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The risks of natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, tornado, coastal erosion and volcano are apparent in Auckland because of its vulnerability to multiple risks. The coping capacity of individuals serves as a precursor to the adaptation to inherent challenges. The purpose of this paper was to examine the coping capacity of the South African community in Auckland to a disaster event.

This study gathered information from both primary and secondary sources. Interviews and survey were the main sources of primary data. The research used parametric and non-parametric statistical tools for quantitative data analysis, and the general inductive process and a three-step coding process to analyse qualitative data. The research findings are discussed in line with existing studies.

The results indicated that the aggregate coping capacity of the community was above average on the scale of 1-5 with communication and economic domains having the highest and least capacities, respectively. An improvement in disaster response activities and economic ability among the vulnerable population should be considered in future policy to enhance coping capacity.

The study was limited to the time of the investigation. The practical coping capacity of the community during challenges will be determined. This study excludes the roles of institutions and the natural environment in coping capacity because the unit of analysis was the individual members of the community.

The research is a pioneer study on the coping capacity of the South African community in Auckland.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the resilience of the South African community in Auckland to a potential hazard event.

The research collected data from both primary and secondary sources. The research used parametric and non-parametric analytical procedures for quantitative data and a general inductive approach to qualitative data analysis and a three-step coding cycle for interviews. A content analytical process of theme formation was used to analyse secondary materials. The research discussed findings in line with related studies on community resilience.

The aggregate community resilience index was above average on the scale of 1–5. The highest and lowest contributions to the resilience of the South African community came from communication and information and physical capacities of the community. Although the highest contribution came from the communication domain, there is a need to sensitise the community on the importance of real-time information for resilience. Community ability to respond as a first responder and to access diverse sources was low because of a lack of interest in disaster risk reduction activities and membership of associations. Intervention in the economic domain and affordable housing is needed to assist low-income earners in coping with a potential disaster and enhance future resilience.

The practical resilience of the community is limited to the time of this research. The state of resilience might change in longitudinal research due to changes in resources and ecosystem. The research did not consider institutional and natural domains because its focus was to predict resilience at the individual level.

At-risk societies could enhance their resilience through a periodic audit into its resources, identify indicators of low resilience and carry out interventions to address potential vulnerabilities. Besides the importance of resource in resilience, the research illuminates the need to address the question of who is resilient and resources distribution in the community. The issues are imperative in community resilience as they underpinned the personal ability to preparedness, response and recover from a disaster.

Although the research provides insight into the resilience of the South African community, it constitutes preliminary research towards a further understanding of the resilience of the South African community in Auckland.