Auckland Unplugged Coping with Critical

Virtually all of the socio-technical systems that maintain public order, quality of life, and commerce depend on a reliable electric supply, and critical infrastructure failures such as blackouts have profound implications for citizens and for those who

Eric Stern is Assistant Professor of Government at the Swedish National Defence College.

Preface

ix

List of Abbreviations

xi

1 Introduction

1

(20)

1.1 The Auckland Blackout

1

(2)

1.2 Studying Infrastructural Failures: A Crisis Management Approach

3

(3)

1.3 Urban Crisis Management

6

(4)

1.3.1 Urban Planning

6

(1)

1.3.2 City Management

6

(1)

1.3.3 Urban Cultural Geography and Sociology

6

(1)

1.3.4 Crisis Management in Urban Areas

7

(3)

1.4 Contextual Process Analysis

10

(4)

1.5 Thematic Analysis

14

(5)

1.6 Outline of the Study

19

(2)

2 Public Sector Reform, Electricity Policy, and Crisis Preparedness in New Zealand

21

(30)

2.1 A Country in Transition

21

(1)

2.2 Public Sector Reform

22

(2)

2.3 Electricity Reform

24

(6)

2.4 Local Government Reform

30

(3)

2.5 Civil Defense and Disaster Planning

33

(8)

2.6 The Auckland Region and its Infrastructure Policy: Key Actors

41

(10)

2.6.1 Electricity Provision in Auckland: the Creation of Mercury Energy

43

(3)

2.6.2 The Lifelines Project

46

(5)

3 The Power Outage Crisis: Key Events and Critical Decisions

51

(56)

3.1 The Crisis in Brief

51

(4)

3.2 Critical Decisions and Opportunities

55

(52)

3.2.1 The First Cable Fails

55

(1)

3.2.2 The Second Cable Fails

56

(4)

3.2.3 The Third Cable Fails

60

(2)

3.2.4 The Unthinkable Happens

62

(2)

3.2.5 Acute Operational Changes

64

(8)

3.2.6 Developing a Crisis Response Strategy

72

(4)

3.2.7 To Declare or Not to Declare

76

(5)

3.2.8 Media Pressure

81

(3)

3.2.9 Shortage of Reserve Power and Expertise

84

(4)

3.2.10 Who Gets Power?

88

(4)

3.2.11 We Can't Work under These Conditions!

92

(2)

3.2.12 Inquiring Minds Want to Know

94

(2)

3.2.13 The Cable Tests Keep Failing

96

(2)

3.2.14 The Lights Are on But Nobody's Home

98

(9)

4 Urban Crisis Management in Auckland: Thematic Analysis

107

(52)

4.1 Crisis Development

107

(3)

4.2 Problem Framing

110

(3)

4.3 Leadership and Group Dynamics

113

(4)

4.4 Organizational Cooperation and Conflict

117

(3)

4.5 Crisis Communication and Mass Media

120

(6)

4.6 Intelligence Gathering and Information Processing

126

(2)

4.7 Stress Management

128

(4)

4.8 Symbolic Politics versus Technical-Managerial Logic

132

(2)

4.9 Experts and Decision Makers

134

(4)

4.10 Crisis Management in an Urban Setting

138

(5)

4.11 Sequencing and Synchronicity

143

(2)

4.12 Learning

145

(14)

5 Lessons for Crisis Managers

159

(14)

5.1 Expect the Unexpected

159

(1)

5.2 Face the Worst Case Scenario

160

(1)

5.3 Take Care of Yourself and Your People

161

(1)

5.4 Governments Can Be Victims; Victims Can Be Crisis Copers

161

(2)

5.5 Take "Political" Responsibility Sensibly

163

(1)

5.6 Don't Lose Sight of the Long-Term Picture

164

(1)

5.7 Balance Symbolic and Operational Concerns

164

(2)

5.8 Beware of Credibility Traps

166

(1)

5.9 Make Sure Your Message is Getting Out

167

(1)

5.10 Try to Work with the Media

168

(2)

5.11 A Word of Caution

170

(3)

Appendix: Chronology of Events

173

(6)

Bibliography

179

(22)

Index

201

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Auckland Unplugged Coping with Critical Infrastructure Failure

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials