This article was produced in association with QBE New Zealand, which is the primary supporter of the New Zealand Red Cross Hazard App. Ahead of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13, Insurance Business sat down with the charity’s Acting Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager, Jasmine Edwards (pictured above), to discuss the app and QBE’s support.
These days, a natural event happening is just a matter of ‘when’ – bringing to light the crucial role of risk reduction and mitigation in trying to stop hazards from turning into major disasters. QBE New Zealand, for its part, not only insures Kiwis but also helps in getting them prepared for such eventualities by supporting the New Zealand Red Cross Hazard App.
Originally developed by the International Red Cross’ Global Disaster Preparedness Centre, the app was used by the American Red Cross to alert 500,000 people during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In 2015, the New Zealand version – through which the likes of the National Emergency Management Agency, Metservice, and GNS Science send official emergency warnings – was launched.
Last year, in celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, QBE and Red Cross partnered to give the local tool a further boost. This was in addition to the existing global partnership between Red Cross and QBE.
“We’re very proud of the relationship we have with the Red Cross,” said Declan Moore (pictured below), QBE’s New Zealand & Pacific chief executive and managing director. “The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, recognised on October 13, 2022, marks our one-year anniversary as the primary sponsor of the New Zealand Red Cross Hazard App.
“The Hazard App is a natural fit for us. As an insurer, we see first-hand the impact disasters can have on businesses and communities. We also see the difference being prepared can make in communities’ ability to respond and recover.”
Sharing the same sentiment, Edwards told Insurance Business: “We know that serious events will happen, so it’s really important for us to be prepared. It means that communities are more resilient, we can bounce back quicker, we’ve got the things that we need, and we know what to do when something goes wrong.
“So, for all of those reasons, it’s really important that we do reduce the risks and can support ourselves and our neighbours when something goes wrong, and we’ll get through it together.”
Aside from the emergency warnings from alerting agencies, the app also features accessible content on disaster preparedness and response. Additionally, it allows users to monitor locations other than their own and has an “I am safe” function in the event of hampered communications.
“A whole range of information is all brought together in one place,” noted Edwards. “You can also use it to monitor stuff that’s happening in other locations. So, you get an emergency mobile alert to your phone for your location, but if you want to know what’s happening where your relatives live, you can adjust the app to tell you what’s happening in another place in the country.”
She continued: “QBE enables the Hazard App, and it’s a really important tool to enable people to be prepared and to help people get through disasters. We know that disasters continue to strike, so we see QBE’s support as absolutely vital in helping Kiwis be better prepared and supported through an emergency.
“And Red Cross is supporting people in lots of different ways when an emergency strikes, but our main goal is just to be there wherever there is a need and to help in whatever way that we’re needed. We are a charity, so we are always operating on limited resource. So, having QBE’s support – it really does make a difference for people.”
From Moore’s perspective, it’s all part of endeavouring to be resilient. “At QBE, we’re driven by our purpose to enable a more resilient future, and the Hazard App is one way we’re delivering on this in a tangible way,” he said. “We strive to support communities throughout their times of need, and we look forward to supporting more communities in the future through our long-standing partnership.”
QBE’s global Disaster Relief and Resilience Partnership with Red Cross and Save the Children works to build the resilience of communities and save lives by improving their capacity to prepare, anticipate, respond, and recover from disasters. In New Zealand, QBE helps Red Cross promote and maintain the Hazard App.
