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Audio, Radio New Zealand

The government is crowdsourcing the cyclone recovery bill. It has launched an international fundraising effort, modelled on the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal - which raised almost $100 million. A separate special Lotto draw will also be held on March 18 with all proceeds going to affected communities. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has urged New Zealanders to get behind the effort. He defended asking people to chip in when the cost-of-living is so high.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Prime Minister Chris Hipkins today announced an additional three hundred and one million dollar boost for the rebuild of earthquake damaged Christchurch schools, and said the programme in Christchurch may be a template for repairing flood damaged schools in the North Island. Some schools are still waiting to be repaired more than a decade after the devastating quakes. On his first visit to Christchurch since becoming Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins visited one of the schools still in the midst of its rebuild process, and to celebrate the progress being made. Our reporter Rachel Graham and videographer Nate McKinnon went along. 

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A huge milestone in the rebuild of the Christchurch Cathedral. Twelves years since the Canterbury earthquakes caused extensive damage to the building, community leaders and project managers have gathered inside the cathedral this morning for the first time since the quakes. It also marks the completion of stablisation phase of the project. Our reporter Adam Burns went along.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Anglican church is considering whether to sell Christchurch's cardboard cathedral to plug a shortfall in the budget for restoring the original descimated in the earthquakes. The church leadership will discuss the future of the cardboard building during meetings at the weekend. It opened opposite Latimer square in 2013 as a temporary place of worship, but soom became popular with tourists too. Meanwhile a 2017 estimate put the cost of restoring the actual Cathedral at just over $100 million, but that's since ballooned to north of $155 million. Harcourts real estate agent, Mark O'Loughlin, speaks to Lisa Owen from Christchurch. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6336786667112

Audio, Radio New Zealand

An icon of Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour is set to re-open tomorrow, after being damaged in the Canterbury Earthquakes. The Governors Bay jetty, locally known for its extraordinary length and unofficial jetty jump competitions, has been closed since 2015. Now, it's back to its former glory, just in time for summer. Niva Chittock went for a sneak peek ahead of the official opening. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6338047392112

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Twelve years after the CTV building collapsed during the Christchurch earthquake, families of the victims killed inside have told an engineering disciplinary hearing they want justice and accountability. 115 people died when the six-storey building came down in February 2011. A complaint against an engineer whose firm designed the building is being heard by an Engineering New Zealand disciplinary committee. Dr Alan Reay lost a High Court bid to stop the hearing. Anna Sargent reports.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Is Christchurch about to dethrone Wellington as the country's new capital of cool? Locals say Otautahi is becoming a hipper, more culturally vibrant place after it was devastated by earthquakes more than a decade ago. University students are coming in their droves, with the city offering affordability and an abundance of things to do, Adam Burns reports.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Gulls are well known for swooping in and flogging food off your plate or picnic and now they are making a complete menace of themselves in Christchurch's New Regent street. Local businesses are being over-run by the red and black-billed gulls that are nesting on the rooves of buildings along the street, swooping and pooping all over the place. It's not the first time they've invaded, they started breeding in 2019 in an earthquake damaged building on the corner of Armagh and New Regent streets. The problem is both the red and black-billed gulls are protected. Casey Alderson from Belle Cafe spoke to Lisa Owen.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Money is being put ahead of lives according the husband of a woman who died when the CTV building pancaked in the Christchurch earthquake. The government is moving to a new risk based approach to earthquake strengthening, saying it will save building owners more than $8.2 billion across New Zealand. Under the rules a building like the CTV building would not automatically be deemed earhquake prone. Professor Mann Alkaisi who's wife died in that building, spoke to Lisa Owen.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

More than 600 Christchurch home-owners face a wait of up to 18 months before its decided who foots the bill for earthquake repairs that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The problem - first revealed on Checkpoint in March - is that owners bought homes thinking all quake damage had been identified and fixed - only to find more problems that weren't addressed. The people affected cannot claim on their insurance - because the damage pre-dates them buying the house - and any grant from the Earthquake Commission is capped. EQC has publicly apologised to those affected but the Minster, Megan Woods, says it's unclear who will pay for the needed repairs.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The former Earthquake Commission minister, Gerry Brownlee, is defending EQC over claims its assessors in Christchurch were not properly qualified. A growing number of homeowners in the city are discovering EQC assessors have completely missed quake damage including broken foundations costing hundreds of thousands to repair. That's been disastrous for people who've bought homes with hidden damage who are sometimes finding private insurers unwilling to cover the cost of putting right mistakes made by EQC. The company hired by EQC to carry out repairs was Fletcher Construction. Its chief executive at the time, Mark Binns, told Checkpoint that EQC probably hired unqualified people to assess quake damaged homes. Gerry Brownlee refused to be drawn on the comments from Mr Binns. But when asked by RNZ Christchurch reporter, Conan Young, if it was acceptable to have retired policemen, school principals and vacuum cleaner salesmen carrying out assessments for EQC, he admitted finding enough people to do the job was a challenge.