100 Resilient Cities—Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation—is dedicated to building resilience in cities around the world. Wellington is a founding member of a $164M effort.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown welcomes the appointment of Mike Mendonça as Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), a new position created to lead city-wide resilience building efforts to help Wellington prepare for, withstand, and bounce back from the ‘shocks’—catastrophic events such as hurricanes, fires, and floods—and ‘stresses’—slow-moving disasters such as water shortages, homelessness, and unemployment, which are increasingly part of 21st century life. As Chief Resilience Officer, Mike Mendonça will oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive Resilience Strategy for the city.

“Mike has wide experience and will be able to tap into an international body of knowledge and liaise with Chief Resilience Officers in Christchurch, Sydney, and around the world, in developing plans and strategies to make Wellington a resilient city,” says Mayor Wade-Brown.

Appointing a CRO is an essential element of Wellington’s resilience building a partnership with 100 Resilient Cities that is part of a $164M commitment by The Rockefeller Foundation to build urban resilience in 100 cities around the world. Wellington’s engagement with 100 Resilient Cities kicked off on 28 September.

“Mike Mendonça joins a network of peers from cities across the globe that will share best practices and surface innovative thinking,” said Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities. “Mr Mendonça will become a global leader in resilience, and will be a tool both for Wellington and other cities around the world.”

Mike is an avid Wellingtonian with previous Council service in the areas of infrastructure and civil defence. Wellington’s Resilience Strategy will be a holistic, action-oriented blueprint to build partnerships and alliances, financing mechanisms, and will pay particular attention to meeting the needs of poor and vulnerable populations.