Climate change and associated weather extremes increase the potential for wildfires and the dangers this creates for electricity networks, communities and the environment.
Purpose
Across Europe, the Mediterranean, North America and Australia, wildfires are more frequent and destructive and fire seasons longer, with significant implications for utilities in these regions. New Zealand is not immune to changing weather patterns and has seen the destruction wrought by large fires on the Port Hills, at Lake Pukaki – Ōhau.
The EEA’s 2025 Resilience Guide provides comprehensive guidance around wildfire risk analysis and fire risk management and mitigation. When it comes to operations, networks take varied approaches and there is a lack of best practice guidance.
Operations during and after a wildfire
Join industry colleagues in an interactive discussion to identify:
- the biggest operational risks and priorities as our industry sees them
- opportunities for knowledge sharing and industry collaboration
- any need for new operational guidance or standardised processes.
Our keynote speaker and a panel with lived New Zealand and Australian experience will spur the morning’s thinking
Hear from keynote speaker Jamie Cowan, Consultant Fire Investigator and expert, who brings over 18 years of domestic and international experience in wildfire management and incident management systems, and has been an expert witness on some of New Zealand’s biggest recent fires. Jamie will be joined by Tim Mitchell of FENZ, Steve McDonald of Orion, and one other network operator, for an interactive session discussing preparation, response and recovery.
Designed as a highly interactive workshop, this is your chance to meet other stakeholders working on the same priorities as you, contribute your perspective, and help structure our industry’s approach to what we do next.
Bushfire Resilience Breakfast 26__Flyer
Registration
Note: Places at the Bushfire Breakfast are limited. To help ensure fair representation, we ask that each organisation register two representatives only.
There is no charge to attend but registration is required.