker accompanied Martin Buet

(MoH NZMAT Project Lead) to the exercise NZMAT and NZ Government was represented at the WHO Global Emergency Medical Team meeting in

Panama by Martin Buet (MoH NZMAT Project Lead) & Alicia Kotsapas (MFAT Development Manager & EMT Lead) in early December

Training Training Participation

NZMAT Training 2016In 2016 NZMAT training is taking a different direction with planning currently underway to offer refresher courses for previously trained NZMAT members. Exact details of the NZMAT Refresher Courses will be released in early 2016.

While 2016 is currently not scheduled to see a NZMAT Team Member course offered, it is planned to resume the course in 2017.The Ministry of Health and CM Health would like to thank the health professionals who have submitted their registration of interest in joining NZMAT over the last couple of years and appreciates the fact that no Team Member course is being offered next year is a disappointment.

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NZMAT Members have undertaken the following:

Trained Ministry of Health staff member Ryan McLane as a NZMAT Team Leader (see profile on Page 7)

Martin Buet (MoH NZMAT Project Lead) and Nick Pyatt (NZ Fire Service – USAR) attended participated in the pilot WHO Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell training course in November hosted by the National Critical Care & Trauma Response Centre at the Royal Darwin Hospital

Dr Adam McLeay (ED Consultant) and Lucas Fraser (RN Emergency) participated in the National Critical Care & Trauma Response Centre (Darwin) Clinical Leaders course in early December

NZMAT Team Member Course participants 2014

RNZ Defence Force Exercise Southern Katipo

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It was a great weekend and very beneficial, I now feel I have a very good understanding of the requirements of any NZMAT deployments in the future.Whilst the ICU component was pretty much what I was expecting, it was great to see the military

With this in mind, it was generous ofthe military medical and nursing staff to allow us to participate fully and to take an active role in the simulations. They certainly made us feel very welcome during a challenging and exciting few days.And to crown it all, driving back to Nelson airport for our return flight (and perhaps prophetically as we were crossing a bridge over a river called ‘Doctors Creek’), we came across a multi-vehicle accident that allowed us to put some of our recently practiced skills into action!

Dr Chris Jephcott, Anaesthetist, Waikato District Health Board

There may be circumstances in which NZMAT could deploy bilaterally with the defence force as part of a humanitarian/ disaster relief mission, so the invitation to participate in Exercise Southern Katipo provided an excellent opportunity for us to embed with the defence force and become familiar with their newly acquired field hospital facility, as well as a chance to get to know some of the army medical team that we could potentially be working with in this environment.Southern Katipo was a 6 week long army, navy and air force combined training exercise, simulating a humanitarian aid and peacekeeping response to the fictitious, politically unstable country of Becara. 8 countries and around 2000 troops took part in the exercise, and we were invited to join in the field hospital phase (Hospex).The new field hospital consists of a 2

HDU, ICU and operating theatre, and comprises an impressive series of joined tent modules. It is remarkably quick to put up and take down, air-conditioned and relatively spacious. It has the ability to supply red blood cells, laboratory reporting, X-ray and instrument sterilisation within a timeframe that many civilian hospitals would struggle to match.Over a 48 hour period, the exercise ran a series of high-fidelity scenariosat all times of day and night. These seemed to be designed to put the system under stress and force some difficult decision-making, reflective of the potential for treating a high patient load in a relatively resource- poor environment.The Hospex was under pretty intense scrutiny by an assessment team who were there to judge compliance of the various phases of patient care against their pre- determined KPIs.

RN Janet Barker, ICU, Northland District Health Board

systems in place and experience how the Defence Force managed the logistics and organisation of the whole Field Hospital facility.It was interesting to be involved in their formal critique of the facility and its functions and to help the staff on the ground meet the required KPI's to achieve their operational grading. I was very happy to be part of the team that achieved the top grade possible for the ICU. The various clinical scenarios were great fun, as well as being challenging and thought

provoking for someone who has never seen military service. It was great to network across all the medical and military disciplines and to feel welcomed and valued in all situations.Thanks again for the great opportunity to learn about the Field Hospital's operation and to network with both regular and reserve military personnel and civilian volunteers. It was a very worthwhile experience and one I would repeat without hesitation, either as an exercise or actual deployment.

