Topics - appalling stories of Christchurch families living in garages and tents - even a couple renting a wash-house - are continuing to surface almost two years on from the February 2011 earthquake. Youth crime is described as "steadily falling" in New Zealand, with rates of police apprehensions and prosecutions of young people at record lows. Auckland Grammar has employed the services of a private investigator to check on parents trying to cheat on school zone boundaries.
In quake-ravaged Christchurch businesses are tentatively restarting, and infrastructure is being restored, but there's ongoing uncertainty about job losses and how people will survive financially. Within six days of the February earthquake; the Government had introduced a subsidy scheme for businesses and their employees, as well as people who'd found themselves out of a job. Now there's growing disquiet about what will happen to thousands of Cantabrians when that support scheme finishes at the end of May.
Thousands of Christchurch refugees have poured into Timaru since the earthquake on February 22, boosting its population by nearly 20 per cent. Social services are giving out hundreds of food parcels, blankets, toiletries and clothes every day as well as finding accommodation for people who have turned up in town with nothing. Major Dean Herring of the Salvation Army in Timaru has been helping evacuees find places to live as well as dealing with the huge piles of donated goods.
In the programme this week - the former New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming talks about plans for a charity cricket match to raise funds for victims of the Canterbury earthquake. We hear about the role of sports chaplaincy in New Zealand sports teams, Blyth Tait talks about his return to top level Equestrian competition after a seven year absence and one of the country's premier mountain biking events, the Karapoti Classic, near Wellington is underway again.
Pike River Mine will be put up for sale soon, People allowed into another area of Christchurch cordon, Relative, friends of quake lost describe pain of waiting, Doubts swirl around Rugby World Cup in Christchurch and the ongoing questions surrounding the death of a New Zealander and other tourists in Thailand, Earthquake puts unprecedented pressure on Reserve Bank, Sovereign may not be last failure in struggling building sector, Space shuttle Discovery lands safely in Florida.
Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 9 September. This week .... New Zealanders getting savvy about price discrimination, sorting the News from the TV programmes, studying coral reefs to save them from extinction, we remember sports braodcaster Graeme Moody, the World of Wearable Arts travels to Hong Kong, and we have a series of features and interviews from a weekend of commemorating a year of earthquakes in Canterbury.
The Week In Review for week ending 12 August 2011... featuring a new rebuild plan for Christchurch's earthquake ravaged CBD, problems at the Waikato-Tainui Tribal Parliament, a pricing fiasco surrounding the Adidas All Blacks Rugby World Cup jersey, the Mana party confirms it will contest all seven Maori seats and some general seats in November's general election, the renaming of Mt Cook's South Ridge to The Hillary Ridge and the White Mouse passes away.
A review of the week's news including: The Labour Party's capital gains tax policy announcement, Act's creative director resigns over newspaper ad, day two and three reports from the Pike River Mine tragedy Royal Commission Of Inquiry, the treatment of Crete veterans during recent 70th anniversary commemorations, Sydenham recovery following Christchurch earthquake, Lonely Planet puts Christchurch back on it's visit list and small brewers angry over Radler beer trademark ruling.
Sam Harvey says that holding on to grace is one of the things that keeps him striving towards his calling to help others. He's a young pastor of the Beach Campus of Grace Vineyard Church in Christchurch, and moved to the city on the eve of the first earthquake. Sonia Sly finds out what it takes to adhere to the faith during difficult times, and candidly asks about God's voice, New Zealand's attitude to Christianity, and the process of healing through exorcism.
Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 16 December. This week .... This week...another housing boom as property prices increase, the current state of Maori journalism, two stories from Canterbury's earthquake - a victim's recovery and a musician's return, a look back at the life of an albatross genius, the DNA of food, performing Shakespeare in te reo Maori and 200 years of wedding fashion on exhibition at Te Papa.
Our Christchurch correspondent, Katy Gosset takes us on a musical journey with the help of one of the city's longest serving pianists. For 23 years Peter Lewis played the piano in the Crowne Plaza Hotel before being made redundant by the February 2011 earthquake. Peter has since struggled to find a way to share his music with others. Today Katy seeks out some city pianos and takes him on a mystery tour to rediscover the pleasure of playing.
Christchurch artist Mike Beer creates miniature models of Christchurch buildings that were lost in the Canterbury earthquakes. Through these tiny models Mike hopes to remind people of the buildings that once shaped the city - and bring back the feelings and memories associated with them. Mike, who goes by the name Ghostcat, says It's all about the connections people have with a time, and place. His models are to be displayed at Fiksate Gallery in Christchuch from April 9.
Ang Jury of Womens' Refuge talks about the announced changes to family violence law and if the government's got it right. Labour's Andrew Little "rejected" yesterday's One News Colmar Brunton Poll so the party released its own results today. Bruce Springsteen has announced dates for a New Zealand tour including a concert in Christchurch for the anniversary of the February 2011 earthquake. Your feedback about the long hours hospital doctors work.
Today RNZ's Midday supervising producer, Denise Garland, looks at two brand new podcasts. Collapse is a podcast from Stuff, all about the Christchurch earthquakes in the lead up the to 10th anniversary of the devastating quake on February 22nd. She also looks at NZ Wars - Stories of Tainui from RNZ which over the three episodes covers the war of Waikato in the 1860s, the great war for New Zealand, a defining conflict of New Zealand.
