T-Rex earthquake machine begins soil tests in Christchurch
Audio, Radio New Zealand
A truck that simulates earthquakes to test soil quality is being tried out in Christchurch today.
A truck that simulates earthquakes to test soil quality is being tried out in Christchurch today.
Andre Lovatt grew up in Christchurch and completed a masters degree in Civil Engineering at Canterbury before taking up a position in Singapore working on, among other things, the $6.7 billion Marina Bay Sands waterfront resort. After almost 10 years in Southeast Asia he has returned to his earthquake ravaged home to take on a project with a much smaller price tag. Andre is the new CEO of the Christchurch Arts Centre and his job is to oversee the $290 million dollar project that will, if it's successful, return the centre to its former glory by the end of 2019.
DAVID SHEARER to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Has the Government met the five criteria the Prime Minister laid out for proceeding with asset sales? Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Finance: Will New Zealanders have money taken from their bank accounts to fund a bank bailout under his proposed Open Bank Resolution scheme? TODD McCLAY to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on New Zealand's balance of payments? Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements regarding "Better, Sooner, More Convenient" health care; if not, why not? MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Police: What reports has she received from Police on the success of pre-charge warnings? PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Housing: Why did he tell the House that, even if the Auckland plan took effect in September, new subdivisions would not be available until 2016-17, when the advice he tabled from Roger Blakely of Auckland Council shows that if the unitary plan takes effect in September new land would be available two years earlier? ALFRED NGARO to the Minister for Social Development: How will the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill back people off welfare and into work? GRANT ROBERTSON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements on the actions and involvement of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Government Communications and Security Bureau in Operation Debut? SCOTT SIMPSON to the Minister of Health: What is the Government doing to extend access to free flu vaccines? METIRIA TUREI to the Minister for Social Development: Does she have an obligation, as Social Development Minister, to ensure all policy she is responsible for will be good for children and their families? Hon KATE WILKINSON to the Minister for Primary Industries: What announcement has he made on the drought in New Zealand? Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: Have allegations of fraud and corruption involving Canterbury earthquake recovery and rebuild contracts been raised with him as Minister; if so, what specific steps has he taken to address them?
The Earthquake Recovery Minister says he's instructed government agencies to prosecute any fraudulent activity during the Christchurch rebuild, to the full extent of the law.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister says he's instructed government agencies to prosecute any fraudulent activity during the Christchurch rebuild, to the full extent of the law.
The Insurance Council has shot down criticism the industry may be delaying earthquake claims for financial gain.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, says he is confident that Fletchers is vigilant about fraud and is doing what it can to prevent it in the Christchurch rebuild after accusations from New Zealand First.
The company that has the main contract for repairing houses in Christchurch, Fletcher Earthquake Recovery, is assuring taxpayers it's doing everything it can to avoid any fraudulent behaviour.
In a serious privacy breach - the addresses and earthquake claim details of almost ten thousand Canterbury people have been mistakenly emailed by Earthquake Commission to the wrong person.
The Earthquake Commission has admitted its privacy breach was almost 10 times worse than it had said, with the details of all 83-thousand clients in its Canterbury Home Repair programme being emailed out.
The man who received Earthquake Commission files detailing claims by 83,000 Christchurch people says he's appalled the slip-up has become a political football.
It now seems unlikely that engineers involved in the most serious building collapse of the Christchurch earthquake will face any external action, with the profession's administrators telling the Government there's nothing more they can do.
It is unlikely engineers involved in the most serious building collapse of the Christchurch earthquake will face any external action, with the profession's administrators telling the Government there's nothing more they can do.
The University of Canterbury's CEISMIC project is building a digital archive of earthquake-related information
The Earthquake Commission has been granted an interim injunction stopping a blogger sharing details from a leaked email with Canterbury home owners.
Earthquake engineers working on the rebuild of Christchurch have been told they are in the most painful part, two years on.
The president of the Structural Engineers' Society, John Hare, says since the Christchurch earthquakes, engineers have been too conservative in evaulations for fear of liability.
A forum's heard from older people in Christchurch saying they feel vulnerable, misled, and left out in the cold when it comes to earthquake repairs and payouts.