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exercise has really opened my eyes to the professionalism of all the participants, the expertise each of the groups have in their respective fields (military, civilian and medical) and particularly to the like- mindedness of my fellow NZMAT colleagues in trying to ‘muck in’ and really forge new partnerships in this area where our skills overlap with the NZDF. Should you ever be lucky enough to get a similar offer… do not hesitate, you won’t regret it!

RN Megann Devereux, Theatre Nurse, Capital & Coast District Health Board

As a Theatre Nurse for more than 25 years, it sometimes feels like I’ve seen it all and got the t-shirt to prove it! So when I was offered the opportunity to participate in the NZDF exercise Southern Katipo, I leapt off the metaphorical cliff , and only then began to wonder exactly how far out of my depth I was about to land. I was extraordinarily fortunate to find myself with three other NZMAT personnel who were all experienced professionals and together we deployed to Westport to start our adventure.Operation Southern Katipo brought together military and medical elements of the NZDF, their allies & partners (that was us) in a medium- scale joint exercise to execute a hypothetical ‘mission objective’, while accentuating interoperability of the assets (people & equipment)For my part, this involved working in NZDF’s new and well-equipped field

hospital complete with Triage, X- Ray, Lab, Theatre, CSSD, HDU, ICU & ward areas. Personnel involved were predominantly military from NZ, but also Australia, USA, Canada& the Pacific. For the duration of the exercise, we theatre nurses worked a 6 hours on / 6 hours off roster, lived under canvas and participated in medical scenarios (a combination of actual soldiers with some impressive medical make up and mannequins/i-pads with simulations of various medical emergencies), met an enormous variety of people from all over and gained about a kilogram/day courtesy of NZDF catering! We were also able to help collapse some of the hospital tents - an exercise in team-building, and quite something to see how quickly this hospital can be built or taken down when it is neededThe opportunity to participate in this

Above: (L to R) Martin Buet (MoH),Dr Christopher Jephcott, RN Megann Devereux & RN Janet Barker

Various photos from ExerciseSouthern Katipo

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Introducing NZMAT Team Leader – Ryan McLane PhD

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Visit the NZMAT Website @

Ryan McLane, Senior Advisor, Communicable Diseases Team , Ministry of Health

My name is Ryan McLane, and I currently work with the Ministry of Health in the Communicable Diseases Team. Over the years I have worked in public health in north-western Alaska, California, Guatemala, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, the Philippines, Nigeria, and most recently Sierra Leone as well as New Zealand. I started as (and continue to practice as) a nurse and have gained masters degrees in Public Health and International Relations (with a health and development focus) as well as a PhD in Medical History with a public health focus researching the 1918 Influenza pandemic in Polynesia and Fiji. I have been fortunate enough to direct a public health department in the arctic for a number of years, and to be able to build a subsequent career focusing upon the health and socio-political aspects of communicable disease.For much of 2014 I worked as the intelligence lead for New Zealand’s Ebola Response planning, and once the plan was in place I applied to

work in a clinical role fighting the pandemic. Having been selected to join the Aspen Medical team, I served as a team leader through January and February at the Hastings 2 Ebola Treatment Center outside of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Returning in March 2015, I have presented in multiple settings about the planning and clinical elements of the Ebola response, and how it can inform our planning and response activities going forward.

I had the good fortune of being asked to join the latest AusMAT team member training course as faculty, and returned from Darwin in late October. Having completed my NZMAT team member training in 2013 it was fascinating to see the process from the other side, and to watch the stresses that impact deployment teams unfold, if in an abbreviated form. The training also demonstrated the great extent to which my work in the arctic and around Ebola applies to NZMAT deployments.The stress caused by working in

teams assembled from relative strangers, deployed into a low- resource setting with a minimal tool- set and difficult living conditions, experiencing travel fatigue, sleep deprivation, and changed daily routines – these are elements which need to be mitigated to keep a deployment team in the field contributing their expertise without distraction. The Team Leader needs to address all the above as well as the larger political, social, and environmental context of the deployment and the multiple stakeholders involved. While I sincerely hope we never need to be deployed, the opportunity to train for such a role has been an honour.I look forward to meeting you all in future NZMAT trainings and/or deployments.

