Portfolio: Earthquake Recovery

Recycling of earthquake waste to be maximised

francistill — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

The Government is working with councils and industry to maximise the recycling of the estimated 4.5 million tonnes of demolition and liquefaction waste from the Canterbury earthquakes, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Environment Minister Nick Smith announced today. ...

CERA powers unlock Kaiapoi development

Massi — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:27:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

The Government has used the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act to approve changes to the Waimakariri District Plan, freeing up 550 sections at the Silverstream Estates development in west Kaiapoi. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the plan change lifts the conditional approval status placed on the land by Waimakariri District Council commissioners in September, which required adjacent land to be developed before Silverstream could proceed. The change enables sections to go on sale almost immediately. ...

Canterbury records country’s strongest growth

francistill — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the latest National Bank Regional Trends data showing Canterbury’s economy grew 1.8 per cent in the September quarter, following 2.6 per cent growth in the June quarter. “Growth statistics for Canterbury in the last two quarters is clear evidence of recovery activity and is a testament to the resilience and commitment of Cantabrians,” Mr Brownlee said. ...

Further 758 Christchurch properties rezoned

francistill — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today announced the rezoning of a further 758 orange zoned properties in greater Christchurch, which means over 90 per cent of the residential orange zone has been rezoned since June. "While some people have waited a long time, and a few are still waiting, this is progress," Mr Brownlee said. Of the 758 residential properties, 341 properties have been zoned green, and 417 properties have been zoned red. Land on the 341 properties zoned green can be repaired individually. ...

8300 non-residential properties zoned green

francistill — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:54:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today announced the green zoning of 8300 non-residential properties across greater Christchurch which were previously in the un-mapped white zone. The 8300 properties are a mixture of commercial and industrial properties, Ministry of Education and District Health Board land, parks and reserves, other community facilities such as halls, churches and child care facilities, and undeveloped private land. ...

Health and safety funding for safe Canterbury rebuild

francistill — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:35:00 +0000

Kate Wilkinson | Earthquake Recovery

Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson today announced funding of $300,000 for a range of health and safety initiatives to assist with the safe rebuild of Canterbury. The funding is for the 2011/12 year and comes from the Employment Relations Education (ERE) Contestable Fund. "The Government is committed to rebuilding Canterbury and ensuring that the transformation is achieved safely. There has been and we will continue to see a large influx of contractors working in Canterbury,” Ms Wilkinson says. ...

Workshops to prepare prisoners for Chch rebuild

francistill — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:15:00 +0000

Judith Collins | Earthquake Recovery

A new trade training complex at Christchurch Men’s Prison will prepare prisoners to help in the rebuilding of Christchurch, Corrections Minister Judith Collins said today. The three workshops will provide training in plumbing, roofing and drainlaying, painting and decorating, and automotive engineering to around 130 extra prisoners annually. Ms Collins, who officially opened the workshops this morning, says prisoners will be prioritised for training based on their upcoming release date and their willingness to help in Christchurch. ...

Canterbury trade hits two year high

francistill — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:03:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says new official data shows the region’s economy continues to improve strongly, with trade through Canterbury’s ports and airport hitting a two-year high of $950 million in September. “The recovery is well under way,” Mr Brownlee said. “This is the sixth monthly release of this data set and consolidates a number of positive trends over the period.” The latest Ministry of Economic Development economic indicators show steady growth being driven by trade and manufacturing. ...

New 17,000-seat temporary stadium for Canterbury

francistill — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:27:00 +0000

John Key | Earthquake Recovery

A new temporary stadium with seating for 17,000 will be built in Christchurch for major sporting and cultural events. "The new temporary stadium will allow Cantabrians to experience the excitement of Crusaders and Canterbury ITM Cup home games again as well as Phoenix football matches, rugby league games, other major sporting events, concerts and festival events," says Mr Key. "I'm thrilled the New Zealand Rugby Union has also announced today our world champion All Blacks will play a test match against Ireland at the new venue in June next year. ...

