Asian tsunami: managing the NZ media

Asian tsunami: managing the NZ media

Brad TattersfieldCommunications ManagerMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

MFAT role

• Provision of consular services (assistance to NZers overseas)

• Main task in crises to coordinate NZ response, especially helping victims and locating missing NZers

• Rising public expectation of NZ govt assistance to NZers overseas

Crises – MFAT media objective

• To achieve and maintain public confidence in the government’s handling of the situation, through full, timely and appropriate release of information and explanation of strategy

• Media can play a constructive role, but also reflect/drive public perceptions - they can directly shape the operation and outcomes

Tsunami – key features

• Biggest consular emergency we’ve faced• Slowish response initially due to holiday absences, but

worked well once up and running• Lessons of Bali applied – inter-agency coordination, ERT

deployed, Red X call centre used

Tsunami – media management

• Minister fronted most media – eased pressure on officials

• We issued regular updates which served as talking points for Minister, ourselves and posts

• Media management rated highly• Problems: multiple “missing lists,” privacy considerations,

coordination with Phuket, no media person with ERT