Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 67
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jun 29 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 67
Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 11:09 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
29 June 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 67
The Labour Party’s Christchurch electorate MPs, Earthquake Recovery spokesperson 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 dominant impression from last night’s meeting of Kairaki Beach residents is that there are far more questions than answers. The meeting --- the only one CERA has so far scheduled for Waimakariri --- was packed as a Government-contracted engineer tried to explain why Kairaki Beach had moved from a situation of confirmed rebuild and repair to one where it was now red zoned. Kairaki Beach is different to many other parts of Canterbury. Some suburbs have reluctantly accepted that red zoning was inevitable, but most Kairaki Beach residents don’t want to move. The feeling after last night’s meeting was that residents were not convinced by the engineering presentation. At one point engineers explained that the decision to red zone an area was based on a whole lot of criteria (including the time needed to rebuild and the level of disruption to residents) before considering cost. Many residents considered that a telling comment. CERA could not answer most questions raised last night. To be fair to CERA boss Roger Sutton, he has only been in the job two weeks, but it seems the Government and CERA have not put anything like the detail people actually need around last week’s land and compensation announcements. One big issue raised was whether the Government would make people leave red-zoned land if they had not come to an agreement to leave. Mr Sutton said no decision had been made yet, but residents maintained Gerry Brownlee had said last week that they would have to go. This was confirmed by a member of the media. There was also much concern about valuations, chattels and where people could go. The Kaiapoi Community Board expressed some anger that Kairaki Beach people had been kept in the dark, and that there was only one Waimakariri person on Gerry Brownlee’s Community Forum. Mr Sutton acknowledged that communication with Waimakariri people had left a lot to be desired, and committed to openness, transparency and high-quality communication under his watch. That will be a breath of fresh air. The overall feeling after the meeting, however, is that the Government and CERA have not yet filled in detail for residents around decisions that have been made, and many decisions have still to be made. How can residents feel certain about the future if they don’t get factual information? The detail is simply lacking. Roger Sutton confirmed last night that communities have no right to appeal against their zoning, but he agreed to provide Kairaki Beach people with their geotech data so that the community’s geotech people could peer review it. I am writing to Mr Brownlee asking him and Mr Sutton to meet me and Kairaki representatives to explore options that may allow people to stay when the review is done.
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RUTH DYSON: A new and unannounced ruling by EQC has caused major concerns in my electorate, with builders being told that the repair work they were due to start this week is now to stop. Other work booked to start soon has also been cancelled. For builders and homeowners alike, this has caused huge distress, with no guidance or advice forthcoming. On hearing about this I contacted Gerry Brownlee's office who said it was news to him too. I heard back from EQC late yesterday, but am still waiting for clear policy in regard to what work can continue and what has to wait. This lack of communication about an issue that has a huge impact on the builders' work programmes and the homeowner’s ability to get on with their lives is just appalling. I have been reminding people that the rates rebate for the 2010/2011 year closes tomorrow. As I suspected, many people have just overlooked this, given the months that they have had, and have been very grateful for being reminded of this rebate! I went to a well-attended and lively Sumner Business Association meeting last night where there were many great ideas to market and promote the cafes, restaurants and fantastic retail stores which are open and attractive. Watch this space for more action, but I have no doubt Sumner is alive and well and a top place to visit, relax and shop.
LIANNE DALZIEL: I attended the two meetings in Brooklands last night. There are many concerns about the nature of land damage out there and the high number of properties placed in the Orange Zone. Some houses are in the Red Zone, so this has created a time of great uncertainty for an area that has been ‘on hold’ for 10 months, having suffered the most damage in the September 4 earthquake. The criteria for the Red Zone were explained by an engineer: land has suffered significant and extensive damage; most buildings are uneconomic to repair; there is a high risk of further damage to land and buildings from low levels of shaking (e.g. after-shocks), flooding or spring-tides; infrastructure needs to be completely rebuilt and land repair solutions would be difficult to implement, prolonged and disruptive for landowners. In Brooklands land had settled by about half a metre, which raises issues around the strength of the land to withstand after-shocks, due to the reduction in the crust, and increased exposure to flood risk. I have been seeking official information from the city council about its work on what was Variation 48 (now Plan Change 48) but it is has not yet given me a response. This has been a significant issue for Brooklands for some time and clear answers are due. I will be speaking at the Bexley Residents’ Association AGM tonight (7pm, Roy Stokes Hall) as a member of the association and as the local MP. This will be a good opportunity to explore the issues with my neighbours.
BRENDON BURNS: Christchurch's insurance woes are reigniting the threat of city council asset sales, with the council and Waimakariri District Council still seeking insurance for critical above-ground and underground assets worth about $4.7 billion. Government assurances that any damage to uninsured infrastructure from future large earthquakes will be fixed at the expense of ratepayers and taxpayers raises the spectre of possible sales of council-owned companies such as Orion New Zealand, Red Bus and City Care. I am worried pressure may be brought to bear on the council to start looking at its asset base, though it is the only council in the country that resisted such short-term outcomes in the 1990s. Last month I highlighted a legal loophole in the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act that left the door open for possible sales of ratepayers' stakes in Christchurch City Holdings Ltd's assets to help pay for the estimated $20b CBD rebuild. Dividends worth hundreds of millions of dollars from six trading companies have kept the city's rates at least 15 per cent lower than they would otherwise have been. The insurance issue is extremely concerning, particularly as Bill English had given no details of how payment might be divided to carry out repair work. The Press reported today that his office would not answer questions on the possible split for future damage, on whether Treasury had made recommendations, or if the council would be encouraged to sell assets to cover uninsured infrastructure. On a far brighter note, I am delighted at today’s Press story where Whitcoulls Building owner Nick Hunt says he will reconsider his replacement design. He says he was upset by my criticism that the design --- to replace an Edwardian gem --- was unsympathetic and uninspired. Of course we can’t rebuild everything to mirror the past, but I think it is great news that Mr Hunt is now canvassing ideas for a different frontage and for fine-tuning the overall design.
ENDS
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