Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 111

new-zealand-labour-party

Wed Sep 14 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 111

Wednesday, 14 September 2011, 10:23 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

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: I am going along to the Kaiapoi Residents Association meeting tonight. I am told it will be an open session where residents can raise any outstanding concerns. One that is all too familiar is the on-going situation faced by red zoned residents who are still being denied information about their land. Their concerns are similar to those who participated in the weekends protest out East. There are some residents who have little or no damage to their properties, including their land and are demanding justifications. Many face the reality of leaving a pristine home, losing money, and downgrading their families to a smaller home. They have a right to know what the justification for this and if the technical information is correct. Gerry Brownlee continues to stonewall the issue and refuses to release information to individuals until after the election. This will be well into the time when residents will need to be making decisions, and on incomplete information.

RUTH DYSON: The white zone challenges have been reduced for some, with an interim building consent process being announced by Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee. This applies mainly to non-residential properties, and residential and non-residential properties within the Banks Peninsula white zone. I am not sure what Mr Brownlee's definition of 'Banks Peninsula' is but I will find out! Landowners will still be asked to provide a full geotechnical report which is going to be an expensive and time consuming exercise. I hope that, given the huge amount of Geotech work and land mapping that has gone on, we might be able to develop a more efficient process than this going forward. The statement also said that the process will be reviewed after any quake over magnitude 5.5. It's good to have a clear process mapped out for people even if the area it covers isn't clear. I was very sad to hear that over 100 of our elderly have died away from their homes following their evacuation from destroyed rest homes. There was no option but to move them, but I wish they had been given a higher priority for beds to return home to, as they became available. There are still 67 more to come home so I hope this return can happen soon.

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BRENDON BURNS: Further delays for orange zoned residents in Brooklands and other areas which were due to know their fate by know are causing wider anxiety. People in orange zoned areas in my electorate such as Avonside and Richmond are looking at how Brooklands residents have had three delays and now are being told that next month they will get 'an updated timeframe'. Some of my constituents are already being told they won't know their fate until Christmas time. They are worried this may now stretch into the New Year. An update from CERA is needed to give them some assurance, such as it can provide. Good to see Shirley Boys High students back on their home site. Papanui High School made them feel very welcome but it was disruptive. Shirley Boys has been patched up for a two year stint while further land assessments take place. Principal John Laurenson is making very clear his view that whatever happens, the school's single sex status and character must be preserved within the eastern suburbs even though he's keen to encourage the sharing of facilities if a move is required. Shirley Boys is the biggest single sex school in the South Island. A similar determination has been agreed to at Avonside Girls, which doesn't go back on site until next year.

LIANNE DALZIEL: A breakthrough has been achieved over the Temporary Accommodation Assistance for the red zoned property owners. The original advice that came out from the government would have had the Temporary Accommodation Assistance end once a deposit had been paid towards the settlement of the property under Options 1 or 2. The Exclusion from Temporary Accommodation Assistance used to read "have not yet received part or full settlement from the Government or settlement from your insurance company". We raised it at the Cross Party Forum at the beginning of August and last night we were informed that it is fixed. The Minister of Social Development has amended the policy. The original policy wasn't fair as it would have meant someone rebuilding on their same site has coverage under the TAA until the scheme expires or the house is built whichever comes first - but someone building elsewhere because they are in the red zone, could not if they had taken a deposit. This is a good result. But it does raise an issue about having all these different ministers and their departments doing their own thing making it hard to pin down who is in charge on a given issue.

Authorised by Clayton Cosgrove, Parliament Buildings Wellington.

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