Tairāwhiti is a paradise of largely untouched landscapes, rugged cliffs and sandy beaches.
The small isolated East Coast communities rely on the water that surrounds them.
"This is our playground, our kapata kai (food cupboard) - our moana is really important to us," Whangara Marae chairperson Min Vette said.
"It is in our history, it is part of our makeup, having our tipuna Paikea's blood running through our veins."
But the ocean also brings risks. It's home to the Hikurangi subduction zone - a tectonic plate 100 kilometres off the coast from the East Cape to Wellington.
Just last year, GNS Science advised there was a 25 percent chance of a significant fracture along the plate in the next 50 years.
Tairawhiti Civil Defence group manager Ben Green describes those odds as "considerable". And when a major earthquake strikes the Hikurangi trench, it could be only a matter of minutes before a major tsunami hits the coast.
The East Coast has already had a test. In March 2021, a small tsunami was spotted along the coast after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Kermadec Islands.
"What it highlighted really is how tenuous it is in the region, both from the geography and the planning ability to actually support particularly rural and remote communities," Green said.
Sparked by that event, Civil Defence has been working to ensure remote small East Coast settlements have resources to survive a major earthquake and tsunami until help arrives. Help could be days or even weeks away, said Green.
"There's no expectation of great warships and swarms of helicopters turning up within the first 72 hours of this sort of thing."
Civil Defence has partnered with Te Puni Kokiri and local iwi like Ngāti Porou to create the Marae Resilience and Emergency Preparedness project.
Over the next few months, 12 emergency pods will be placed at some higher ground marae or locations.
Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou chief executive George Reedy said the pods will help his community cope with a major natural disaster.
"If something significant happens, everybody else will be busy. We just need some way for them to hunker down and be able to look after themselves."
Made out of old shipping containers, the pods will store critical survival equipment. That includes power generators, communication radios, shelter tents and a water treatment unit to make and store their own clean water.
Ngāti Porou has provided enough non-perishable food to feed 100 people, as well as a medical kit.
"They are resilient, but resilience can only take you so far. Beyond that we do need the ability to keep the kids warm, the old people warm, families safe," George Reedy said.
The emergency pods are designed not only to assist communities in catastrophic natural disasters but also in significant weather events.
The region has borne the brunt of the effects of climate change. Just last month, Cyclone Hale caused widespread issues.
Once in place, the pods could also be used to assist when access is cut off.
"I'm quite confident that most of our communities now have a greater appreciation of the potential risks," Reedy said.
Green said it is about being prepared.
"It's a case of knowing what the hazards are ... and you plan accordingly for it."
The pods are a potential lifeline for cut-off communities, devised by its people to help their people. Vette said the pods are giving locals peace of mind.
"At least if we know that we are prepared and we have plans. We feel a lot safer. And so, you know, we don't have to panic knowing that we have resources."
Made with support from Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
