A digitally manipulated image of printer's type, spelling out "Safe Dust". The photographer comments, "After the September 2010 Christchurch earthquake liquefaction poured out of the ground mostly in the East of Christchurch. This silt, which was a form of sand was declared safe and would not harm gardens if it was spread around in moderation. After the February 2011 quake as a result of even more liquefaction and the sewers being ruptured, the liquefaction was declared as toxic. People clearing it up should wear a mask, boots and gloves especially when it had dried up and become dusty. This just so happens to be the words found on an old printing press".
Text above reads 'Prince William comes to Christchurch...' A special royal portaloo has been arranged for the visit of Prince William to Christchurch; it is built to resemble a castle and has gold door fittings. On either side of the portaloo stands a sentry guard. The prince who is inside whispers 'I can't find the royal flush button' (wordplay on 'royal flush' and the 'flush' of a toilet) Context - Prince William visited the Civil Defence headquarters in Christchurch with Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker on the 17th March to see the damage caused by the earthquakes of the 4th September 2010 and the 22 February 2011. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Homeless earthquake victims arrive in Hobbiton with their bags when it seems that New Zealand is going to lose The Hobbit to another country. Refers to the dispute between Warner Brothers, represented by Peter Jackson, and NZ Actors Equity over a union demand for negotiations over the terms and conditions offered in the contracts for actors and others working on the film very nearly caused the film to be made somewhere else. The battle, which was eventually resolved successfully after meetings between PM John Key and Warner Brothers representatives, divided New Zealanders. Refers also to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September and its aftershocks that have left many houses uninhabitable. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon shows God sitting at his computer with an image of a devastated Christchurch on the screen. He is about to hit the 'smite' key. Text above reads 'God at his computer'. Context - Two more earthquakes rocked Christchurch on 13th June, following those of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. The first magnitude 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometres east of Christchurch at Taylor's Mistake beach, at a depth of 11 kilometres, and sent people scrambling for cover. It was followed at 2.20pm by a more powerful magnitude 6 quake, centred 10 kilometres southeast of the city and 9km underground. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man wearing shorts and gumboots stands surrounded by liquefaction beside his collapsing house. He tries to phone the 'Quake helpline' for assistance and gets the response 'You have reached the quake helpline... If you're up to your knees in liquefaction... Press 1. If your house is down around your ears... Press 2. If you're looking for assistance or answers press on'. Context - The increasing frustration and misery of many Christchurch residents who are experiencing huge difficulty getting assistance after months of delays and continuing aftershocks following the Christchurch earthquakes of 4th September, 22 February and the two most recent ones on 13 June. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Maori Party MP for Te Tai Tonga, Rahui Katene' is buried up to her neck in earthquake rubble as she reads a newspaper headline referring to her statement that the aftermath of the earthquake has demonstrated 'racism and ethnic profiling'. Rahui Katene's head is disintegrating and two engineers who are examining the damage decide that 'This can't be repaired, it needs to be condemned'. Rahui Katene says the authorities, who kicked a Christchurch family out of a welfare centre that was set up after the Christchurch earthquake that struck on the 4th September, should apologise for judging them too early and shaming them publicly. Mrs Katene was also concerned about claims that Maori youth were being targeted by police. "I've heard from whanau that in one particular area rangatahi who were volunteering in their community and helping their whanau were accused by police of theft. The whanau are trying to work these issues through with the police, but I'm growing concerned about what appears to be ethnic profiling." Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The arms of a woman who represents New Zealand reach out to a baby to whom she has just given birth. The baby represents '2011' and is a particularly hideous specimen. The doctor who holds the baby says 'He's cute now but wait 'til he gets older!' Outside the window is seen a cracked and damaged landscape and a storm rages; the headstone of a grave reads 'RIP 2010'. Context - Christchurch or maybe the South Island have had a bad year because of the Pike River Mine disaster and the earthquake of 4 September 2010. There is perhaps prescience in this cartoon because on 22 February 2011 a much worse earthquake hit Christchurch. Published in The Press Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