Minister welcomes new stadium for Canterbury

francistill — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed today's announcement that a new temporary stadium will be built in Christchurch in time for next year's Super Rugby season. "I'm absolutely delighted the Government has been able to pull together this deal to fund building the new temporary stadium in Christchurch," Mr Brownlee says. "This means Cantabrians don't have to miss out on major sporting and music events for another year and will have many great occasions to look forward to," he says. ...

6430 orange zone properties turned green

francistill — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:40:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Nearly 80 per cent of the remaining 8096 properties in the residential orange zone in Canterbury have been rezoned to green, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today. "This confirms that a further 6430 residential properties can be either built on as is or built on with individual remediation to damaged parts of their land. "Property owners will now need to work with EQC to repair their land, if required, and with their insurer or EQC to repair and rebuild their homes," Mr Brownlee said. ...

New foundation design categories for Canterbury

francistill — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:38:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Three new categories for residential foundation design have been developed and will be required for repairing and rebuilding homes in Canterbury following the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, it was announced today. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said the foundation designs apply to the flat land in the residential green zone in Canterbury, which has now been divided by engineering experts into three new technical categories (TC1, TC2 and TC3). ...

Changes to speed up urban planning in ChCh

Massi — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:02:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

The Government has made changes to the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement to provide certainty to enable local authorities and developers to make land available for post earthquake residential development, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today. "The region’s planning framework has to accommodate the extraordinary set of circumstances we face in Canterbury following the series of earthquakes over the last 13 months," Mr Brownlee said. ...

Economic recovery continues in Canterbury

Massi — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the latest release of official data showing Canterbury’s economy is making steady positive progress. Today’s release is the fifth since the data sets were first released by the Ministry for Economic Development in June, and shows a number of clear trends. Mr Brownlee said Canterbury had been amazingly resilient over recent months, with businesspeople and employees making small but significant changes in their daily lives. ...

Nearly 5500 more properties zoned green

Massi — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

All Banks Peninsula, except for 20 properties in the Church Bay and eastern Diamond Harbour area, have been rezoned from white to green, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today. "This means these homeowners can now get on with the process of repairing or rebuilding their homes if they were damaged by the earthquakes," Mr Brownlee said. ...

Royal Commission interim report welcomed

Massi — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Earthquake Recovery

Recommendations in the interim report from the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission of Inquiry will support and assist the rebuild of Christchurch, Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says. Mr Williamson welcomed the report, which was released today. Recommendations in the report cover such matters as soil analysis and appropriate foundation design, changes to some structural design standards and construction practices, and use of new building technologies. ...

Royal Commission of Inquiry’s interim report released

Massi — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:17:00 +0000

Christopher Finlayson | Earthquake Recovery

The interim report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Building Failure caused by Canterbury Earthquakes has been released today by the Attorney-General, Christopher Finlayson. Under its terms of reference, the Royal Commission of Inquiry was required to make an interim report report by 11 October, in advance of its findings in April 2012. The interim report was presented by the Royal Commission of Inquiry to the Governor-General on Monday. ...

Dunne: two Canterbury quake tax provisions extended

Massi — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 01:07:00 +0000

Peter Dunne | Earthquake Recovery

The Government has recognised the need for ongoing support of earthquake-ravaged Cantabrians and extended two temporary measures introduced after the September 2010 earthquake for a further year, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne announced today. Interest on late payments Inland Revenue has the discretion to remit interest on late payments where people were unable to meet their obligations because of the earthquake extended. ...

Orange zone decisions are top priority

Massi — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:59:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today convened meetings in the residential orange zone with geotechnical engineers and officials in order to get clarity around the myriad of complexities that need to be sorted before rezoning can occur. Mr Brownlee said he understood the growing frustration of those in residential orange zones, but despite a huge effort to date by hundreds of engineers and officials to find workable solutions the rezoning decisions were proving extremely complex. ...

EQC levies rise to realistically reflect costs

francistill — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:47:00 +0000

Bill English | Earthquake Recovery

Earthquake Commission (EQC) levies will rise early next year to help rebuild the commission's Natural Disaster Fund (NDF) and to more realistically reflect EQC's operating costs, Finance Minister Bill English says. "The Government is committed to rebuilding Christchurch and supporting the people of Canterbury," Mr English says. "The levy increase is a responsible step to ensure EQC can meet its long-term costs and continue to provide disaster cover around the rest of New Zealand in a sustainable way. ...