Red Cross aid worker Rosemarie North is in the Banten province of Java where authorities have lifted the alert level for the Anak Krakatau volcano to its second-highest level. She has worked on and off for the Red Cross since 2003 in all kinds of situations, including post-conflict in Sierra Leone, landslides in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, refugee camps in Chad, earthquakes in Nepal and Christchurch, and tsunamis in Southeast Asia and Samoa. [image_crop:72149:full]
It's been a long road to recovery for one of Christchurch's biggest post-quake projects. Eight years after the route connecting Sumner to Lyttleton was blocked off by the earthquakes, the road through Evans Pass will reopen on Friday. Sumner residents will now have a second route into the suburb, as well as a renewed connection to Lyttleton. Sara Templeton is the councillor for Heathcote Ward, which covers Sumner, and speaks to Guyon Espiner.
Johanna McCord moved to Christchurch just before the first earthquake in September nearly four years ago. But she fell in love with the city, regardless of its tectonic troubles. Johanna has just set up a blog called 'We Built This City' which is designed to showcase some of Christchurch's businesses and events. More than an information hub, it takes a personal look at some of the people who are really making a difference in the quake struck city.
Australia's controversial offshore detention regime hits a massive stumbling block; Fiji's parliament votes against reinstating the Great Council of Chiefs; Stalemate over probe into high profile PNG fraud case; Pacific thinking about collective action over long line fishing; Lessons from the Christchurch earthquakes used to heal in Fiji; CNMI school group to challenge court gun ruling; Secret to Pacific growth in its growing working age population; Fiji disappointed after Radradra picked for Australia.
A Christchurch woman whose mother died in the 2011 earthquake says an apology from the Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel does not lessen her grief. Yesterday - nine years and one day since the quake killed 185 people - Dalziel invited their families for a private apology. She acknowledged errors made by engineers and the city council in regards to the CTV building. Julie Hibbs lost her mother in the collapse of the building. She speaks to Susie Ferguson.
A Taranaki business owner is warning leaseholders to read the fine print of their contracts after being asked to pay his rent in full despite a clause in his lease allowing for a rent cut if he couldn't legally access the property.
Clause 27.5 was included in the Auckland District Law Society commercial lease in 2012 in response to the Canterbury earthquakes, when many leaseholders were barred from their businesses.
RNZ reporter Robin Martin has more.
Gaylene Preston has been making feature films and documentaries with a distinctive NZ flavour for over 30 years. Her latest venture is an epic six part drama series called Hope and Wire, which she produced and directed. Set in Christchurch in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes, Hope and Wire is a fictionalised mix of characters - families that fly apart, others that come together - and what happens to a city that loses it's centre in an instant.
Meet a local town hero from Auckland's Northshore - 86-year-old Māori Warden Peggy Hughes.
Peggy has been serving in her community as a volunteer for about 60 years and officially as a Māori Warden for almost 50 years.
She's won dozens of awards for her services - from working at the 1981 Springbok tour protests, supporting Christchurch residents after the 2011 earthquakes, serving at many memorable Waitangi Day events to the recent Black Lives Matter protests.
Topics - A Christchurch resident says he just wants to get on with his life after his house was flooded for the ninth time since the 2011 earthquake. Fairfax newspapers today feature the story of an elderly gentleman who has been burgled so many times he's afraid to sleep in his own home. In Southland - A 72-year old woman has had her 30-year church membership revoked because she is living in a de facto relationship.
Police prosecutor jailed for dealing drugs;Sharebrokers getting late rush of MRP investors;Pressure mounts on MP Aaron Gilmore;Police rule out anyone else being at risk;Mother of electrocuted son is pleased that electricians been named and shamed;NZ Post signals to Government it will need to invest in KiwiBank in two years;Judge says young killer could have made something of himself;Elderly in Christchurch say they are low on priority list for earthquake repairs and payouts.
Gerry Brownlee is the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister. Hugo Kristinsson is a South Brighton resident who stood for mayor last year on the issue of flood risk and land damage. David Stringer is the spokesperson for the community lobby group Insurance Watch - which has been seeking answers from the council since 2011 about the flood risk to the city. Nine to Noon speaks with all three about the recent flooding in Christchurch.
The Temple for Christchurch is an enormous work, representing the seismic wave of the February 22 earthquake. Made mostly from salvaged wood it's taken a team of volunteers two years to build. But it will meet a fiery end on Saturday night when it is deliberately set alight. Justin Gregory meets the designer and his volunteers with two weeks left until burn day. But when he gets there, none are to be found.
Protecting live music venues is taking on a new urgency in Christchurch, with the popular 12 Bar announcing it will close at the end of the month. With people flocking back to live in the central city after the earthquakes, there have been more complaints about noise from entertainment venues. But the local music scene says positive changes are in the works, so residents and live venues can live in harmony. Niva Chittock reports.
A business owner wants more stringent background checks for people creating professional online profiles after discovering a potential business advisor is currently on home detention for corruption.
Gerard Gallagher was convicted in June after trying to personally profit from information obtained while working for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and Ōtākaro Limited between 2014 and 2017.
Online, he promotes himself as a Business Advisor despite still serving a sentence of 12 months' home detention.
Niva Chittock reports.
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
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.
