Canterbury Earthquake - Peter Townsend
Audio, Radio New Zealand
Peter Townsend is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. He's at Wellington Airport trying to get back to Christchurch.
Peter Townsend is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. He's at Wellington Airport trying to get back to Christchurch.
Leanne Curtis is a Canterbury Communities' Earthquake Recovery Network board member and Peter Townsend is the chief executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce.
A new centre being set up to help Canterbury businesses struggling after the recent earthquakes says it's getting ready to open its doors and is calling for applications from interested companies.
A Canterbury business leader says local firms are worried that the earthquake rebuilding effort is in danger of losing its way.
Returning now to the emergency finance package for Christchurch businesses, which the Prime Minister announced this afternoon.
Canterbury may have a regional holiday to mark the anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake.
It's estimated up to 150 businesses will go bust following the Canterbury earthquake.
There are fears more than a hundred businesses, particulary in the retailing and restaurant sectors, will have to close their doors as a result of the physical and economic damage caused by the earthquake.
The government's announced a $350 a week subsidy for some workers who have lost their income due to the Canterbury earthquake.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Commission is promising swift changes following criticism of the rebuilding efforts necessitated by September's big quake.
Employers and unions in Christchurch say the Government is moving too quickly to reduce emergency welfare payments in the wake of the February earthquake.
The Christchurch City Council's control of the earthquake recovery plan has been taken out of its hands, to the delight of business leaders, but to the chagrin of some local councilors.
The head of the the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce, Peter Townsend, says the effects of the Christchurch earthquake will dominate business in Canterbury for at least the next three years.
Bob Parker, Christchurch mayor and Peter Townsend, chief executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce. The Christchurch City Council has unveiled its $2 billion vision for the rebuild of earthquake-hit central Christchurch.
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.
Unemployment figures released yesterday may have showed little change in the nation's jobless rate, but it appears there's a gaping hole in the statistics when it comes to earthquake struck Christchurch.
Peter Townsend is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce. He is part of the official reconstruction group. Geert van de Vorsten Bosch is the emergency Centre Supervisor at Linwood High School which has been turned into an evacuation centre. Dr Ramon Pink is the Canterbury medical officer of health. Metservice duty forecaster Heath Gullery speaks about the possible weather issues Canterbury may soon experience.
Questions to Ministers 1. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: Does he agree with the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend that the reconstruction of Canterbury following the earthquake requires someone "to co-ordinate and oversee" reconstruction? 2. COLIN KING to the Minister of Finance: What steps is the Government taking to ensure the Earthquake Commission can meet claims arising from the Canterbury earthquake? 3. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: What was the earliest date that Treasury formed the conclusion that South Canterbury Finance could fail, and when and by whom was that first raised with him? 4. DAVID GARRETT to the Attorney-General: Does he agree that "tikanga" as it is described in the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill will differ in meaning from iwi to iwi and hapū to hapū? 5. Hon RUTH DYSON to the Minister of Health: Are doctors and nurses having more say in how the health system is run? 6. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister for the Environment: What reports has he received on responses to the Canterbury earthquake, particularly with respect to the region's flood and waste management systems? 7. TE URUROA FLAVELL to the Attorney-General: What is the burden of proof under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill in relation to applications for customary interests, and what type of evidence would the Crown be required to produce to prove that a customary interest had been extinguished? 8. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Attorney-General: When he answered yesterday that "hopefully" the new foreshore and seabed bill "will settle the protracted controversy around the issues of the foreshore and seabed", was he aware that the Government's confidence and supply partner Hon Pita Sharples told TV3 that he was "not entirely happy" with the new bill? 9. JO GOODHEW to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How have Government social services been supporting the people of Canterbury? 10. PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Local Government: Why did the Auckland Transition Agency award the $53.8 million contract for the Auckland Council's Enterprise Resource Planning computer system without a competitive tender? 11. Dr JACKIE BLUE to the Minister of Women's Affairs: Why is the Ministry of Women's Affairs celebrating Suffrage Day? 12. CATHERINE DELAHUNTY to the Minister of Women's Affairs: How will New Zealand's forthcoming report to the UN under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women explain the Government's decision to axe the Pay and Employment Equity Unit?