A woman badly injured in the Christchurch earthquake is astonished a new building in the city has been found to have serious seismic flaws. The empty new office building at 230 High Street has multiple problems in its earthquake design that the city council was warned about almost two years ago. Construction of the seven-storey building continued even after those warnings in December 2017. Susie Ferguson speaks to University of Canterbury lecturer Ann Brower, who was crushed after falling masonry fell on her bus during the February twenty-second 2011 earthquake.
A new office building in central Christchurch has multiple flaws in its earthquake design that the city council was warned about almost two years ago. Construction of the seven-storey building above the busy shopping precinct at 230 High Street, continued even after those warnings in December 2017. Three leading engineering firms have found critical faults - the latest are detailed in a Government-ordered report that's been leaked to RNZ. Phil Pennington joins Corin Dann with the details.
Te Pae, Christchurch's near $450 million convention centre, has been officially opened this afternoon with a pÅwhiri and unveiling by Mayor Lianne Dalziel and Minister Megan Woods.
Billed as a legacy for the city, it replaces the old centre which was demolished following the Canterbury earthquakes.
Niva Chittock is at the ceremony and joins Lisa with the details.
From the time it opened in the 1920s, the Winter Garden ballroom was the place to go for debutante balls and big-band concerts in Christchurch. Queen Elizabeth II even dined there during her visit in 1954. But this special part of Christchurch's history is over and the Armagh Street building has been placed on the urgent demolition list because of earthquake damage. Tiny Kirk is the chairman of the Trade Union Centre which has owned the building since 1984.
Aotearoa's biggest demolition job has entered its final stage. This morning media were given a final chance to walk through Christchurch's Lancaster Park before it is completely brought to the ground. The park's grandstands were badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake, and in 2017, $12 million was set aside for it be pulled down. Nicholas Pointon was there.
TVs, shopping trolleys, beds, mattresses, even a gun. That is just some of the rubbish found by residents surrounding Christchurch's residential red zone. The area used to be filled with houses, but damage after the Canterbury earthquakes forced thousands of homes to be demolished. While many of the old suburban roads remain, the area now resembles a park. But it is now attracting those wanting to dump their rubbish for free - and Land Information NZ, which controls the land, has removed 25 tonnes of trash since January. Residents have had enough as well - with some taking matters into their own hands. Checkpoint reporter Logan Church has the story.
Tonight Christchurch's Bread & Circus Buskers festival is swinging into action, and its promising to lure the biggest crowds to the central city since pre-earthquake times. But organisers admit the festival hasn't escaped its dire financial past, despite new management and a rebrand as the Bread and Circus Festival last year. And it it will still be running at a loss until about 2022. Katie Todd reports.
A law change is being looked at to tackle the problem of property boundaries moving in the Canterbury earthquakes.
Building plans signed off by the Christchurch City Council show one of its own structural engineers was involved in the design of a new multistorey building that is unstable. The eight-storey office building at 230 High Street is off-limits as it is too weak and might 'rupture' in an earthquake. But the council insists the planning documents are wrong and its engineer had only a minor role. Phil Pennington reports.
Construction delays and cost over-runs are prolonging the earthquake risks facing patients and staff at Christchurch hospital. Six major hospital buildings at the central city site have been listed as earthquake prone since May, but there is no safer space to shift patients into. Phil Pennington reports.
Some central Christchurch businesses are having to close their doors, blaming a tough economic climate. Retail spending in the central city is only 80 percent of what it was before the devastating 2011 earthquakes, while the number of people living in the area has shrunk by a third.
KiwiRail's Coastal Pacific scenic journey will roll again between Picton and Christchurch from December 1, two years after the service was put on hold because of the devastating Kaikoura earthquake. KiwiRail's sales manager Alan Piper tells Susie Ferguson the details.
The Earthquake Commission has been labelled obstructive after it demanded 24 thousand dollars to provide documents under an Official Information Act request.
Jane Bowron is a newspaper columnist who lived in the red zone at the time of the earthquake.
The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission says it will not re-open its inquiry into the CTV building collapse, despite fresh allegations against the building's construction manager.
Retired Christchurch people affected by the earthquakes are disappointed they have been left out of new rules aimed at giving people in retirement villages better payouts after natural disasters.
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 earthquakes in Canterbury may have brought tragedy and economic hardship for many, but Christchurch business leaders say they're now seeing renewed signs of improving business confidence.
It's been a long, long wait but Christchurch's Arts Centre finally has a contemporary art gallery space again - and it's just opened. It's the latest 'reveal' in the Arts Centre post-earthquake rebuild. The new gallery's called The Central and is housed in the original Canterbury College Library. Four Christchurch families and gallerist Jonathan Smart have made it happen and artists including local sculptor Neil Dawson, photographer Peter Peryer, glitter specialist Reuben Patterson and painter Dick Frizzell are in the mix for the opening group show. There are some new names there too. Lynn Freeman speaks to The Central's Jonathan Smart and Ngai Tahu artist Lonnie Hutchinson who has work in the opening show.
The Christchurch couple taking their insurance company to the High Court over their earthquake payout have knocked almost a quarter of a million dollars off their claim.
Some Canterbury residents are returning to homes damaged in last year's 7.1 earthquake, because they can't afford to live anywhere else.
The Canterbury earthquake is taking a toll on the mental health of people in the region. 30% more people in Christchurch are requesting treatment for anxiety, depression and addiction, compared with usual numbers.
The private education sector in Christchurch is working on how to convince foreign students to keep coming to the city after last week's earthquake.
Hundreds of birds and other creatures had to be evacuated from a Christchurch aquarium and kiwi enclosure, while others were put-down after last week's earthquake.
RNZ Business Editor live from the Reserve Bank, where Governor Alan Bollard is reviewing interest rates, the first scheduled window since the Christchurch earthquake.
More than ten weeks after being damaged beyond repair by the Christchurch earthquake, there is still no decision about how or when the Grand Chancellor Hotel will be demolished.
A star-studded charity cricket match in Wellington has raised half a million dollars for the Prime Minister's appeal for the Canterbury earthquake.
Paediatrician Nick Baker talks to Nine to Noon about the risks to Christchurch babies in the aftermath of the earthquakes dogging the area.
A Christchurch City Councillor is worried the wishes of local residents and the council could be by-passed once the Earthquake Recovery Authority takes over rebuilding the city.
Working alongside the Earthquake Authority will be a cross party forum of local members of parliament.
