Midday News for 28 May 2014
Audio, Radio New Zealand
Investigations into handling of asbestos in Canterbury earthquake repairs and a man's appeared in court charged with the murder of the Auckland woman, Blessie Gotingco.
Investigations into handling of asbestos in Canterbury earthquake repairs and a man's appeared in court charged with the murder of the Auckland woman, Blessie Gotingco.
The Property Council says an ultimatum from the Christchurch City Council to owners of earthquake damaged commercial buildings will add to the stress business people are already under.
EQC was ill-prepared to deal with the wide spread damage of the Christchurch Earthquakes and as a consequence its reputation been left in tatters with many seeing the commission as uncaring, miserly and inefficient. That is according to the findings of the inquiry into EQC and its handling of quake claims in Canterbury and Kaikōura. Inquiry Chair Dame Silvia Cartwright lays out a raft of inadequacies including EQC not being equiped to handle a mass scale managed repair programme - leading to multiple mistakes, poor staffing decisions and inadequate quality control. Damage assessments were the root of claimants disputes time and time again. Dame Silvia Cartwright described to Checkpoint the way claimants have been treated by EQC.
The Earthquake Commission says 95 percent of the invoices it gets from contractors repairing houses in Christchurch are paid out within two to three weeks.
In June, the Hororata hotel in Canterbury closed after it became clear there was no economic way to repair damage caused by the September earthquake.
The Minister for Earthquake Recovery, Gerry Brownlee, says the recovery process from Canterbury's earthquake is moving quickly, despite strong aftershocks yesterday setting back repair work.
A Christchurch man, whose house was damaged in the earthquakes, has challenged his insurer's CEO to live in it if she truly believes it's repairable.
Record fines for two companies and a director who illegally dumped contaminated demolition material has highlighted problems with the costs of dumping earthquake rubble from Christchurch.
A world class centre for music and the arts has opened in Christchurch, after The Music Centre of Christchurch was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 earthquakes.
Glaziers and window makers in Christchurch say Saturday's earthquake smashed up to 90 percent of their glass supplies, leaving them without materials to repair people's homes.
There are 1,600 Canterbury homeowners with earthquake claims still open with EQC. About 100 homeowners turned up to a meeting organised by EQC Fix in Christchurch on Monday night - all with stories of home repair hell, botched repairs, or seemingly never-ending arguments with EQC, Southern Response, or their private insurer. They were all tired and wondering why they still had to fight more than nine years on from the first Canterbury Earthquake. Checkpoint video journalist Logan Church travelled to Christchurch to speak to those still fighting for what they believe they are entitled too.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister's released what he says is a how-to strategy for the rebuild following the Canterbury earthquakes. Gerry Brownlee says the strategy for improving investment, innovation and job creation will extend beyond economic recovery and into education, culture and social recovery.
The Christchurch suburb of Sydenham was badly affected by the first earthquake in September and February's quake has struck another blow to the local retail sector. But as Katy Gosset has found, shop owners say they're confident they can rebuild.
EQC's manager for the Canterbury home repair programme, Reid Stiven, respondes to claims of misleading estimates of damage to household foundations from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
Principal of Banks Ave School, Murray Edlin, and Canterbury Primary Principals Association president, John Bangma, discuss the issue of earthquake damaged schools in property repairs funding shock.
Some Christchurch residents are frustrated at the time it's taking to work out what sort of foundations their homes will require when earthquake repairs are carried out.
Christchurch City Council abandons plan to sell its City Care maintenance bid as part of its plan to raise $600 million to repair infrastructure damaged by earthquakes.
The chief medical officer of health for the region, Dr Alistair Humphrey, says people carrying out repairs on their earthquake-stricken properties need to be wary of asbestos.
Christchurch's historic Theatre Royal will reopen for business in November, with bookings about to open for the first show, the Royal New Zealand Ballet season of "A Christmas Carol" The 106-year old theatre has been closed for almost four years because of earthquake damage in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The $40million rebuild and restoration project will be completed over the next five months and on 17 November 2014, the 'Grand Old Lady' of New Zealand theatre will reopen her doors for performances. With so few venues for performance left in the city, including the Town Hall out of commission indefinitely, the rebuild of the Theatre Royal is very good news for Christchurch audiences Chief executive Neil Cox explains the process of getting oldest Edwardian theatre in the country back in use and mounting the large scale theatrical productions it has been famous for.
The repair of Christchurch's earthquake damaged arts centre has revealed details hidden from view for forty years including a badminton court and the site of an old swimming pool.
The company hired by the Government to carry out earthquake repairs in Canterbury is refusing to install insulation at the same time as it replaces old cladding on houses.
EQC CEO Sid Miller says the agency is currently defending 316 legal cases over the Christchurch earthquakes, and is considering legal action against Fletcher's for its project management of the repairs.
Damaged properties, water, sewerage and the demolition of buildings in the city centre are first on the list for the new man in charge of the recovery operation in Canterbury.
After lengthy construction and Covid-19 delays, a centrepiece in Christchurch's earthquake rebuild will finally open its doors today. The $475 million convention centre called Te Pae is already booked to host 150 events next year, but they're not expected to be money-makers. Reporter Jean Edwards took a tour.
The debt stricken state-owned enterprise Solid energy is in crisis talks with the Treasury and its banks, two years after the Christchurch earthquakes, insurance companies are blamed for delays in the rebuild, and in dateline pacific Papua New Guinea is building up its military to build roads.
Opposition parties fear a new department to control the rebuilding of Christchurch will be Wellington-centric and not allow the community to have its fair say in decisions. The Labour Party's spokesperson on the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery, Clayton Cosgrove, spoke to our political editor Brent Edwards.
The Plumbers industry body says some plumbers helping Christchurch quake victims are struggling to stay afloat, because the Earthquake Commission is not paying out fast enough for emergency repairs.
In its latest update, the Earthquake Commission says it will have to manage repairs to 50-thousand homes moderately or seriously damaged by the Canterbury earthquake four weeks ago.
A message in a bottle, hidden under the floor of a Christchurch home for over fifty years, has been discovered during earthquake repairs and its writer's been tracked down.
The reality of just how many historic buildings will be lost to the Christchurch earthquake is now becoming apparent with Civil Defence adding another 123 buildings to the demolition list.