As the nation prepares for lockdown, Christchurch's leaders says their city is prepared. Over the past ten years Christchurch has dealt with it's fair share of crisis, from earthquakes, Port Hills fires, the March 15 terror attacks, flooding, and a gas explosion. While Covid-19 has a global impact, some Cantabrians say their past experience will help them get through. Eleisha Foon reports.
Some 10 years on from the devastating Canterbury quakes, the wait is still not over when it comes to law changes needed to improve the Earthquake Commission. The government will not get it done until 2021, if it's re-elected. Meanwhile cases of botched quake repairs needing a fix are still flooding into EQC, Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods told Checkpoint.
Time is nearly up for owners of on-sold quake damaged properties in Canterbury to apply to claim money for botched repairs. The Government announced last year it would give an ex-gratia payment to home-owners with properties that went over the Earthquake Commission's then cap of $100,000. Today is the last day for applications after the original August deadline was extended due to Covid-19. But there are calls to extend that deadline again, as applications have flooded in over the past month.