At top left is text reading 'Christchurch pupils return to school...' The teacher has written the words 'Nosey', 'Bob', and 'Double' on the blackboard and says to the children 'Our first test today... Sort these into Parkers we love and Parkers we don't'... Context - the correct answers would be that we hate 'nosey parkers' and 'double parkers' but that we love 'Bob Parker'. Bob Parker is the Mayor of Christchurch and is generally considered to have done a remarkably good job of demonstrating calm and cheerfulness after the two earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, as well as having been able to chose fitting words to express grief and despair at so much loss. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon is a spoof of Rodin's famous sculpture 'The thinker' and shows it with a globe for its head. It holds a newspaper that reads 'Massive 'quake in Japan - ChCh. 'quake, China 'quake, Aus. Floods fires etc. etc.' The thinker ponders 'What's with all these disasters?..' Context - The massive earthquake in Japan that led to a devastating tsunami and now threats from several damaged nuclear power stations, the earthquakes in Christchurch on 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Yingjiang County, southwest China's Yunnan Province on March 15, 2011, and the January floods in Queensland, Australia, as well as bush fires on the outskirts of the Western Australia capital Perth. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text top left reads 'A tale of two quakes' In the first frame a man runs from 'radiation leaks' yelling 'The end of the world!' and in the second frame a man runs from the notion 'No World Cup?' yelling 'The end of the world!' Context - the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan 11 March 2011 that have led to the overheating of several nuclear power plants that are leaking radiation and threaten a nuclear catastrophe and the Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 that have led to the decision that because of the amount of damage to the venue plus infrastructures and accommodation for visitors the Rugby World Cup will not be played in Christchurch. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text across the top of the cartoon reads 'The reminder again' and shows a disaster kit in a box labeled 'Your B-Ready Disaster Kit'. Nearby are newspapers recording the text 'no power', 'shortage of blankets', 'boil water'. Context - a warning for everyone to prepare disaster kits brought home by the Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011. On 22 February 2011 at 12:51 pm (NZDT), Christchurch experienced a major magnitude 6.3 earthquake, which resulted in severe damage and many casualties. A National State of Emergency has been declared. This followed on from an original magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 which did far less damage and in which no-one died. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Shows a couple in their car driving along a road festooned with election billboards. The man reads a billboard and comments that the mayor is promising to 'move our district forward' and his partner suggests that with all the new jobs down in Christchurch maybe he should move the district down there. Probably refers to mayoral hopefuls in Whangarei, Pamela Sue Peters or Stan Semenoff, suggesting that people should move to Christchurch for jobs which, since the 4th September 2010 earthquake, are going to be plentiful. But it seems that every mayoral candidate in the country is intent on moving his or her part of New Zealand forward if they win the October 9 local body election. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The title reads 'Greener square for Christchurch?..' The cartoon depicts the city centre in Christchurch entirely covered with green and there are cows wandering by the stream as well as grazing on the tops of buildings. A man at the top of the green cathedral says 'I can see it really growing on me!' Context: This is a reference to the draft Central City plan under which the Central City will be greener and more attractive. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Batman is abroad in the night in 'Gotham City' and says 'Well we're all going batty down here!' Context: A reference to Christchurch, still struggling to recover from the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Shows a postman who has just put an 'Earthquake bill' for '$8.5 billion' into the government's letterbox. Context - The New Zealand government will spend about 8.5 billion NZ dollars (6.6 billion U.S. dollars) over the next few years rebuilding Christchurch. New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English said on Tuesday that the Treasury has estimated the direct cost of the two earthquakes is about 5.5 billion NZ dollars), which will be fully provided for in the Budget in May. He said about 3 billion NZ dollars of that relates to thegovernment's share of local government infrastructure, roads, insurance excesses on schools and housing, land remediation from the September quake, demolition, Accidents Compensation Corporation scheme and the business support package. (Xinhuanet 12 April 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text at top left reads 'Don't forget rubbish day' The cartoon is a large wheelie bin stacked high with debris from 'old dunger buildings'. Someone in a damaged house nearby says 'Good riddance!' Context - Two earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks have hit Christchurch, the first on 4 September 2010 and a second more devastating one on 22 February 2011. Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee may or may not have actually used the words 'old dungers' to describe some of Christchurch's heritage buildings that are not worth keeping but he might as well have done because many people believe that this is the way he thinks. Debate about which heritage buildings should be kept and which demolished has begun along with debate about how the city should be rebuilt. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A ship named 'NZ Ship of State' lies high and dry on rocks; the great jagged holes in her represent 'the recession', 'Pike River', 'Chch 1' and 'Chch 2'. A man standing nearby asks 'How will we refloat her?' and a second man answers '...by cutting Working for Families & interest-free student loans' Someone outside the frame says 'Where's the No. 8 wire?' Context - The New Zealand economy was stagnating before the impact of the Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 and the Pike River Mine disaster before that. The government was already considering cutting Working for Families & interest-free student loans before the earthquakes struck and it seems that now they are trying to push through these policy changes using the earthquakes as an excuse. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man and a woman wearily face one another wondering how they should celebrate two years of frustration. Context: relates to continuing frustration over lack of progress by many people whose houses have been damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Under the caption 'Best value for money?' is a football stadium displaying a red cross. From within a voice proclaims the advantages of having a combined covered stadium, hospital and blood bank. Under CERA, the Christchurch Central Development Unit had planned for a covered sports stadium, with attached facilities and shops as one of the key sites in the Christchurch rebuild after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The 'blood bin' refers to the recent practice in rugby of sending off players with flesh wounds. There were also plans for a new hospital. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
New PM of Australia Julia Gillard stands on top of a house of cards that looks extremely unstable. She says 'As newly elected PM of Australia I promise all cards on the table'. Below are the words 'NZ not the only shaky country..' Refers to the recent closely-contested and 'most-extraordinary Australian election in decades' which has been won by Labour's Julia Gillard. The negotiating for a new government by Julia Gillard against her Liberal rival Tony Abbott took 17 days, with Julia Gillard, in the end, able to cobble together a government with the support of independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott as well as the Greens plus a long list of promises. Critics see her coalition as dysfunctional. The text below refers to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September 2010. Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
In the first seven of eight frames astrologer Ken Moon predicts a 'black day ahead', a 'day of great shaking' and 'terror' and 'children crying' and 'people fleeing' and 'a day in May'. In the last frame people realize that he has seen, not an earthquake, but the budget. Context - After the two big earthquakes in Christchurch on 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, the so-called Moon Man, Ken Ring, backed away from his prediction that Christchurch would be whacked by a huge earthquake on the 20th of March 2011. His claims terrified Cantabrians and led to people fleeing Christchurch. The 2011 budget will be announced in May and predictions are that it will be a cost-cutting one because of New Zealand's debt, partially caused by the Christchurch earthquakes. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The room shakes and shudders, ornaments fall off the mantelpeice, pictures fly off the walls and the family is jolted from chairs. It's granny upstairs doing her get-slim exercises'. 'It's not the force 6 that they are expecting'. Context: Reference to the Christchurch earthquakes. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A worried Hekia Parata, Minister of Education, tells John Key, the Prime Minister, that schools in Canterbury are resisting being merged. John Key replies that the government will go through a 'consultation process' and then 'do what we like'. However the schools are claiming marae status and thus protection under the Treaty of Waitangi. The 'Hui report' which the Prime Minister is holding confirms this fear. The Ministry of Education, given the excuse of the Canterbury earthquakes, announced that many schools there will be merged or closed. Threatened schools, particularly the two Maori language schools, lodged complaints with the Waitangi Tribunal. 'Hui reports' refers to the claims and resulting hui over the water rights of the proposed partial privatisation of state assets. Colour and black and white versions available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