WHO Emergency Response

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This article was published in the MOHAWK, the internal magazine for the Ministry of Health

International medical experts go through ‘immigration’ on the fictional island of Namuna as part of a training course on disaster response with the World Health Organisation and the Darwin-based National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre.Faced with ‘a shell of a building’, limited lighting, no air-conditioning and temperatures in the mid 30s, Martin Buet says conditions during a recent disaster simulation exercise in Darwin were ‘slightly challenging’, but also very realistic.Martin is the Regional Emergency Management Advisor (Midland) and chair of the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team (NZMAT) operation group; he was the Team Leader for the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu deployments of NZMAT April 2015 and March 2015.Last month he spent a week at Darwin’s National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) taking part in a World Health Organization training exercise on Coordination of Foreign Medical Teams in disasters.The 5 day training course included a 16-hour simulation exercise where participants were required to establish coordination centres following a category 5 cyclone in the mythical country of Namuna.This course is that latest component of an ongoing work program by the WHO aimed at improving the quality

of care provided following sudden onset disasters and underlines the importance of coordination to effective Foreign Medical Team deployments.The WHO describes the purpose of its Foreign Medical Team coordination Initiative as follows:Uncoordinated medical team deployment during a sudden onset disaster (SOD) or disease outbreak can disrupt national emergency coordination plans. Medical teams that deploy without first understanding the national or international emergency response systems may not only deplete a countries resources if not fully self- sufficient, but also may not recognize the receiving country's medical needs, as was the case of the Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods of 2010. In response to these emergencies, the Global health cluster established The Foreign Medical Team (FMT) working group to develop a global mechanism that would establish coordination based upon the needs of the receiving country. Now known as the FMT Initiative, the aim is to support governments in building capacity and strengthening their health systems by offering coordination assistance of medical teams during a SOD or disease outbreak.Martin Buet says, ‘The idea of the coordination cell is to be able to support the host Ministry of Health in reception and tasking of FMTs into country and within country, in

relation to capability and against need. It’s about making sure you’ve got the right people and resources in the right places.‘He says the coordination cell workshop in Darwin was the first of its kind.‘The exercise gave us a huge insight into what we need to be able to achieve in terms of information management. The ability to capture data from teams and provide it back to the host country so they can make an informed assessment of what is happening in the field, and how best to respond, is vital.‘What we’re working towards (with the coordination cells) is a structure which will provide commonality of reporting, and ensure that FMTs which go into an area are better tasked. It will become standard operating procedure for all teams in country helping respond to a disaster.‘The training exercise has provided us with good awareness of expectations for the future in terms of the new systems for coordination and tasking being worked on by WHO.‘From a New Zealand perspective, we have to be mindful of potentially having to receive FMTs into this country – for example in events such as the Canterbury earthquakes. This training is helping us to be in a position to be potentially supported, as well as providing support to other countries.’

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SW Pacific Cyclone Season Notification

It’s that time of year again when pre-season cyclone planning has commenced. The 2015 – 16 South Pacific cyclone season is the period of the year when most tropical cyclones form within the South Pacific Ocean and the season officially runs from 1st

November 2015 to 30th April 2016.The NZ MetService has stated: The El Nino conditions have now reached very strong levels

in the tropical Pacific Ocean The El Nino is the strongest since 1997 – 98 Latest forecasts predict that this El Nino will strengthen

further between now and Christmas, peaking in DecemberThus it is likely that 2015 – 2016 may see very active cyclone activity. At the same time many Pacific island states are

experiencing outbreaks of mosquito-borne illness, notably dengue, chikungunya, and zika virus. In the wake of a wet summer and the possible destruction and disruption caused by severe storm activity in the Pacific mosquito numbers could easily rise, worsening these mosquito-borne outbreaks.MFAT, MoH and NZMAT are working closely together to ensure if any NZMAT deployment is required everything goes as smoothly as possible. Now is the time to prepare for a higher than normal likelihood of a NZMAT deployment to our neighbours in the Pacific over the next six months.An important component of cyclone season planning is to ensure NZMAT trained members are ready to deploy. Please complete the following: If you wish to be removed from the NZMAT D4H deployment database please inform the NZMAT Programme

