a large-scale \u201cunderground shelter\u201d in New Zealand<\/a>, agrees.<\/p>\n\u201cThe individuals I\u2019ve engaged with from New Zealand tend to share a common mindset: they are not preparing for a single event, but for systemic uncertainty. They are thinking in terms of continuity, not crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corbi says the number of enquiries his company is receiving to build in New Zealand \u201cremains steady\u201d, and he expects them to increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe requests are sophisticated ranging from discreet, architecturally invisible safe rooms to fully autonomous, hardened estates designed to function independently of external systems. This is not fear-driven demand. It is strategic preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand occupies a rare position in the world today. It is geographically removed from most major conflict vectors, politically stable, and rich in natural resources. That combination makes it one of the few places globally where security is not just about protection, it\u2019s about continuity of lifestyle and governance. As global uncertainty increases, locations with those characteristics become exponentially more valuable. I fully expect interest in Safe environments in New Zealand to rise accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"US-company]()
US-company SAFE which supplies underground shelters has confirmed that it has built a bunker in New Zealand for a client – the first time such a project has been confirmed. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The median cost of the bunker systems Clarke\u2019s company has helped construct in New Zealand is between $400,000-$600,000. A mid-range system features three rooms \u2013 one 12sq m common room and two 8sq m residential rooms.<\/p>\n
Smaller-scale systems, which are still certified \u201call-hazard\u201d protection, just with less space, come in under $200k installed, but there is essentially no upper limit.<\/p>\n
Basic models are able to withstand chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, and have special air filtration systems and blast fittings, or components designed to maintain structural integrity and safety of the shelter during an explosion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s roughly the same price as a new 300 series Land Cruiser or a big American Ute,\u201d Clarke says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I don\u2019t know about you, but certainly [in Australia], there are so many of the big RAMs and Chevys and F250s and 350s driving around. Each one of those would have been a family bunker.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"An]()
An example of one of Hardened Technology’s underground bunkers. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The profile of the average client has broadened considerably, but discretion remains key in the bunker business and client privacy is valued, Clarke says. <\/p>\n
The company also works with a number of high-net-worth clients.<\/p>\n
This includes \u201cGolden Visa\u201d holders, the common term for the government\u2019s Active Investor Plus visa. This visa offers New Zealand residence to high-net-worth individuals investing a minimum of $5 million to $10m, depending on the asset type, into the local economy. As of March 11, Immigration New Zealand has received 609 applications since the investment process was simplified in April last year.<\/p>\n
Clarke says his customers are rarely \u201cseeking a status symbol or crystal chandelier in an underground mansion\u201d. Many are professionals, business owners, rural property owners and families taking a \u201cmeasured, practical approach to preparedness\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are typically focused on realistic contingencies such as bushfire, storms, supply chain failures, prolonged outages and periods of civil disruption, rather than sensational scenarios.\u201d<\/p>\n
That extends to the way he talks about the structures; Clarke prefers to think of them as engineered civil defence shelters and resilience infrastructure rather than the pop-culture stereotype of a \u201cbunker\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur approach is always grounded in credible hazards and layered resilience, not fear or sensationalism,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often advise clients that the biggest gains come from layered steps: contingency plans for food, water and power, bushfire planning and property security.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"A]()
A bunker should always have a dual purpose. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
And when your bunker is not being used as a source of shelter? Clarke recommends they should always have a practical, day-to-day purpose, like a cellar, wine storage or (wo)man cave. <\/p>\n
\u201cOtherwise, you\u2019re sinking a lot of money into something that you hopefully never use in anger.\u201d<\/p>\n
If he had one public service announcement, it would be this: \u201cFor the love of God, do not bury a shipping container. Don\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, Clarke often advises clients not to build a bunker at all. It\u2019s always, in his eyes, the last line of defence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere appropriate, an engineered shelter can be an additional layer of protection against a broad spectrum of threats, but it\u2019s not a silver bullet for every scenario.<\/p>\n
\u201cA hardened structure is only applicable to a very niche subset of risk and potential scenarios. And I would always urge people to have a broad, rational approach to considering resilience and self-sufficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s less that Kiwis suddenly fear one entirely new scenario, and instead that a much broader group of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1443,806,674,183491,133824,102592,183493,8609,183492,3029,11424,2082,5431,5511,807,13840,663,5430,34700,117,111,43,139,69,193,2170,25280,801,40119,82113,12414,4276,1754,80],"class_list":["post-344163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-about","tag-as","tag-building","tag-bunker","tag-bunkers","tag-cellar","tag-crises","tag-double","tag-enquiries","tag-eye","tag-finds","tag-for","tag-hageman","tag-just","tag-kiwis","tag-like","tag-looks","tag-mitchell","tag-naked","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-other","tag-plan","tag-protective","tag-rising","tag-shelters","tag-sleepout","tag-underground","tag-why","tag-wine","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}