Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition seventeen
new-zealand-labour-party
Fri Apr 01 2011 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition seventeen
Friday, 1 April 2011, 1:05 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
Friday 1 Apri
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition seventeen
The Labour Party’s Christchurch electorate MPs, Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central) have started a regular bulletin to keep people in their electorates and media informed about what is happening at grass roots level.
CLAYTON COSGROVE: I am writing another letter to Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee asking him if he intends consulting with community stakeholders and Labour’s Christchurch MPs on the membership of the 20-member community forum he intends to appoint to advise him on quake issues, or whether he will simply hand-pick the members. As he hasn’t responded to any other letters Labour MPs have sent him, I don’t hold out high hopes for a response this time either, particularly as today’s date is 1 April, and that might give him an excuse to treat the issue as a joke. It is no joke, however --- if the forum is to achieve any useful purpose, it needs to be broad-based and genuinely representative. The likelihood of that happening --- given National’s record in Canterbury so far --- is remote. At today’s Civil Defence briefing we learned that a protocol has finally been put in place for business owners wanting to access their businesses in the CBD. That’s good news, even though it has taken too long to happen. Businesses will be required to have two engineers, who will need to seek CD approval to enter the red zone. Once permission has been given, the two engineers (but not the business owner) will be allowed to enter the zone, and while one engineer stays outside, the other will enter the affected building to check on safety concerns. If the engineers decide the building is safe for the owner to access, they will return to Civil Defence and obtain permission for the owner to enter and access records and equipment and anything else that is available. Finally, we are making progress. The other issue of debate today is around whether Canterbury schools should be exempt from national standards while they cope with the aftermath of the quake. Education Minister Anne Tolley has a closed mind and won’t budge on the issue, but as far as I am concerned, national standards will just heap more pressure on teachers and kids at a time when they don’t need it. It’s estimated that up to a third of public servants in Christchurch are trying to deal with real personal problems of their own --- including unsafe houses, psychological problems, grief and a host of other issues. To Anne Tolley sitting in her privileged office in the Beehive, national standards might seem more important than ever for Christchurch kids, but those of us working on the ground here see a far more stressful environment. Anne Tolley should not be allowed to heap more pain and stress on teachers and kids.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
RUTH DYSON: The good news from the Civil Defence brief this morning for my electorate is that there is now a really solid plan in place for Lyttelton and Sydenham in terms of demolition and rebuilding. One big stumbling block we still face are uninsured or under-insured buildings. In many cases demolition is preferred but no one is willing to front the cost. This is particularly problematic for heritage buildings. While the importance of restoration is plain there is often no money to do the repairs and no one willing to make the investment in these uncertain times. On a more positive note I am pleased that the Linwood College Orchestra have the base funding they need to continue their scheduled trip to perform at Westminster Abbey on Anzac Day this year. More is still needed and I am pleased that following a letter I wrote to the Arts Culture and Heritage Minister he is looking into possible options for further funding. For more information on the schools trip go to: http://premierstrategics.com/linwoodpress01.html
LIANNE DALZIEL: Tonight I am in Dunedin for a public forum on the Christchurch earthquake to update people on the situation going forward. My speech is titled ‘shaken now stirred’ because although I was shaken by both earthquakes, I am now stirred to speak out about the risk that the Government will use the cost of repairing the damage to Christchurch as an excuse to implement a radical programme of asset sales and public sector spending cuts. I look forward to meeting with those people in Dunedin who have provided essential support to Christchurch over the past month. We must not allow Christchurch to become the scapegoat for decisions the Government has made and will make in the months ahead. I can also back calls from Christchurch principals who argue the national standards regime should take a back seat while kids and families get back on their feet. Despite what this Government might think, home life and school life are intricately connected for children and their learning can be adversely affected. Schools have reported to me that families are experiencing significant stress around fear of illness, redundancies and staying warm as winter approaches. On top of these pressures there are trust issues with children who are still processing some of the atrocities they have witnessed since the quake hit. Safety issues are on parents minds with non-custodial parents’ facing on-going issues around custody of children. While I understand it is important to normalise life for children there must be the recognition that life in school often revolves around life outside of school. National standards need to be put to one side until we get kids and families back on an even keel.
BRENDON BURNS: This morning I attended a meeting with the Civil Defence Controller and the delegation of CBD residents. The controller took on concerns raised by residents around access, cordon boundaries, information flows and security and has committed to improving the situation. There remain serious financial burdens for some CBD tenants who are having trouble with insurance companies who won’t pay out in cases where residents have had to flee. This morning I was able to help one woman who was struggling to access sufficient assistance. Although her household had received a Red Cross grant, when split between five flatmates it did not go far enough toward easing her situation. I have linked her with MSD and they have this morning undertaken to assist her which is a promising development for many others who will be in similar situations. The MP brief with Civil Defence was also constructive this morning. There has been a new colour coded pass system issued for residents, contractors, businesses and emergency services which will allow better access to the cordon. It may be a few days before this system is implemented but it was a step in the right direction. Access was also eased for businesses who are now able to access the cordon with engineers as my colleague Clayton Cosgrove has outlined. I am pleased that Civil Defence is now working to establish one-on-one relationships with CBD residents and businesses.
ENDS
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.