The recent Smart Cities Council (SCC) webinar, “Infrastructure Resilience: Connected Communities,” brought together experts from across Australasia to discuss how technology and collaboration can strengthen community resilience in the face of increasing environmental and operational challenges. Hosted by Mark Thomas, SCC’s Regional Lead for New Zealand, the session featured panellists with deep expertise in municipal infrastructure, risk analysis, and local government leadership.
Understanding the Australasian Context
The webinar opened with a recognition of the unique challenges faced by communities across New Zealand and Australia. From the seismic vulnerabilities of Wellington to the vast, drought-prone landscapes of South Australia, the panellists emphasised that resilience strategies must be tailored to local conditions and governance structures.
Leon Cassidy, Omega Networks, a Wellington-based specialist in unified municipal infrastructure, introduced “Pulse”-a platform designed to interconnect public utilities and local services. By applying frameworks such as zero trust and robust governance, Pulse aims to provide unified leadership and secure, real-time operational oversight for smart cities.
Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer at the University of Canterbury and CTO of Urban Intelligence, highlighted the importance of understanding cascading risks. Drawing on Christchurch’s experiences with earthquakes and recent events like Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay, Tom explained how indirect failures-such as inaccessible substations-can lead to widespread service outages. His team’s “Resilience Explorer” software helps councils and companies map these domino effects, enabling more effective interventions and resource allocation.
Sean Holden, CEO of Flinders Ranges Council in South Australia, provided a rural perspective. His region, with just 1,600 residents spread across an area nearly as large as Auckland, faces threats from drought, bushfire, flood, and even earthquakes. For remote communities, the tyranny of distance and limited commercial interest from infrastructure providers create acute vulnerabilities-particularly for older residents reliant on technology for health and safety.
Critical Infrastructure and the Role of Digital Tools
A key theme was the need for integrated digital tools and data sharing. Leon advocated for a “digital lifeline” that connects operational technologies across jurisdictions, allowing for better risk profiling and coordinated response. In Wellington, this approach is crucial given the city’s seismic risks and the potential for lifelines to be severed for extended periods.
Tom’s research underscored that failing to account for cascading infrastructure failures leads to underestimating both risk and the true cost of interventions. By identifying how failures propagate through interconnected systems, decision-makers can prioritise investments that deliver the greatest resilience benefits.
Ownership and Control of Communication Networks
The panel also examined the importance of local ownership and control over communication networks. Leon pointed out that many municipal infrastructure providers lack the authority to manage their own digital platforms, often relying on third-party providers with differing priorities. By treating communications infrastructure as a core community asset-akin to water or transport-councils can ensure more reliable emergency response and ongoing service delivery.
Sean echoed this, noting that regional councils often struggle to attract investment from commercial providers. Collaboration through zone emergency management committees and the sharing of best practices is essential, but so too is advocating for policy and funding support to address systemic inequities.
Towards More Resilient, Connected Communities
The session concluded with a call to action for councils, utilities, and technology partners to work together in building resilient, digitally enabled infrastructure. By leveraging local knowledge, adopting unified digital platforms, and ensuring community ownership of critical assets, Australasian cities and regions can better withstand and recover from the shocks and stresses of the future.