The title reads 'Satellite to plunge to earth "People should see quite a show." A 'NASA' satellite heads towards New Zealand; someone inside says 'Beep! Beep! Christchurch CBD here we come! Woo-hoo!' Context: A great deal of the CBD (Central Business District) in Christchurch is being demolished, considered to dangerous or too expensive to restore. A defunct 6.5 ton NASA satellite falls to earth this week... 26 pieces, with a combined mass of 500kg will survive the fiery re-entry and hurtle towards us. NASA doesn't have much idea of where it will land so it may demolish some of Christchurch. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man representing the South Island stands under an umbrella representing 'hope' to shelter from a bucketload of water representing 'misfortune'. Context - in the last year apart from the usual droughts and floods the South Island has suffered the Pike River Mine disaster on 19 November 2010 in which 29 coal miners were killed, the 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 in which there was a lot of damage but no deaths and now on 22 February 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake which has probably killed more than 200 people (at this point the number is still not known) and caused more severe damage. The reason the apparently lesser magnitude quake caused more destruction is because it was very shallow, was in the middle of the day and struck very close to the centre of the city. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text top left reads 'Downsizemic activity' and a seismic graph zigzags wildly but gradually tails off into the words 'Interest rates' which take a serious downwards trend. Context - The Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 which have had an impact on an already stagnating economy. The Reserve Bank has made a relatively large 50-point cut in its benchmark interest rate, the Official Cash Rate (from 3% to 2.5 per cent). Critics say that inflation is already running unacceptably high and there is a threat of much higher inflation in a year or two when the rebuilding of Christchurch begins to put pressure on limited resources. The Reserve Bank acknowledged these factors, but it has chosen instead to focus on the immediate impact of the earthquake on the economy and particularly on all-important business and consumer sentiment. (Press editorial 12 March 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon shows the hands of two people joined in mutual despair and kindness. One represents 'Christchurch' and the other the 'Pike River Mine'. Context - the 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 in Christchurch in which there was a lot of damage but no deaths, the Pike River Mine disaster which occurred on the West Coast on 19 November 2010 and caused the deaths of 29 coal miners and now on 22 February 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch which has probably killed more than 200 people (at this point the number is still not known) and caused much more severe damage. The reason the apparently lesser magnitude quake caused more destruction is because it was very shallow, was in the middle of the day and struck very close to the centre of the city. Colour and black and white versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
A man walks away from a scene of destruction after an earthquake; he is reading a newspaper whose headline is 'ACC takes earthquake hit' and because he is not looking where he is going he is about to step into the sea in which lurks a shark that represents 'levies'. A second version has the shark representing 'Nick Smith'. Context - The second Christchurch more devastating earthquake of 22 February 2011 that followed an original earthquake on 4 September 2010. Levy changes from April 1 will give businesses discounts or penalties on their workplace ACC levies based on a three-year claims history but ACC Minister Nick Smith said today that the quake would be declared an "adverse event" so Christchurch employers would not be unfairly hit with a levy increase, unless they contributed materially to an employee's injuries. (NBR 10 March 2011) Two versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
In six small cameos Prime Minister John Key ponders over things economic and ends up dancing; he says 'I'm bereft of ideas for the economy gambling the lives of our troops in the Afghanistan mess I'm presiding over the biggest budget deficit in our history borrowing $300m a week to cushion our slide into oblivion Using lots of World Cup piffle to distract from the real issues Yet I'm still rating miles higher than Goff so how hopeless is he??? A little man in the last frame comments 'Spoiled for choice eh?' Context - New Zealand's rather dire economic situation made so much worse by the Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, the consistently high poll rating of John Key and the series of disasters suffered by the Labour Party in the run up to the 2011 election in November. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon shows the Christchurch Anglican Cathedral tower in ruins and without its steeple. Above the drawing is the date '22.2.11'. A second version shows a huge magnitude 6.3 earthquake tremor on a seismic graph on top of which is the date '22.2.11'. Context - On 22 February 2011 at 12:51 pm (NZDT), Christchurch experienced a major magnitude 6.3 earthquake, which resulted in severe damage and many casualties. A National State of Emergency has been declared. The cathedral tower has collapsed and there has been devastating damage to the remaining structure. The Cathedral is one of around six sites of extreme concern around the city where many are believed to still be trapped. This earthquake followed on from an original magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 which did far less damage and in which no-one died. Two versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).