New Zealand's emergency supplies: 3 days minimum, a week ideal
New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency asks households to have at least 3 days of food and water, and ideally a week. Store 3 litres of water per person per day, which is 21 litres per person for a week.
What this means for your household
Set your household size to see the days, water and food the New Zealand advice adds up to.
At least 3 days of food and water. A week is the ideal.
Drinking water for 2 people. Official figure: 3 L per person per day (21 L for a week).
Person-days of food to cover (2 × 7). Pick food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking.
What to have ready
Work out what your household needs with Get Ready's supplies guide, and keep a grab bag in case you have to leave.
- Water: 3 L per person per day, for at least 3 days and ideally a week
- Food that doesn't need a fridge, for at least 3 days and ideally a week
- A torch and a radio that work without mains power, with spare batteries
- A first aid kit and your regular medicines
- Supplies for babies, older people and pets if you have them
- A grab bag for each person in case you need to evacuate
How New Zealand warns you
- Emergency Mobile Alert broadcasts from cell towers to every capable phone in the affected area. No app or sign-up is needed, and you can't opt out.
- Only Police, Fire and Emergency, NEMA and local Civil Defence groups can send alerts, and only for serious threats such as tsunamis, wildfires or contaminated drinking water.
- You may not get an alert outside mobile coverage, if towers are damaged or during a power cut. Don't wait for an alert before you act.
- Long or strong, get gone: if an earthquake lasts more than a minute or makes it hard to stand, move to high ground or inland as soon as the shaking stops. Don't wait for an official warning.
New Zealand-specific steps
- In an earthquake, Drop, Cover and Hold: drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck, and hold on until the shaking stops.
- Practise Drop, Cover and Hold at least twice a year, for example when the clocks change or during New Zealand ShakeOut.
- Learn the natural tsunami warning signs: a strong or long earthquake, a sudden rise or fall in sea level, or loud and unusual noises from the sea.
- Know your tsunami evacuation zone and your route to high ground.
Go beyond the minimum: what we recommend
Official lists cover the basics. These are the gaps we see most often when an emergency lasts longer than expected.
- Rotate a long supply: eat the oldest first and replace it, so a week or more of food and water stays in date.
- Keep paper and digital copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptions, so you can prove who you are and get medicines.
- Write the expiry date on everything and check the kit every 6 months, so it doesn't quietly go out of date.
- Plan for phone power: a charged power bank, plus a solar panel or car charger for longer outages.
- Save offline maps of your area and agree a meeting point, in case the mobile network is down.
- An offline survival guide on your phone: HAVEN tracks your kit and expiry dates and works with no signal.Download HAVEN free
Numbers to write down
- 111 · Emergency services
- Govt.nz app · Alerts on wifi
Keep a paper copy: your phone may be flat when you need it.
Your kit, ready when the network isn't
HAVEN tracks your week of supplies and keeps earthquake and tsunami guides and offline maps on your phone for when the towers are down.
- Coverage in days for your household
- Expiry reminders
- Offline guides and AI
- Free to start, no account needed
How New Zealand compares
New Zealand: 3 to 7 days. Across the 25 governments we checked, most ask for 3 days, a growing group asks for a week, and Austria asks for the most, at 10 to 14 days. See every country's advice.
New Zealand preparedness FAQ
How many days of supplies does New Zealand recommend?
At least 3 days of food and water, and ideally a week.
How much water should I store in New Zealand?
3 litres per person per day. For one week that is 21 litres per person, or 84 litres for a family of four.
What does 'Long or strong, get gone' mean?
If you are near the coast and an earthquake lasts more than a minute or makes it hard to stand, move to high ground or inland as soon as the shaking stops. Don't wait for an official tsunami warning.
Do I need to sign up for Emergency Mobile Alert?
No. Alerts are broadcast to every capable phone in the affected area. Most phones bought in New Zealand since 2017 can receive them, and you can't opt out.
What should I do in an earthquake?
Drop, Cover and Hold: drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck, and hold on to your shelter until the shaking stops.
Official sources
- Work out what supplies you need (Get Ready)
- Emergency Mobile Alert (Get Ready)
- Earthquakes (Get Ready)
- Tsunami (Get Ready)
This page summarises official advice and is not a substitute for it. Always follow the instructions of your local emergency services. Last checked 2 November 2026.