New Zealand's Leadership in Community Resilience: Lessons from EPOD

About EPOD

EPOD is a New Zealand-based company that has developed innovative emergency container units. These EPODs are designed to function as off-grid, autonomous units equipped with independent power and communication systems. They are stocked with various resources and equipment to support communities and organizations during the critical first 72 hours and beyond following an emergency event.

New Zealand experiences frequent natural disasters and emergencies, requiring communities to act as their first responders. In large-scale events, emergency services may not reach all affected individuals or communities, highlighting the importance of building community resilience. Due to New Zealand's unique geography, many communities can become isolated during both minor and major disasters. Therefore, EPOD focuses on equipping communities with the skills and confidence needed to respond effectively during the critical first 72 hours of an emergency. By prepositioning essential equipment and resources, EPOD enhances preparedness, reducing dependence on external support.

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When developing each EPOD container, the team collaborates with the client to create a customized content package. Each package is organized into triage sectors—red, orange, and green—prioritizing items based on their importance during an emergency. For instance, the red sector includes critical items like communication devices, medical supplies, and life-saving equipment. The orange sector provides tools to support immediate response efforts, while the green sector addresses longer-term needs, such as emergency food supplies and water purification tools.

Climate Change Related Disasters

New Zealand is facing a rise in both the frequency and intensity of climate-related events due to climate change. New Zealand is a heavily agricultural country with significant forestry operations. The effects of climate change, including more frequent and severe weather events, are impacting forestry plantations and causing river levels to rise, damaging bridges, arterial routes, and coastlines. This, in turn, leads to severe isolation for affected communities.

Preparing for Climate Related Disasters in New Zealand

New Zealand is one of the top-ranked countries in the world to be at risk of natural disasters, caused by being located on some of the largest fault lines including the infamous Wellington Fault, the Hikurangi Subduction Zone an offshore boundary plate feature that is extensively studied and the Alpine Fault carries most of the total plate boundary strain through the South Island. If these faults rupture, they are expected to trigger large-scale events that will likely isolate and displace communities for at least a week, according to New Zealand's central government. The EPODs are designed to support survival for up to 7 days, with the equipment inside tailored to the size of the community, the population it will serve, and the specific needs of that community.

During Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, many rural communities across New Zealand experienced widespread communication and power outages. In response, the EPOD team has developed pods equipped with battery and solar systems, providing off-grid emergency solutions. The containers have been equipped with handheld radios, Starlink devices, and other advanced communication tools in response to recent incidents.

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EPOD Clients

The team at EPOD customizes each container's design to meet the unique needs of the clients or communities they collaborate with. EPOD has worked extensively with Māori communities across New Zealand, partnering with Māori tribes, known as Iwi, and larger political groups called Hapū. These Māori groups have central community hubs known as Marae, which play a key role in strengthening their community preparedness. EPOD’s work complements these efforts, enhancing the resilience of these communities.

EPOD has also been working diligently with communities affected by Cyclone Gabriel in 2023, addressing the needs of those left without power for extended periods. By helping restore essential services, EPOD is supporting these communities in rebuilding and planning for a more resilient future.

As EPOD continues to expand, interest has grown from New Zealand  Civil Defense Groups, local councils, communities, and a variety of businesses and organizations focused on strengthening business continuity and enhancing preparedness strategies.

EPOD's primary goal for its clients is to enhance preparedness, fostering sustainable, long-term resilience. This objective is what motivated their partnership with D4H.

"Using D4H really enables us to have the sustainable resilience that we we're looking for."

—Harrison McPhail, EPOD Co-Founder

Inspiration Behind the Creation of EPOD

EPOD began as a family business a few years ago, driven by the realization of the need for accessible resources after communities were repeatedly cut off by severe weather events. It started with a pilot program, stockpiling 25 containers filled with critical emergency equipment and strategically placing them throughout the Wairoa District, a territorial authority in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. In an unexpected twist of fate, just three days later, Cyclone Gabrielle struck Wairoa, devastating the area. The newly trialed pods became a critical part of the local communities' response to the cyclone. It was from there EPOD concept was born, with a real live test case, and the team continue to grow and facilitate building resilience in New Zealand.

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Cyclone Gabrielle struck New Zealand in 2023, with the North Island, particularly Hawke's Bay, being severely affected. As the region was not anticipated to be in the cyclone's direct path, the community was unprepared for the extent of its impact. The cyclone hit early in the morning, causing severe flooding. On the first day alone, emergency services conducted 400 rescues, while the entire region had only about 80% cell phone coverage. Around 900 people had to be evacuated to civil defense centers, and more than 54 communities were cut off. Many other regions in the North Island were also severely affected by the cyclone, including the nation’s capital, Auckland. The EPOD team is applying the lessons learned from Cyclone Gabrielle's impact on communities to enhance their products, providing communities with tools to plan and build resilience for future incidents.

The EPOD Team

Co-founder Harrison McPhail has spent the last five years in the Army Territorial Reserves in New Zealand, while Operations Coordinator Kieran Kruger is trained as a surf lifesaver and a commercial diver. Together, they bring extensive experience in emergency response and are well-versed in communication systems and the technical aspects of crisis management. Kieran grew up in the rural area of Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, where he experienced isolation due to weather events. This motivates both him and Harrison to ensure that EPOD continues to grow and support communities.

EPOD and D4H

The EPOD containers require servicing and maintenance for the equipment stored within the containers, for preparedness ahead of an incident. With D4H Equipment Management software it allows this process to be automated, it allows teams to have a central location that stores all their equipment, and can notify teams when certain items are due servicing and maintenance.

"D4H Equipment Management allows teams to keep on top of their resource, it has been very beneficial."

— Kieran Kruger, Operations & Business Development Coordinator at EPOD

For organizations with multiple EPOD containers, D4H provides a comprehensive management system that enables emergency management teams to have full visibility and oversight of every container across their network.

"D4H is a really easy to use platform, that can support sustainable resilience for communities. D4H is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for team maintenance."

— Harrison McPhail, EPOD Co-founder

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