Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 46
new-zealand-labour-party
Mon May 23 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 46
Monday, 23 May 2011, 2:11 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
23 May 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 46
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: My Labour colleagues and I welcome the Budget allocation of $5.5 billion over the next six years to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Fund, announced last week. Coupled with Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee’s wartime powers there is now no excuse for delays. He has everything he needs to ensure the recovery is accelerated, with his own government department and a bucket load of cash to get the job done. The interesting factor will be the imminent end to the business support package on May 31. I was interested to see John Key’s comments in the Press today about Labour painting an ‘Armageddon picture’ – We will see exactly what kind of picture has been painted by his government when the business support package comes to an end. As yet I see no evidence of a replacement package to keep businesses and jobs afloat. Businesses rely on certainty not volatility and they are making critical decisions about their future in the dark. No one is wishing unemployment on anyone, but a number of organisations including the CTU and Massey University’s Centre for Small and Medium Enterprise, have warned that without a cohesive succession plan up to 40 per cent of small companies could fold. On this advice I asked Social Development Minister Paula Bennett to ask her Department what could be done—but she didn’t have any answers.
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RUTH DYSON: Midnight tonight signals the final deadline for EQC claims. I am extremely concerned that people are going to miss out and I am really disheartened by the situation. I spoke to one woman last week who hadn’t lodged her claim because her assessment hadn’t been done. I assured her that a claim, even a vague claim specifying ‘some damage’ or ‘significant damage’ without an assessment was better than nothing. Legally EQC is bound not to accept any claims after the deadline and people will miss out On Sunday I attended the Deaf Society AGM. The deaf community have been overjoyed with the amount of sign language used at community meetings and in the media since the quake. However they did report one significant problem. A number of call centre staff working for insurance companies, the EQC and the Council don’t know how to use the phone interpretation service. This is a service where a third person facilitates a conversation for a deaf caller. One woman I spoke to had been hung up on three times showing lapse in understanding. I will contact the Insurance Council, the CEO of the City Council and CERA to ensure that call centres are up to speed. It is crucial that the deaf community are able to contact these agencies quickly and easily. I am pleased that the pace of community meetings is not losing momentum, rock fall issues in my Port Hills electorate are easing with people who remain out of their homes getting some good information about the process and what it means for them. I am attending a meeting in Heathcote tonight to discuss flooding. A lot of springs seem to have popped up residentially since February’s quake and are doing significant damage to homes and properties. I look forward to being updated on the situation and working towards solutions. Lastly, my colleague Brendon Burns and I participated in the Telethon on Sunday. Māori Television again proved just how much they are worth, they provide a truly invaluable service to New Zealanders and I want to applaud their Christchurch based team in particular. It was a wonderful event and everyone involved deserves our heartfelt thanks.
LIANNE DALZIEL: TEDxEQChCh (http://tedxchch.com/ ) was even better than it promised to be. I was inspired by speakers who in their own way encouraged us to develop a shared vision of what our city might be – Sacha McMeeking from Ngai Tahu (who managed to get the 700 people in the auditorium to stand and hug their neighbours as a symbol of what happened after the earthquake) challenged us to think beyond recovery to transformational change. Her underlying message was that you shouldn’t have to leave your community to live in a better community. She spoke of what kaupapa Maori had to offer – the hui being the basis of participatory democracy, which speaks of consensus building within, across and to – not top down. James Lunday told us to stop thinking of ourselves as commuters and consumers – he exhorted us to communities and citizens. Cameron Sinclair, from Architecture for Humanity, was truly inspiring with the mantra – “Follow your Heart, Break the Rules and Get it Built”. We had some video presentations from other TED events and presentations on what to do with the gaps while the planning is occurring – Gap Filler and Greening the Rubble were two of these. Sustainability was one of the enduring themes of the day as was the critical role of engagement with people – ‘grassroots groups are needed at the table when the decisions are being made’. I loved Grant Schofield, who reminded my generation that we had a ‘free range’ childhood. He said that risk and adventure are essential for health and development and yet we now have a “bubble-wrap” generation. We need to rebuild the city with future generations in mind. The day was wrapped up by Art Agnew, who ensured a standing ovation by getting us to our feet to pledge to an oath of citizenship to Christchurch. But the ovation was deserved. The most powerful message of the day was his and I wish there had been more politicians there to hear it. He talked about the capital that is invested by a business man or woman in order to develop a successful enterprise, and then he talked about the capital that a politician has to invest in the city or the community’s agenda. The politician’s capital is his or her popularity. He said no matter how long you serve, your time as a politician comes to an end (his did two years after he made a decision wanted by the community but opposed by business) but what sticks to you is the knowledge that you used that opportunity to do something lasting. He can be proud of the legacy he left San Francisco and he left us inspired to create a legacy for Christchurch armed with the knowledge of what can be done and very much committed to the principles of sustainability and citizenship.
BRENDON BURNS: It was fantastic to go along and support Rise Up Christchurch yesterday. I spent a bit of time in the CBS Arena and congratulated Brooke Howard-Smith on his wonderful initiative. He suggested the best use of my time might be on the phones so I joined Ralph Chivas and the Telecom crew at call centre. The very patient Aggie showed me the ropes and over two shifts a total of $1700 in donations and pledges was amassed. People were calling in from every part of NZ – from pensioners living north of Auckland donating $10 to a farming couple near Oamaru who pledged $100 each. The chair I inherited had previously been occupied by the woman who took what later turned out to be a bogus $700,000 pledge. What sort of person gets their thrills by making fake contributions to the cause of rebuilding Christchurch? Luckily this isolated incident was overwhelmed by the enormous amount of generosity and support shown by so many people.
ends
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