Anita Fraser
Senior Community Planning and Readiness Advisor, Auckland Emergency Management
Master of Disaster Risk Management and Development
Postgraduate study in disaster risk management and development was the ideal fit for her, says Anita Fraser who had long wanted to move into a civil defence role.
“I had studied an undergraduate degree in geography, which led me on a career path as a pollution response officer in Auckland Council’s regulatory unit. While in this role, I went on to study a graduate diploma in environmental health, and then moved into a role that focused on food safety, health and hygiene within a regulatory setting. When I was studying environmental health I was introduced to topics around noise and vibration, epidemiology and civil defence. The latter sparked an immense interest for me which led me to pursuing my master’s degree.
“I was working full-time at the Auckland Council office in Manukau, so the fact that the Master of Disaster Risk Management and Development was based at the AUT South Campus was ideal. I was also able to complete most of the courses through distance learning, meaning I didn’t have to take too much time away from work to attend lectures.”
Because she had wanted to transition to a role in civil defence for a long time, she decided very early on in her studies that she wanted to focus on the social aspects of disaster management.
“I had always been interested in how communities responded to disasters, and how policies and frameworks impacted their resilience. Given a real-life disaster in the form of a pandemic was also unfolding in front of me, I had an even stronger sense of purpose to pursue these kinds of themes.
“My master’s degree research – which was supervised by Associate Professor Loic Le Dé – focused on New Zealand disaster risk reduction policies and homelessness, placing particular emphasis on how New Zealand’s disaster response policies impacted the COVID-19 response for those experiencing homelessness. There was limited research in New Zealand at the time on the homeless and it seemed like a good opportunity to explore this particular group further in the context of emergency management.”
A rewarding role
Now working as a senior community planning and readiness advisor for Auckland Emergency Management, Anita says she finds her role professionally fulfilling.
“There’s a very intentional new direction set out by the organisation to ensure we engage with the community, and create localised emergency response and readiness plans. Our unit was only formed in December 2023, and given this is all new territory for the organisation and myself I find this space to be very dynamic and exciting.”
While it’s still early days for the organisation, she is proud of what they have already achieved.
“I’m particularly proud of what we’ve achieved to date. Our unit came together at the end of last year and it was full on from day one. We’re working to quite tight deadlines and keeping ourselves agile along the way as we navigate this new environment.”
Advice for other students
Anita has some great advice for other students who are thinking about their university journey.
“My advice to future AUT students would be to study something you’re genuinely passionate about. If you’re learning about something that interests you then the learning part doesn’t feel like a chore.”
It's important to plan ahead, she adds.
“Think about your future career paths and opportunities now, because you can start to shape your future on day one of your semester.”
