Following vacancies for the position at each of the councils, a decision was made to create a shared role, a move Central Otago District Council chief executive Phil Melhopt said made sense and aligned with an initiative across all Otago councils to better share resources.
Mr Melhopt and Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Adam Feeley said the joint position would strengthen the relationship between the two councils.
Mr Andrews, who is at present employed by the Northland Regional Council as emergency management officer and group controller, begins the new role on October 28.
During a career which has included senior command and management experience in New Zealand and Australian fire services, he has been involved in emergencies such as the 2010 Christchurch earthquake, 2011 Murray River floods, the aftermath of the Black Saturday fires in Victoria, the grounding of the container ship Rena off the Tauranga coast in 2011, and storms and floods in Northland this year.
Mr Melhopt said he had the right credentials for the job.
''I think he is a really good fit [with] that background and experience. We really value what he can bring to us.''
Mr Andrews would split his time between the two council areas, but his official base would be Queenstown, Mr Melhopt said.
Mr Andrews said councils and emergency managers needed to recognise the ''expectation and immediate demand'' for information during any event.
''There is an expectation within our communities and from the media for information to be readily available and up to date. Modern technology ... means emergency management organisations need to be particularly savvy in providing information during emergencies.''
Mr Andrews was ''very aware'' of the importance of working with business, commercial, tourism and agricultural sectors to support the area's reputation as a fun, safe destination.
Hamish Keith, Central Otago's first emergency management officer, left the role for an Auckland position in January this year.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council's officer, Jon Mitchell, left the role in July.
