See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322954273 A Tale of Two Communities: B-race-ing disaster responses in the media following the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes Article in International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · February 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.01.037 CITATIONS READS 0 27 2 authors: Lucy Carter Christine Kenney Massey University Massey University 1 PUBLICATION 0 CITATIONS 12 PUBLICATIONS 96 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: part time PhD View project Disaster Risk Reduction View project All content following this page was uploaded by Lucy Carter on 09 April 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijdrr A tale of two communities: B-race-ing disaster responses in the media following the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes ⁎ ⁎ Lucy H. Carter , Christine M. Kenney Joint Centre for Disaster Research, GNS Science/Massey University, Massey University, P O Box 756, Building T20, 94 Tasman Street, Wellington 6021, New Zealand ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: New Zealand media reports have shaped public discourses on the role of community stakeholders in responding Media to the devastation caused by the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes and the Kaikōura Earthquake in 2016. Discourse Anecdotal evidence has also suggested that Māori disaster management responses to both contexts received ā M ori differing levels of media attention and thus inconsistent recognition within the public domain. Iwi (Māori tribes) Disaster management have historically enacted kaitiakitanga (cultural guardianship) for their respective regions. Contemporary iwi Earthquake recovery remain obligated to ensure the wellbeing of local Māori as well as the broader community and environment Kaikōura during adversity, and act accordingly. Media stories pertaining to Māori responders' actions in the aftermath of 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes, have highlighted the effectiveness of such community-led responses as well as the importance of maintaining a unified and well integrated approach to recovery management. In contrast, very few media reports provide comment on the Māori earthquake recovery response to the 2010–2011 Christchurch earthquakes. In this article, the ways in which Māori responses were represented by the media following both natural hazard events, are examined. Media conceptualisations of Māori disaster management leadership are explored through drawing on content and thematic analyses while constructions of Māori cultural identity are considered in the context of disaster management practices. Tensions pertaining to public recognition and le- gitimatisation of Māori response capabilities are also documented and will inform refinement of media ap- proaches to disaster communication as well as national emergency management policy and protocols. 1. Introduction limited recognition in local and national media messages. The actions of the Māori earthquake recovery network have subsequently been ad- The New Zealand media played an essential role in communicating dressed within disaster and public health research literature ([21]; crucial information on earthquake response activities immediately after Phibbs, Kenney, Solomon, 2015), yet media silences regarding the the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and setting the sub- Māori response had largely continued until the Kaikōura earthquake on sequent public narrative regarding the earthquake recovery response. A the 14th of November 2016. common phrase heard in the Māori community during the aftermath of Canterbury revisited the social, health, economic and physical im- the earthquakes, kia kaha Ōtautahi (stay strong Christchurch), was pacts of major seismic activity during the aftermath of the Kaikōura taken up and widely disseminated by the media as an emphatic message earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The local iwi (tribes) Ngāi to encourage the collective recovery of Māori and the wider commu- Tahu and Ngāti Kuri reprised their roles as support providers for the nity. The message of ‘staying strong’ was widely embraced throughout broader community during a disaster through enacting their tribal re- Canterbury as well as by national and diverse international actors who sponsibilities as kaitiaki (cultural guardians) for the region. The local responded to the recovery needs of Christchurch. However, mainstream Ngāti Kuri marae (tribal community centre) Takahanga was im- media failed to acknowledge the significant emergency management mediately operationalised as a registered Ministry of Civil Defence and capabilities and support extended to the community by the Māori Emergency Management Welfare Centre, and became a key support hub Earthquake Recovery Network. While Māori media programmes Marae for all community residents; garnering considerable media attention. TV and Te Karere TVNZ presented specific stories on local Māori dis- Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kuri and Takahanga marae subsequently became aster-related concerns as well as the collectivised Māori recovery re- central characters within the disaster response narrative that was cre- sponse in the weeks following the earthquakes, this information had ated by Māori and mainstream media. ⁎ Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (L.H. Carter), [email protected] (C.M. Kenney). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.01.037 Received 10 October 2017; Received in revised form 28 January 2018; Accepted 29 January 2018 2212-4209/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: Carter, L.H., International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.01.037 L.H. Carter, C.M. Kenney International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx Anecdotal evidence and scrutiny of recent media reports suggest reaching out to provide resources and sharing messages though social there has been a marked increase in the level of recognition accorded to media about where to access accommodation, and other forms of as- Māori disaster response actions and a recognizable shift in the way sistance. Māori disaster management approaches are represented by the media. A further large magnitude (6.3 M) earthquake that was centred In this article a comparative analysis of New Zealand-based mainstream under urban Christchurch occurred on February 22nd, 2011 at and Māori media stories published between the September 4th, 2010 12.51 p.m. The earthquake caused catastrophic damage and resulted in and the November 14th, 2016 that reported Māori disaster manage- the loss of 185 lives, making it the second deadliest natural disaster of ment responses, is presented. Threading through the analysis of media any kind in New Zealand. Approximately 800 buildings in the city framing between 2010 and 2016 is the theme of Māori identity in centre were destroyed and more than 6000 ‘red zoned’ properties de- disaster response and how this is crafted, practised and reproduced in clared uneconomically viable for repair [6]. There were also significant the media. disruptions to vital services following both earthquakes including sa- nitation, utilities and water supply as well as health and social support 2. Background services. A meeting was held on February 23rd, 2011 at Rēhua Marae with key Māori stakeholders representing Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, the Māori mātauranga (knowledge) and the roles played by Māori Christchurch Urban Māori Authority, Te Puni Kokiri- The Ministry of communities in responding to disasters have historically been given Māori Development, the Southern Māori electorate, the Police and the little attention by the media. As an exemplar, marae played a significant Ōtautahi Māori Wardens Association [8].Tā Mark Solomon was de- role in addressing the needs of the local community and supporting signated as the media spokesman for the Māori disaster response and regional recovery after the 2004 Manawatū floods [18]. While regional Ngāi Tahu subsequently mediated “communication and collaborative emergency management actors were acknowledged by the media, there decision making with Government ministries, local authorities, NGOs was little recognition of the support contributed from the local Māori and other Māori tribes” ([22], p. 756). Assistance from other iwi was community. Yet Māori have a significant history and knowledge of organised in the form of financial support, material donations and natural hazards and disaster management due to their longstanding personnel to help affected families in Christchurch. genealogical relationship with Aotearoa, New Zealand [23]. Iwi re- On November 14th, 2016 at 12.02 am a 7.8 magnitude earthquake sponsibilities as kaitiaki (cultural guardians) for their respective rohe struck in North Canterbury causing widespread damage. The coastal extend particularly to marae, which are focal points for communities to town of Kāikoura, a popular tourist destination, was cut off from access access accommodation, food social support and medical care in the by land due to road damage. There was significant damage to some event of a disaster. In addition to a moral and spiritual imperative to buildings, as well as water, sewerage, phone and power infrastructure. provide hospitality and care for