Manager Ensure your information is up-to-date in D4H:

- Contact details – personal and work- Vaccination status: You must be current in the following vaccinations – seasonal influenza, Tetanus,

Diphtheria, Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Meningococcal ACWY as well as childhood vaccinations (Pertussis, Polio, MMR, TB etc.) You must provide documented evidence of vaccination status to the NZMAT Programme Manager

Enter any time you are unavailable in D4H via the ‘add off-call’ functionality Your passport must have at a minimum of 6 months before it’s expiries from date of travel

- If your passport is due to expiry within the next 6 months (and you are available and willing to deploy) you may want to consider renewing your passport now

- Send a copy of your new passport photo page and associated visas to the NZMAT Programme Manager Talk to your supervisor and / or manager and ensure they know that you are willing to deploy with NZMAT if

asked and reconfirm – in principle – they are willing to let you deploy depending on clinical commitments Reconfirm your ability to deploy with your family To assist with the in-country registration process, send an updated professional CV and practicing certificate /

licence to the NZMAT Programme ManagerFailure to ensure the above tasks are completed will result in you not being eligible to deploy with NZMAT.If you have not received / misplaced the invitation to register on D4H or have any queries regarding updating your information in D4H please contact the NZMAT Programme Manager.Getting prepared now will assist with gathering a NZMAT team together with the required skill mix at short notice.

Packing for

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Packing for Deployment

Christmas Gift Ideas!

In order to get a team deployed through the Auckland NZMAT Cache as quickly as possible it is vital that NZMAT team members only take what is required for the mission. Space in your deployment bags may need to be taken up by team equipment so it is important to pack light.As a good planning guide you should ensure your personal clothing and supplies fit into two medium size packing cells. These are available at Bivouac, MacPac and Kathmandu and luckily manufacturers seem to be standardising on roughly the same dimensions for each size (medium size: 370 mm x 25 mm x 12 mm). Kathmandu recently had them on sale three for $30. If you were able to turn up with your personal equipment in bags like these they can quickly be dropped into the team deployment bags without having to re- pack all of your kit.Charles Blanch keeps one packed under the bed ready to go with a civilian long sleeve travel shirt, pair of travel trousers, jandals and wash kit.Examples of the packing cells can be found via the following links: http://www.kathmandu.co.nz/packs-and-bags/packing-solutions/cells.html#!offset=207 http://www.bivouac.co.nz/sea-to-summit-garment-mesh-bags.html http://www.macpac.co.nz/macpac-packing-cells-m.html

A fishing boat left in trees at Coconuts Beach Resort on the southern coast of Upolu Island

after the 2009 Samoan tsunami.

Picture NewsWire.co.nz, Wednesday 2 December 2015 edition

Change to the NZMAT Reference

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Here’s wishing you all the joys of the season.

Ministry of Health & Counties Manukau Healthwishes all current & potential NZMAT Members and their families a Merry Christmas!

In October 2015 the NZMAT Reference Group was discontinued as the objectives for the group had been achieved and the NZMAT project is now moving into the next phase with more of an operational focus.The Ministry of Health would like to take the opportunity to thank all the participants of the NZMAT Reference Group for their time and valuable input into NZMAT over the last three years.In view of the new focus for NZMAT a new group has been formed – the NZMAT Operational Group – which consists of participants from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, NZ Defence Force, NZ Fire Service and CM Health.The NZMAT Operational Group will convene for the following discussions throughout the year:

Pre-Season Cyclone Deployment Meeting NZMAT Training Meeting Post Cyclone Season Meeting Post NZMAT Deployment Meeting (as required)

The NZMAT Operational Group will be supported by working groups assigned to complete specific tasks such as identifying equipment and medical supplies to support a NZMAT FMT 1 capability.On October 1st, the NZMAT Operational Group convened for the first time with a Pre-Season Cyclone Deployment meeting. During this discussion, a walkthrough of processes to support NZMAT deployments was undertaken by each organisation with the purpose of identifying any gaps and informing the group of the responsibilities of each organisation involved in a NZMAT deployment.

The El Nino effect on the SW Pacific The El Nino effect on the SW Pacific Area

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What is El Nino? It is an abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific. It can have profound effects on weather patterns around the world. El Nino tends to happen every three to seven years.Climatologists now agree that world is facing an unfolding El Nino event. Many climate models are now predicting an El Nino stronger than 1997/8.

