Publik-supported project a winner in 2023 EMPA Awards.

Working with people following a major disaster that has greatly impacted their lives requires sensitivity, simplicity and timeliness.

There is no doubt that the latter two can be difficult to achieve when trying to communicate engineering solutions to storms that have ripped through roads and bridges, cutting people off or limiting their access. Fixing such severe damage to infrastructure can be complex and can take time. This can be extremely frustrating for those stuck on the other side of the road or bridge, but time is necessary to ensure the solutions are right and funding can be found.

At the end of 2022, members of the Publik communications and design team were asked to join the Marlborough District Council and their consultant Stantec on the development of the Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study. The Publik team had also helped Marlborough Roads Recovery back in 2021 following the peak of the July weather disaster, the damage of which was exacerbated by the August 2022 storms.

This week, the Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study – a multimedia communications and engagement project – has won the Community Engagement category for the 2023 EMPA Awards for Excellence in Communication! EMPA stands for Emergency Media and Public Affairs. 

The Awards recognise those who have made a significant contribution to emergency communications in New Zealand and cover all aspects of emergency management communications, from Readiness and Resilience to Recovery. 

 We are very proud of the part we played in the project, a key element of which was creating engagement materials that were easily understood by people, proactively answered their questions and enabled them to give valuable feedback on the future of their transport network.  

 As well as simplifying the process and detailed findings of the study's engineering and geology consultants as best we could (without making it inaccurate), we had to make sure the communications reached as many people as possible. This was no easy task, given how large the Marlborough Sounds is, its access issues (thanks to the storms) and limited internet throughout. The project required a multi-activity and multimedia outreach.  

 Publik Agency assisted with two phases of the multimedia communications and community engagement work, creating dozens of posters, multiple plain-language engagement booklets, a number of videos, organisation of multiple public drop-in sessions across Te Tauihu attended by thousands of residents, and managed an online engagement survey which garnered a record number of responses. 

 The project also required a personal touch. It was all hands on deck to make sure the experts were personally available to answer questions and provide information. The creative and forward-thinking project was driven by local needs and grassroots participation to deliver the best results for the community and for the Council.  

Congratulations to Marlborough District Council and Stantec on winning an award. You are a great team to work with!  

 Importantly, we also want to acknowledge the Marlborough Sounds community, who this project was really about. The community’s involvement in the study was crucial and highly valued. Our part of the project is over, but for them, it is only the beginning as final decisions are made and construction starts on their future transport network. 

 The 2023 Awards were presented on 19 October 2023, and Publik Managing Consultant Emma Thompson was in Wellington with the team from Marlborough District Council and Stantec.