# New Zealand hypothetical emergency: essential-items index

**Prepared: 4 October 2026. Scope: hypothetical only, not a prediction or warning.**

The accompanying CSV lists **214 individually numbered items** for New Zealand households and, separately, longer-term and community needs. It assumes a severe disruption to water, electricity, food distribution, communications, transport and sanitation. It covers the practical needs common to earthquakes, storms, floods, tsunami impacts, volcanic ash and extended supply disruption. No finite list can cover every imaginable apocalypse or every person's circumstances.

## What people actually need

The underlying needs are **safe water, adequate food, safe shelter, warmth, sanitation, essential healthcare, reliable information and a safe way to move or receive assistance**. The equipment used to meet these needs depends on the person and situation. People also need care, social support and cooperation; those are not purchasable supplies and cannot be fully represented by an items CSV.

**This is an index, not a requirement to buy all 214 items.** Existing household supplies, shared equipment and safe alternatives often meet the same need. Specific foods are alternatives within an adequate combined food supply; people do not need to buy every food listed. A functioning stocked first aid kit can already contain many individual rows.

## Read the priority column first

| Priority | Meaning | Rows |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| Essential | Broadly applicable basic household or personal needs. Use existing items or suitable equivalents. | 39 |
| Conditional | Needed only if the stated situation applies, or one possible way to meet a need. A prescribed medicine can be life-critical for its user despite this label. | 155 |
| Long-term | Optional preparations for a prolonged disruption; not an immediate survival requirement for everyone. | 8 |
| Community | Equipment for organised services or trained response teams, not an ordinary household shopping list. | 12 |

The labels describe **applicability**, not the seriousness of a person's medical or disability-related needs. Filter `Applies_to` as well as `Priority`.

## Starting quantities

- **Water:** at least **3 litres per person per day**, giving **9 litres for three days**. Where feasible, aim for **21 litres per person for seven days**, with more for local conditions and individual needs. Add extra water for cooking, washing, pets and livestock. A household of four therefore starts at 36 litres for three days or 84 litres for seven days, before those extras.
- **Food:** enough suitable food for everyone for **at least three days**; build towards **a week or more** if affordable and practical. Prioritise food that can be eaten without cooking. Dry foods may require scarce water and fuel.
- **Medicines and medical equipment:** prepare for at least three days and discuss a longer reserve with your prescriber or pharmacist. Storage temperature, device electricity requirements and individual evacuation arrangements matter.
- **Grab bags:** keep a manageable portable selection for each person, with carers carrying supplies for dependants where necessary. Do not try to carry the entire home water reserve or every indexed item.
- **Longer isolation:** local Civil Defence guidance may recommend larger reserves. Three days is a starting point, not a guarantee that assistance arrives then.

## If the hypothetical disruption happened tomorrow

1. Find the safe water, suitable ready-to-eat food, necessary medicines, warm clothing, bedding, torches and radio you already have.
2. Arrange safe shelter and a backup sanitation method; assemble manageable grab bags.
3. Agree contact arrangements, meeting points and help for children, older people, disabled people and animals with family and neighbours.
4. Prioritise gaps that directly affect health and survival. Do not spend scarce money on long-term equipment before covering immediate needs.

## Important safety limits

- Use camping stoves and generators **outdoors**, not in rooms, tents, garages or vehicles. A carbon monoxide alarm does not make unsafe use safe. Generator connection to a building requires an appropriate qualified arrangement.
- Stored safe water is the first line of protection. Water-treatment products have different limits: do not assume a filter or tablet removes chemical contamination. Follow current official guidance and product directions; never mix cleaning chemicals.
- Do not use an unsafe damaged building as shelter. Do not approach live cables or attempt structural rescue without training.
- P2/N95 masks help with relevant particles when properly fitted; they do not protect against gases or oxygen deficiency.
- Use medicines according to individual clinical advice. Plan backup power and temperature-controlled storage with the care team where needed.
- Follow local public-health instructions for toilet waste and contaminated food. Cash and phones may help in an outage but are not substitutes for water, food and care.
- Near the coast, if an earthquake is long or strong, evacuate tsunami zones immediately using local guidance; do not wait for a warning or delay to collect a bag. Call **111** for an actual emergency when available.

## Using the CSV

Open `new_zealand_hypothetical_emergency_items.csv` in Excel, Google Sheets or another spreadsheet application. It uses UTF-8 encoding and standard CSV quoting.

- `Index`: stable individual item number.
- `Category`: filter by the need being addressed.
- `Item`: one named supply or identifiable item per row.
- `Priority` and `Applies_to`: decide whether the item is relevant.
- `Starting_quantity_or_target`: a starting amount or a person-specific planning target, not a universal prescription.
- `Purpose` and `Safety_or_limit`: explain the need and principal limitations.
- `Evidence_basis`: distinguishes official guidance from practical extensions. An official source linked to an extension supports the broader need, not necessarily the exact item or every safety detail.
- `Source_URLs`: relevant official source links where applicable; blank for unsourced practical extensions.
- `Already_have`, `To_obtain`, `Personal_notes`: blank columns for your own inventory.

## Official New Zealand sources consulted

1. [Get Ready — Work out what supplies you need](https://getready.govt.nz/prepared/household/supplies): household supplies, grab bags, special needs and transport.
2. [Get Ready — Storing water](https://getready.govt.nz/prepared/household/supplies/storing-water): water quantities, containers, storage and treatment limitations.
3. [Civil Defence — Have emergency supplies](https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/guidance-training/consistent-messages/readiness/have-emergency-supplies): three-day minimum, building towards a week or more, food, first aid, sanitation, radios and vehicle supplies.

These sources were consulted during preparation. The expanded accessibility, animal, longer-term and community entries are practical planning suggestions, not a claim that the government requires every listed item.