What does this mean for the Pacific?

Drought – extreme drought and food shortages especialy in Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Marshall Islands, Fiji and PNG

Cyclones – the cyclone season is likely to be longer with more intense cyclones forming over a wider area. An elevated likelihood of cyclones particularly in Niue, Samoa & Cook Island (east of Tonga).

Rainfall – less rain in south western Pacific, plunging some countries into drought. More rain in equatorial countries from June – August 2015. If the El Nino is very severe, rainfall may drop steeply from September onwards.

Diseases – Increased risk of diseases including diarrhoea, leptospirosis, typhoid and vector borne diseases including dengue, chikungunya and zika virus.

For further information visit the OCHA website (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) http://www.unocha.org/

Past Tropical Cyclones in the SW Pacific Area: 2010 –

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Season Month Category Name Wind Speeds Land Areas Affected

2010 - 2011 January 2 Vania 100 km/h Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New ZealandJanuary 4 Zelia 165 km/h New ZealandJanuary 4 Wilma 185 km/h Samoa, Tonga, New ZealandJanuary 3 Yasi 150 km/h Vanuatu

February 2 Zaka 95 km/h NoneFebruary 4 Atu 165 km/h New Caledonia, Vanuatu

March 3 Bune 130 km/h None

2011 - 2012 February 2 Cyril 95 km/h Fiji, Tonga

February 4 Jasmine 195 km/h Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia Tonga

March 2 Daphne 100 km/h Vanuatu, Fiji

2012 - 2013 December 4 Evan 185 km/h Samoa, Fiji, New ZealandDecember 4 Freda 185 km/h Solomon Islands, New Caledonia

January 3 Garry 150 km/h Tokelau, Samoa, Cook IslandsFebruary 1 Haley 75 km/h Cook Islands

March 4 Sandra 185 km/h New Caledonia, New Zealand

2013 - 2014 January 5 Ian 205 km/h Fiji, Tonga

January 1 June 75 km/h Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, New Zealand

February 2 Edna 95 km/h New Caledonia, New ZealandFebruary 2 Kofi 100 km/h Fiji, Tonga

March 3 Lusi 150 km/h Vanuatu, Fiji, New ZealandMarch 1 Mike 65 km/h Cook Islands

2014 - 2015 January 2 Niko 100 km/h French PolynesiaJanuary 3 Ola 150 km/h New Caledonia, New Zealand

March 5 Pam 250 km/h Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia New Zealand

March 1 Reuben 75 km/h Fiji, TongaApril 2 Solo 100 km/h Solomon Islands, New Caledonia

Online Training Courses

Basic Security in the Field (BSITF)Advanced Security in the Field (ASITF)Access these courses at:https://training.dss.un.org/courses/login/index.php

United Nations – Safety &Security Courses

Sphere Handbook in Action– e-learning course

Aims to strengthen the effective use of the SphereHandbook. The course brings the Handbook to life through the use of realistic scenarios, helping the learner to get acquainted with its core messages and to understand how to use it holistically.For more information go to:

Master of Disaster HealthCare

Online course offering health professionals the opportunityto expand on MIMMS and AusMAT training. Receive a post graduate qualification in Disaster Health Care.For more information go to: postgraduate/master/master_home.cfm

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NZMAT team members on deployment to Vanuatu in March 2015

Upcoming

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People in Disasters: Response Recovery Resilience

24th – 26th February 2016 Christchurch, New ZealandFor further information: www.peopleindisasters.org.nz

The World Conference on Disaster Management

7th – 8th June 2016 Toronto, CanadaFor further information: http://www.wcdm.org/

April 2014 - Solomon Island

Flooding post Tropical Cyclone Ita

For Further Information about the NZMAT Contact

Judy FairgrayNZMAT Programme Manager Counties Manuaku DHB

Judy.Fairgray@middlemore.co.nz

Charles BlanchDirector, Emergency Management Ministry of Health

Charles_Blanch@moh.govt.nz

Martin BuetRegional Emergency Management Advisor (Midlands)Ministry of Health Martin_Buet@moh.govt.nz