A set of six initiatives to collectively improve the resilience of nations in the Southwest Pacific have been identified and agreed as follows:
1. Set up local seismograph and accelerograph monitoring networks in each nation
2. Improve earthquake, tsunami and volcano hazard mapping
3. Set up a Southwest Pacific Standards Forum
4. Development and land use planning guidelines to consider seismic and tsunami risks and response
5. Earthquake resilience capacity building
6. Set up legislative frameworks to enable effective response to earthquakes and tsunamis to support local community efforts.

The workshop was held under the joint auspices of the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering and the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society at the Victoria University School of Architecture in Wellington from 22-24 August 2011.

Representative seismologists, engineers and disaster manager delegates were invited, with the support of the South Pacific Engineers Association (SPEA) and IPENZ, from Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. Funding assistance was received from New Zealand Aid Development and AusAid.

Workshop Convenor Dr Clark Hyland said “Now is the time to build on our commonality of location, heritage and recent earthquake experiences to improve things for the next generation.”