Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 23
new-zealand-labour-party
Mon Apr 11 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 23
Monday, 11 April 2011, 11:14 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
11 April 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 23
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: We expect the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) legislation to come into Parliament this week. Labour MPs have written to government ministers frequently outlining our views --- and, more importantly, the views of our constituents --- on a number of issues that will be covered by the legislation. Working on the ground and talking to Canterbury people, businesses and community organisations, as all four of us have been since the quake on 22 February, we will speak out on aspects of the legislation if we don’t agree with it, or don’t think it will work. Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee should already be well aware of specific reservations we have on what has been announced so far. As the legislation moves through the House I am sure we will be putting up changes and amendments. The bottom line is that we should all want legislation that is focused on effective outcomes. We want something that works for Canterbury. There should be full and frank debate in Parliament, but everyone needs to keep Canterbury’s interests at heart. This is not about politics --- it is about a recovery process that does the best possible job for Cantabrians. I remain concerned about the level of the Government’s commitment to get emergency housing in place. The Department of Building and Housing says it is looking to accept a tender in two to three weeks. That will be the end of April. But how long will it take the successful tenderer to get all the logistics together after that, and how long after that will it take to get a significant number of houses ready? We could be deep into winter before there is any meaningful relief. There are now some slightly more encouraging noises being made that suggests our concerns about home heating, particularly for the elderly, are being taken on board, but we want outcomes, not platitudes. The speed with which it is getting colder at night means we need those outcomes quickly.
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RUTH DYSON: I am doing a lot of work on the CERA Bill in order to include a few amendments. A lot of ground can be gained for Cantabrians if Gerry Brownlee is serious about a bi-partisan approach. For my colleagues and I it is critical to get the best outcome for the people of Christchurch. Over the weekend I went to the Buddhist community’s celebration of Buddha’s birthday. It was a really impressive event and I learnt about the incredible generosity of their community. After the quake they donated $100,000 to the Red Cross and on Saturday donated an additional $30,000; an enormous feat. On top of this generosity in the two weeks following the quake the Buddhist Association turned their own centre into a public space offering 3,500 hot meals to the community. It is this kind of under-the-radar activity that inspires and spurs people forward when times are tough. Over the weekend I also went to a Sydenham ECE fundraiser and the Great Sumner Picnic which both had a really good turnout and boosted community spirits. Tonight there are two important community meetings on, the first for the Lyttelton community held at the Lyttelton Recreation Centre, 25 Winchester Street, from 7:30pm, and the other for the Mt Pleasant Community will be hosted in Red Cliffs due to the closure of the Mt Pleasant Community Centre. Come along to the Red Cliffs Bowling Club, 9 James St, from 7pm.
LIANNE DALZIEL: Over 300 residents turned up to a community barbecue organised by the Avondale Residents Association yesterday afternoon. I spoke about the major concerns they had about the land. I said I was in the same position as them because I lived in Bexley. I knew the engineers and trusted them to prepare a reliable report for the government to consider as quickly as they possibly could. I had been asked why it was going to take so long (mid to late May) given engineers had done all this work after the first earthquake. The fact is, the land damage has been over five times worse than the first time and the land had dropped significantly (in some parts over a metre) – my own house has sunk 205mm over 8m. Engineers have to undertake new measurements and collect all the data from a range of sources (e.g. Land Information New Zealand and scientists at Canterbury University). The LiDAR – light detection & ranging survey – measures the height of the land from the air, but had to wait until the silt was removed to get accurate heights. All the badly damaged suburbs in my electorate were areas with flood risk, which needs to be managed. This report will provide information about what happened to the land and will provide options for government. The cost of remediating the land (and mitigating flood risk) will enter the equation, but so will the cost of relocating people. Communities need to be fully engaged. If we are going to rebuild in these areas people need to know that they have an insurable property – my understanding is that if the council issues a normal building permit, the building is built to code and flood risk is mitigated, then insurers will insure the repaired and rebuilt properties. This is information the Government should be communicating, but are failing yet again to do so.
BRENDON BURNS: With the CERA Bill, it is essential that we get the framework right My key focus is ensuring communities are truly heard; not just ‘consulted’ in the usual post-decision fashion, but allowed a real say in shaping their own future. Temporary housing remains in the spotlight today. While much of the media focus has been on campervans, portacoms--- portable cabin-like buildings--- are going to be the major option. People may be able, where feasible; to rent and site a portacom on their sections, alongside damaged homes. This option is the best in terms of minimising dislocation for children at school and maximises the security of a property. It won’t always work (disrupted services/small sections) so 3-5 sites across eastern suburbs are being worked through with the council/others for portacom villages, with communal facilities. The Department of Building and Housing would not name the sites at this point. Over the weekend I had some really poignant conversations about the importance of community facilities in our daily lives. One older woman said to me she'd gone to bed feeling really down on Friday night but looking forward to the Palms Saturday market had bucked her up. She was absolutely right. As a community, we need social interaction, whether it is a walk to the mall, a drink at the Dux de Lux or a look at the local shops. It is often our social calendar that lifts our spirits. I hear two more such Saturdays are planned by The Palms. People in Christchurch are still in a state of limbo. My colleague Lianne Dalziel and I will begin a fresh round of meetings to update people. We are holding a public meeting tonight from 7-9pm at St Albans Baptist Church, 64 McFaddens Rd. If you have questions you want addressed please email brendon@christchurchcentral.org.nz or call the office on 377 8840. We hope to have some speakers who will, with ourselves, be able to give the latest information or state of play on issues such as community recovery, land remediation and the repair/rebuild of homes.
ENDS
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