Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 52
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jun 01 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 52
Wednesday, 1 June 2011, 11:48 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
1 June 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 52
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: The announcement that famous Canterbury bus-maker Designline has been placed in liquidation is another blow for Canterbury people who are already becoming increasingly worried about employment opportunities in the region following the disclosure yesterday that the Government business recovery package has been abruptly brought to an end. Designline’s problems are not related to the quake, but understandably Canterbury people are jittery about the future, and an event like this liquidation provides no comfort. I will be spending some time today with Martin Keen, who is nearing the end of his 80-hour stint on his exer-cycle to raise funds for the Christchurch Red Cross. All I can offer him is support and, of course, my admiration! He’s a great inspiration to all of us. The Waimakariri District Council held the first of its three public zone meetings yesterday, with the other two today and tomorrow. People still have real concerns about liquefaction where their houses and foundations are okay, but there may be liquefaction underneath the foundations. The council, which continues to do a magnificent job in the wake of the quakes, is telling people they should not sign off on insurance claims under any sort of pressure. Even if the recovery is slowed because claims aren’t signed off promptly, it is certainly best all round if people are sure in their own minds that they are doing the right thing. There is an open day in Kaiapoi this weekend to show off one of the 22 emergency homes that are being constructed by the council on Kaiapoi Domain. This is another example of the outstanding progress the council is making.
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RUTH DYSON: Yesterday I attended the launch of the Canterbury Tertiary College Trades Academy at CPIT. It was great to listen to the students buzzing about the training they are involved in, especially those who were a bit lost in the school system and now have found a clear path forward. It is important that students are supported and encouraged to explore vocational opportunities which might be better suited to them than traditional subjects. We certainly need skilled workers here in Christchurch and my colleagues and I cannot emphasise enough how important trades training is for our youth. It is a shame that the Government has taken nine months to get this scheme up and running in Christchurch. Students face a steep learning curve ahead in trying times, but I am confident they will rise to the challenge. Last night I met with a group of very frustrated Lyttelton residents who have been forced out of their homes because of rockfall risk. The geotech teams have made recommendations to the Council about fixing the rockfall issues but the process seems to have stalled at that point. These families have structurally sound, undamaged houses that would be fine to live in if it were not for the risk of rockfall. This is an issue that should have been resolved. These people really want to see the remedial work being done so they can get back home. I am taking this matter up directly with John Ombler to get resolution. Today is the next stage in the preparation of the Lyttelton recovery plan, with meetings all day, firstly with Councillors, Community Board members and me as the Member of Parliament, then with property owners, then business representatives, rounding off with a public meeting tonight and tomorrow. Lyttelton has already had a lot of discussions led by the Community board, and today will build on that.
LIANNE DALZIEL: The beginning of June marks another period of uncertainty for the eastern suburbs. The first newsletter issued by the government when CERA was established was placed in every letterbox on 11 April with endorsements from Gerry Brownlee and Bob Parker and said this: “The government hopes to be able to give an initial indication about the state of the land and identify options for the worst affected suburbs by late May 2011. We need to take this time because we don’t want to make uninformed decisions. We need to base our decisions on the best scientific and engineering advice available, so that as Canterbury moves forward, residents can be assured that every effort is being made to make the best possible decisions.” We all understood that this was expressed as a ‘hope’ rather than a commitment, but for the Minister to be unavailable for comment about the expected timeframe at the end of May is unacceptable. I have repeatedly told the government since September last year that how they communicate with the people who live in the affected suburbs is vitally important. I have been calling on the government to let people know what they know now, so that they understand the enormity of the task the government has in making what we all realise will be a series of hard calls. People are much more likely to trust the outcome if they trust the process. My understanding is that the technical reports about what has happened to the land in particular areas will inform the recommendations that the experts will make around remediation options. Coupled with this will be the costings which may tip the decision one way or the other. I am calling for total transparency. It is hard to think about the future without knowing the answer to the future of our land. The government must provide us with the timelines people are seeking. We cannot have our lives placed on hold any longer.
BRENDON BURNS: I support tenants of Christchurch’s historic Arts Centre who have launched a legal challenge against their evictions from the site. The Arts Centre had a bustling market, arts and crafts and other tenants peppered inside the buildings, some good cafes and restaurants. After the February 22 quake, most tenants had their leases terminated rather than suspended. Many read about their termination in the Press. While there is huge work to be done on the Arts Centre site, most tenants want to option of returning. Their fear is that the Arts Centre board will end the arts/craft feel of the site and look for accommodation options. I particularly support the case for the iconic Dux de Lux to be given a chance to reopen. Owner Richard Sinke has an engineering report which says the damage is reparable and much of the site can be reopened quickly. He’s prepared to spend $500,000 to do this. Like the reopening of the Christchurch Casino last week, getting the Dux open, if this is at all possible, is important for the psyche of our city. We need more can-do from the Arts Centre Board please. The Press today reports my comments on the right of people to know about forecasts that a major aftershock is still highly possible in Canterbury. I acknowledge the right of the media or a city councillor to make such information public; the point is, such forecasts need to be communicated in a way which provides detail and reassurance from seismologists and others. That’s the job of the Government, which has a whole army of PR people to coordinate such sensitive communications. People I am talking to today are saying they’ve been left unnerved by yesterday’s front page story and earlier blog. This is the second time there’s been poor communication on these issues. I cannot recall any communication prior to the February 22 quake giving a warning that a major quake was seen as highly possible. Most people felt we’d been through the predicted major aftershock on Boxing Day. If there are quake forecasts, let these be communicated directly so we can have all the information and appropriate steps we might follow.
ENDS
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