Govt and Council must jointly support residents

new-zealand-labour-party

Wed May 15 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Govt and Council must jointly support residents

Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 3:19 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Lianne Dalziel
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Spokesperson
Earthquake Commission Spokesperson

15 May 2013

Govt and Council must jointly support residents

Renewed support for Christchurch’s Residential Advisory Service - which the government soft-launched a month ago - is a step forward, but is missing a crucial element, says Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.

“The service should include advocacy as well as technical advice and support. That means better collaboration with the local council and community.

“Information is all many people are seeking. But others are looking for someone to advocate for them.

“People need someone on their side and, in some cases, that means assistance to take their insurer to court. I suspect that this is what has deterred the government from expanding the service, especially now that it has been taken to court over the residential red zone decisions.

“It is particularly ironic that the government made today’s announcement from the red zone. Time’s up for those residents – this service won’t help them at all.

“For some reason the Government seems to have failed to get the council on board, meaning the council has sought a more community-oriented initiative.

“The best outcome would be to connect the two ideas – the RAS offering a triage, advice and mediation option, and the council-funded community initiative providing much needed advocacy in conjunction with existing legal services like community law support.

“That would be a win-win. The last thing people need is for the government and the council to be haggling over what’s best for them,” Lianne Dalziel said.

ENDS

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