John Key farewells Parliament by remembering the funny and the proud moments of being Prime Minister, but also the heartbreak of the Christchurch earthquakes, the Pike River disaster and the deaths of troops in Afghanistan.
The Christchurch City Council has confirmed the demolition of the earthquake-damaged Lancaster Park sports stadium will begin this year. Lancaster Park Cricket club was one of the sports ground's first tenants when it was established in 1881. An act of parliament means the ground has to be used for sport and recreation. "We're certainly looking foward to being able to get back on the ground and for it to be turned back into green space," Ric Horsfall from the cricket club says.
Specially designed sleeping boxes originally made to keep babies safe during the Christchurch earthquakes are now being used for vulnerable infants in South Auckland. The little beds are called "Pepi-Pods" and they're being given to families with babies that might be susceptible to cot death.
A selection of the week's news including a former New Zealand cricketer demanding answers over how his name has been linked an investigation into match-fixing, the Act Party leader announces he is quitting as party leader and will leave parliament next year, the biggest drug haul in New Zealand history, the Auditor General apologises to Mangawhai locals for Audit New Zealand's failure to identify a 60 million-plus waste-water debacle, the Labour Party says its victory in the Christchurch East by-election is an indictment of the Government's response to the earthquakes, we hear from the author of a book about the building blocks of our words and literature and the national champion who will proudly represent New Zealand at an international competition in Perth.
Christchurch residents whose houses have sunk since the earthquakes want to know who will pay to raise and remediate their land to prevent flood risk.
Three leading artists: the singer Madeleine Pierard; the children's book illustrator Gavin Bishop and playwright and actor Jacob Rajan discuss why they create work with Paul Bushnell. Awa Press writer Jane Bowron reads from her book Old Bucky & Me: Dispatches from the Christchurch Earthquake.
After the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Canterbury on 4 September 2010, most media reports claimed that no lives had been lost. But In fact, this first earthquake killed at least 3000 chickens, eight cows, one dog, a lemur and 150 aquarium fish. University of Canterbury associate professor Annie Potts, along with co-author Donelle Gadenne, wrote Animals in Emergencies: Learning from the Christchurch Earthquakes, revealing what happened to the animals during and after the series of quakes. Annie Potts will give a public lecture, 'Animals and natural disasters: Learning from recent earthquakes', on Thursday 16 March, 7pm at UC Ilam campus, Christchurch. Register to attend free at: www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect
A review of the week's news including... Relief after cyclone Cook passes quickly down the North Island with limited damage, questions about what was known about the increasing risk of Edgecumbe stop banks bursting, the man who gave us Fred Dagg has died suddenly, three more former CERA staffers are being investigated after conflict of interests prompted calls for a wider inquiry, a warning more homeless families will be sleeping in cars parks and garages in Auckland this winter, the High Court rules excessive defamation damages against Colin Craig constitute a miscarriage of justice, a verdict in a defamation against the Labour leader Andrew Little, relatives of New Zealand soldiers killed on duty in South East Asia are relieved their family members will be finally returned home, US consumer campaigner Erin Brockovich visits Christchurch homeowners who are trying to settle earthquake insurance claims six years on, three teams have been cut from the Super Rugby competition and a more than 50 year old copper time capsule has been cracked open.
As a three-year-old in China, Quin Tang's mother was shot in front of her and her father taken away. After moving to Christchurch 25 years ago, she walked out of an abusive marriage with two young children, no money and speaking little English. Tang then attended Canterbury University, teaching herself to read English from the text books there. She attained four degrees with an A+ average, and began working as a psychiatrist and counsellor. Quin was working in the CTV building when it collapsed. She took two weeks off work to recover, then came back and began counselling other victims of the Christchurch earthquakes. She has written and self-published the story of her life, called Half a Walnut Tree.
Two former Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority officials attempted to use their positions for their own financial gain and their actions will now be referred to the Serious Fraud Office.
A villa built on the Sumner Esplanade in Christchurch early last century has been saved from demolition and given a new lease of life. A Queenstown couple couldn't bear to see the beautiful home demolished after the earthquakes, so they bought it, had it cut into two pieces and trucked the 500-kilometres south to the Gibbston Valley near Queenstown.
An audit of the Earthquake Commission's quake repairs in Christchurch has found many dissatisfied home owners and others being left in the dark.