The Resilience Builder
How ready is your household for cost-of-living stress, supply disruptions, and community emergencies? Answer each question to see personalised suggested next steps and create a list of priority actions that you can use to build resilience.
Suggestions are indicative only and do not constitute advice. GoZero and the GoZero Foundation disclaim and exclude all liability for any claim, loss, demand or damages arising from use of this tool.
🌱 Food
Food resilience means having a buffer against supply disruptions and price spikes, and reducing dependence on long supply chains.
Does your household grow any of its own food?
Grow some of your own food
Even a small container garden builds connection to food sources and provides a buffer against supply disruptions. Wellington has community growing programmes and fruit tree schemes — your local GoZero Community Weaver can help you find what is local to you.
Do you source any food locally — co-ops, community hubs, direct from producers?
Connect with local food sources
Wellington has a strong community food network, including fruit and vegetable co-ops from hubs across the region and platforms connecting you directly with local growers. Ask your local GoZero Community Weaver about what is available in your neighbourhood.
Do you have more than a week’s worth of staple foods on hand?
Build a pantry buffer
A week or two of staples — rice, lentils, oats, canned goods — gives your household a meaningful cushion against price spikes, supply disruptions, and emergencies. Simple to start and does not need much space.
🛍️ Shopping & supply chains
Supporting local resilience is assisted by how we shop. Keeping money in local economies and reducing dependence on fragile offshore supply chains are goals we can work towards by making good choices when we can.
How often does your household buy new clothing from fast fashion brands?
Reduce fast fashion purchases
Fast fashion depends on long, fragile supply chains and extracts money from local economies. Secondhand, swapped, and locally made clothing are more resilient alternatives. Wellington has active Buy Nothing groups by suburb and clothing swaps throughout the year.
Does your household regularly shop at offshore online retailers rather than local options?
Shift to local suppliers
Offshore online shopping extracts money from local economies and depends on long supply chains vulnerable to disruption. Choosing local independent businesses builds community resilience — even when it costs a little more.
When something breaks, does your household repair it rather than replace it?
Repair before replacing
Repair culture is one of the most direct expressions of sufficiency. Wellington has community repair events and skilled local repairers for electronics, clothing, and appliances. Your local GoZero Community Weaver can connect you with what is available nearby.
Does your household buy secondhand for clothing and household goods?
Consider secondhand first
Buying secondhand keeps goods in circulation, supports community economy, and reduces demand for new production. Local buy-nothing groups often have better prices than op shops for many categories.
Op-shop prices have risen significantly in recent years and are not always cheaper than new fast fashion.
Do you favour local independent businesses over chains when buying everyday goods?
Support local and independent businesses
Choosing local independent businesses builds community resilience — even if it sometimes costs a little more. Buying local keeps money in your community and supports resilient local supply chains. Your local GoZero Community Weaver is a good place to share knowledge about local options.
✈️ Travel
International travel carries a significant carbon footprint and moves holiday spending out of local economies.
Does your household take regular overseas holidays?
Holiday in New Zealand first
Regular international travel carries a significant carbon footprint — a return long-haul flight generates several tonnes of CO2 per person. But it also moves significant spending away from New Zealand’s regional communities that depend on domestic tourism. Many of New Zealand’s most extraordinary places are sustained by the people who choose to visit them.
This is not primarily about cost — it is about environmental footprint and keeping holiday spending in local economies.
💧 Water
Wellington’s water network is earthquake-vulnerable. Civil Defence advises 7+ days of stored water per person.
Does your household have emergency water stored?
Store emergency water
Wellington Civil Defence advises households to store enough water for 7 days — at least 3 litres per person per day. Food-grade containers and regular rotation keep stored water safe. This is one of the most impactful single steps a Wellington household can take.
Wellington Civil Defence: at least 3 litres per person per day for 7 days minimum.
Does your household collect any rainwater?
Consider rainwater collection
Even a basic rain barrel or tank connected to a downpipe provides a meaningful water buffer for garden use or non-drinking purposes in an emergency. In Wellington’s wet climate, collection is practical and low-cost to set up.
⚡ Energy
Energy independence reduces vulnerability to grid outages and rising power prices.
Could your household stay warm for several days without grid electricity?
Build energy independence
For households with the means to invest, electrifying home heating and hot water — particularly through a heat pump — and adding solar generation provides genuine energy resilience and protects against rising power prices. Good home insulation is the most universally effective step regardless of budget. GoZero is exploring opportunities for community energy systems that could make the electrification of essentials more accessible for everyone — ask your Community Weaver what is being considered in your neighbourhood.
If you are renting, your options may be limited — ask your GoZero Community Weaver about collective approaches.
🚲 Transport
Wellington’s compact geography makes car-lite living more achievable here than most NZ cities.
Could your household manage essential trips without a car for a week?
Build car-free capability
Wellington’s compact geography and public transport network make car-lite living more achievable here than most New Zealand cities. For occasional car needs, car share schemes let you pay only when you drive. A working bicycle handles many short trips. Ask your local GoZero Community Weaver about local car share and cycling options.
Do you have a working bicycle available?
Get a working bicycle
A bicycle is one of the most practical resilience investments in Wellington — for short trips, avoiding car dependency, and emergency transport. Community bike maintenance workshops can help with repairs and advice on secondhand options.
🤝 Community
Social connection is the most underrated form of resilience. Knowing your neighbours and belonging to networks is what makes communities genuinely able to cope.
Do you know your immediate neighbours well enough to ask for help in an emergency?
Get to know your neighbours
Knowing your neighbours is the most underrated form of resilience. A GoZero Team is a practical way to start building those connections. Environmental volunteer projects and local social clubs are other good ways to meet people with shared values in your neighbourhood.
Are you part of any local group, community organisation, or mutual aid network?
Join a local group or network
Being part of a group — whether a GoZero Team, an environmental project, a sports club, or a neighbourhood network — builds the social infrastructure that makes communities genuinely resilient. Wellington has strong options across environmental, cultural, sporting, and community action spaces.
Have you connected with a GoZero Team in your neighbourhood?
Connect with a GoZero Team
GoZero Teams bring neighbours together to build household and community resilience practically and locally. Your Community Weaver can connect you with what is happening in your neighbourhood and help you take the next steps that make sense for your household.
Your Resilience Action List
Select the priority of suggested actions and send yourself an action list by email to start building resilience at home — or join a GoZero Team to build resilience together with your neighbours, friends, or colleagues.
GoZero Teams connect neighbours to build exactly this kind of household and community resilience — practically, locally, and together.
If you would like advice from a GoZero Community Weaver on any of the actions above, you can sign up to a GoZero Team or use our Contact Us form.
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