Changes proposed to RMA following earthquake report

francistill — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:20:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

A report into approvals of subdivisions in Christchurch and Kaiapoi badly affected by Canterbury's earthquakes has resulted in the Government proposing changes to the Resource Management Act to better manage the risk of natural hazards. ...

Exemption will deliver over 1000 more sections

francistill — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:45:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

The Government has moved to open up more land for residential development in Kaiapoi following the announcements in June and August that around 1000 properties in the Waimakariri District had been zoned red because of severe earthquake damage. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee is using his powers under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act to address the impact of noise contours around Christchurch International Airport that could prevent new residential development in parts of Kaiapoi. ...

New scholarships for Christchurch students

Massi — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:37:00 +0000

Anne Tolley | Earthquake Recovery

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced $1 million of funding for new scholarship awards for Year 13 Christchurch students whose plans for tertiary study may have been affected by the recent earthquakes. The Canterbury Earthquake Scholarships will provide $2,000 each year for three years of study for 160 students. “This additional financial support will help students take on tertiary study after what has been a traumatic time,” says Mrs Tolley. ...

Consultation on the future of education in Canterbury

francistill — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:18:00 +0000

Anne Tolley | Earthquake Recovery

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced that communities and the education sector in Canterbury are to have the opportunity to take part in consultation on the future of education in the area following the recent earthquakes. The feedback received will contribute to a draft Education Renewal Plan for greater Christchurch. “Our challenge is to develop a bold and creative plan for the future of the education network,” says Mrs Tolley. ...

Minister welcomes report into Christchurch buildings

francistill — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:39:00 +0000

Maurice Williamson | Earthquake Recovery

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed today's release of a Department of Building and Housing technical investigation into the performance of three buildings in Christchurch. The report released today covers the Pyne Gould Corporation, Forsyth Barr and Hotel Grand Chancellor buildings. However, the technical investigation into the fourth and final building - the Canterbury Television (CTV) building is far more complex and will be part of a second report, which will not be completed until the end of this year or early 2012. ...

Final alliance agreement signed in Christchurch

francistill — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:59:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the signing today of a final agreement between the alliance of parties that will manage the $2 billion rebuild of Christchurch’s badly damaged infrastructure. The alliance will be responsible for repairing and rebuilding the earthquake damaged ground level and below ground infrastructure, including roads, water, wastewater and stormwater. ...

Govt provides funding certainty for Canterbury tertiary institutions

francistill — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:36:00 +0000

Steven Joyce | Earthquake Recovery

The government has moved to give Canterbury’s tertiary institutions greater financial certainty as they work to recover from the effects of the September and February earthquakes. Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce says the government’s 2012 funding commitments, which were made prior to the September 4 2010 earthquake, will be met despite an expected decrease in enrolments. ...

Resourcing for Christchurch schools

Massi — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:40:00 +0000

Anne Tolley | Earthquake Recovery

Education Minister Anne Tolley says that the movement of students away from Christchurch and within the city since the February earthquake will result in a redistribution of resources for schools. 3500 students from Christchurch remain enrolled in schools outside the city, while over 1500 students have moved to different schools within Christchurch. ...

Interim process for rebuilding in white zone areas

francistill — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:06:00 +0000

Gerry Brownlee | Earthquake Recovery

An interim process to enable some white zone commercial property owners in Canterbury to begin the repair or rebuilding process has been developed, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today. "When the Government announced the definitions of the four zones of land in June, the white zone was defined as unmapped and included all commercially zoned property as well as schools and community facilities. ...

Shirley Boys’ High School returns to original site

Massi — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:25:00 +0000

Anne Tolley | Earthquake Recovery

Education Minister Anne Tolley has welcomed the return of Shirley Boys’ High School to its original site in Christchurch, after 26 weeks of site-sharing following the February earthquake. From tomorrow, 1300 Shirley Boys’ High students will be able to return to their home site, which suffered significant damage and liquefaction. The Government has invested $2 million in repairing the site, making five damaged blocks safe and bringing in eight relocatable classrooms to replace the administration block and library which remain unusable. ...