Christchurch couple lower damages sought in High Court

Audio, Radio New Zealand

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.

Summing up today in Tower earthquake insurance case

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Both sides are expected to sum up their cases today in the legal battle between Tower Insurance and a Christchurch couple, over the amount owed on an earthquake damaged home.

New life for old Villa

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A villa built on the Sumner Esplanade in Christchurch early last century has been saved from demolition and given a new lease of life. A Queenstown couple couldn't bear to see the beautiful home demolished after the earthquakes, so they bought it, had it cut into two pieces and trucked the 500-kilometres south to the Gibbston Valley near Queenstown.

Red-zone letterbox sculptures

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A couple of Christchurch men are collecting letterboxes from the city's red-zoned suburbs, to create sculptures to tell the stories of the homes which have been demolished since the February 2011 earthquake. One of the men is Evan Smith - who co-chairs a group called the Avon-Otakaro Network. It's working toward creating a riverside park along the Avon, where the houses once stood.

The Panel with David Farrar and Tony Doe (Part 1)

Audio, Radio New Zealand

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.