BIO

Sarah Norman
(Emergency Management Planner, Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, New Zealand) Sarah trained as a Registered Comprehensive Nurse before travelling to the UK to undertake extensive travel in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 2000 she completed a BSc(Hons) Development and Health in Disaster Management before travelling to Ethiopia to work as the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Concern Worldwide during the 2000 food crisis. Following a return to Coventry University in 2001, to complete MSc (by research) in Disaster Management, also working part-time for the West Midlands Fire Service as an Emergency Planner. Upon completion she began a position as a Regional Health Emergency Planning Adviser (RHEPA) in London, involving increasing the preparedness and response capability of NHS organisations in response to major incidents and provided a regional response role in London to major incidents. Sarah has returned home to New Zealand after nine years in the UK. Sarah joined the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management in July 2003 and is enjoying several key roles within the Ministry. One such role is the development of a holistic framework for recovery for New Zealand and the programme of activities associated with it. Sarah is also tasked with developing a Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Cluster Approach with multi-agency groups to enhance the ability of organisations to plan and work together within the CDEM environment.