Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition twenty
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Apr 06 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition twenty
Wednesday, 6 April 2011, 1:02 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
6 April 2011
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition twenty
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: Social Development Minister Paula Bennett confirmed for me in Parliament yesterday that she hasn’t taken any advice from her department about the potential number of people who will lose their jobs in Canterbury. Worse, she hasn’t asked for any advice, and clearly has no intention of doing so. I think she doesn’t want to ask because she is afraid of the answer. It is not good enough for Paula Bennett and John Key to rubbish estimates of the potential number of jobless, as they did yesterday. Those estimates come from government sources. I wonder what Paula Bennett is getting paid for if she won’t even ask for advice.
Paula Bennett doesn’t see any need to extend the business assistance package, but the tens of thousands of Canterbury businesses and people whose livelihood depends on the package can see compelling reasons. I am also concerned to hear reports today that the campervans being used for emergency housing will be returned to companies in August so that they are available for Rugby World Cup tourists. I am checking this information out urgently and will keep you informed. Today Labour MPs met Civil Defence.
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The big issue is still business access to the red zone. Businesses are still encountering bureaucratic problems, despite protocols being drawn up almost a week ago. We were told today a checklist is being put together so businesses won’t have to make repeated visits to Civil Defence to provide enough information to get access. We still haven’t received the briefings on emergency housing or home heating that we requested some time ago. It is starting to get a lot colder in Christchurch and we are only three weeks away from May when it will get really cold. Last night I attended the first meeting in the sixth round of EQC briefings I have organised in my electorate.
The meeting in Kaiapoi revealed there is still a lot of angst at the lack of response from private insurers. Tonight’s meeting is at 7pm in the Rangiora Baptist Church hall. It will not only target Rangiora residents, but also the estimated 5000 who have shifted into Rangiora from Christchurch since February 22. Updated status of letters from Labour MPs to John Key, Gerry Brownlee, John Carter and Christchurch City Council: Still no response after up to three weeks.
RUTH DYSON: I am extremely frustrated with the lack of communication from local and central government. After requesting an urgent briefing with the District Health Board almost a week ago to discuss the relocation of elderly following the quake, I woke this morning to hear the policy decision in the news. This is another salient example of the ‘command and control’ style administration this government is running. Where is the consultation? Where is the local input?
Headlines this morning detailed that the DHB plans to move approximately 500 elderly relocated following the quake back to Christchurch early next month, but says that the process could take up to a year. Given that the average time an elderly person spends in a rest home is 18 months, a year-long wait is not good enough. A move to a rest home is designed to ease daily life so that time can be spent comfortably in good health with professional and family support.
These displaced people are now facing an extended stay in foreign surroundings and are told that of the 10 beds that become available per week back home- only two will be earmarked for their return. This ratio is way off. Families have no financial support to visit their loved ones and a letter from the DHB to discuss options is too little, too late. I meet the DHB at 1pm today and intend to raise these concerns directly. This morning I will receive a tour from the Geotech team of some key rock fall areas in the Port Hills. I look forward to an update on the structural integrity of the area, and of the timetable for work and timeframes communities can expect.
LIANNE DALZIEL: I felt a certain sense of irony as I listened to the news this morning as the priorities of this government came into focus. It seems the National government are spending their time picking over legislation to give teachers and principals the power to search students, when in Christchurch the focus is on finding students! It is typical of this governments ‘business-as-usual’ approach. With many students absent from school since February’s quake the priority needs to be on returning students to school.
This cannot be another burden on the shoulders of schools; they do not have the resources. Government needs to step in here, help locate students and feed that information back to schools. I am pleased to say that I was able to facilitate Ministry of Education contact with Christchurch East schools. While each school may have half a dozen students unaccounted for the feeling is with a little help this can be easily resolved. Some for example have moved to Australia and as such are not appearing on New Zealand rolls This morning we had our weekly meeting with Civil Defence. One important development was around the sewerage system and treatment plant. My constituents have been asking two key questions which were answered today. Firstly, they want to know when they are going to be able to flush their toilet.
The answer was in the next six months there will have been testing across the system suburb by suburb. Once damaged is assessed the community will be notified. The second question was what would happen if the resident’s suburb was one of those that would potentially not be repaired? The answer was that no one will be left without access to a sewerage system. Some repairs would be temporary at first. This is fantastic news for my suburbs and at least provides some assurances for the process ahead.
BRENDON BURNS: There was a setback announced at the Civil Defence briefing this morning around the issuing of cordon passes which I mentioned last Friday. The logistics of supplying these detailed passes to thousands of residents and businesses are more complex than anticipated. The passes are now expected to be issued in a week or two
This will add to the frustration of many who are still facing daily challenges with access to the cordon. Driver licenses can be used meanwhile. The good news is cordons are shrinking and the delegation of inner city residents who last week raised concerns over the cordon around Barbadoes and Salisbury Streets have had their concerns met with the cordon eased by a couple of blocks. It was also pleasing to hear that 20 fire fighters are now working with engineers to start the process of confirming the safety of buildings in the central city. It is unacceptable that further help from willing firemen and women across the country is being quashed due to budgetary concerns.
The fire service is making real gains helping people to access their homes and businesses and to think the 20 helping could be 120 is enormously frustrating. I call on Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy to urgently consult with the Fire Service Commission, get involved and get this moving. Today I will visit the classic Christchurch institution the Dux de Lux This old pub is the life force of the central city and it has been told by the Arts Centre Trust that it is not able to resume business. This is a questionable decision which does not seem to weigh the sentimental and cultural significance of this boutique bar as well as the jobs that may be saved I look forward to the meeting and updating constituents on progress.
ENDS
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