Hon KIERAN McANULTY (Minister for Emergency Management): This week, I launched the new Monitoring, Alerting, and Reporting (MAR) Centre at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). New Zealand is prone to many natural hazards, the frequency of which is becoming more regular due to climate change. It is important that we reassure communities and families that the system is robust and there to keep them safe. We need, therefore, 24/7 monitoring of the threats. The new MAR system will monitor, scan, and gather information on emerging threats. It will alert the public, regional civil defence groups, and emergency services and report that information to the Government. 