Disasters are often unexpected and cause widespread disruptions to communities, networks and infrastructure.
A paramount aspect to the response and recovery of an event is the speed of mobilising resources and expertise, which can be hampered by ineffective decision making processes. This research aims to understand how relevant expertise resident in New Zealand was mobilised or not, the actors and logics associated with engaging expert advice, and the extent to which key actors were able to utilise that advice in a systematic way. By using the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes and 2016 Kaikōura earthquake as case studies, combined with a mixed approach for data collection, this research revealed the pathways through which knowledge and expertise from the Canterbury earthquake response and recovery had been transferred to support the recovery from the Kaikōura earthquake. A number of common issues of capacity and capability in both events included a shortage of certain professional roles, the influx of international knowledge during the recovery stage and a need for an information system that can be used for disaster response and recovery from future events. It was suggested that decision making in the post-disaster environment could greatly benefit from such a system that contains relevant profiling information of experts in the field. Through analysing common network links of professionals, the system would need to use LinkedIn or a web-based database to best capture expert knowledge for effective decision making in future events.
