Some children in Christchurch still have quite serious post-earthquake anxiety issues - we hear what to look for and why professional help might be a good idea.
This report discusses the experiences gained and lessons learned during a project management internship in post-earthquake Christchurch as part of the construction industry and rebuild effort.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Post-earthquake family fun for Quality Bakers staff at the Horticultural Centre in Hagley Park. Mr Whippy drew the crowd in, young and old".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Band Together in Christchurch's Hagley Park as a post-earthquake party. John Key signs an autograph (one of thousands) for Tiana Hansen, aged 11".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Post-quake barbeque at Shirley Intermediate on proceeds from North Island school donations. Josh Lawrence (11) is on the left with Tyla Leonard (11)".
Dr Sue Bagshaw, the head of a youth health clinic Christchurch, fears the high rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among children will skyrocket due to the earthquake.
Written by Helen Solomons In 1879, my great grandfather, Mortimer Cashman Corliss, was promoted to head telegraphist in Christchurch’s newly built Post and Telegraph Office in Cathedral Squar…
“There are two classes of Christchurch postcards – those with the Cathedral and those without.” [1] The elegance of a lost age is captured in this exquisite photochrom post…
A video about the reopening of Alice in Videoland, in the back of the former Post Office on the corner of Tuam and High Streets. The redesigned space has allowed Alice in Videoland to expand from a DVD rental store to include an art-house cinema as well.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Post-quake barbeque at Shirley Intermediate on proceeds from North Island school donations. From left: Oliver Zabala (13) Luchion Piatkoff (13) and Michael Spooner (12)".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Kaiapoi businesses and retail outlets are struggling post-earthquake leading into Christmas. The Rooster cafe operating out of a prefab building after their building was demolished".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Band Together in Christchurch's Hagley Park as a post-earthquake party. From left Alex Quinn (13), Jamie Keenan (14), Murdoch Pratt (13) and Harlem Brownlee (15)".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Kaiapoi businesses and retail outlets are struggling post-earthquake leading into Christmas. The Rooster cafe operating out of a prefab building after their building was demolished".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Band Together in Christchurch's Hagley Park as a post-earthquake party. Andrew Comrie and his daughter A.K, aged 11 months, getting into the swing of things".
The moving of the Post Office from Market Square to its new site in Cathedral Square, was a significant development in Cathedral Square’s importance in Christchurch business and city life. Th…
Christchurch's CBD as seen from the Cashmere hills, south of the city. Much of the CBD is still cordoned off and without power (as you should be able to spot) as a result of the damage caused by February's deadly earthquake.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Post-earthquake family for Quality Bakers staff at the Horticultural Centre in Hagley Park. City councillor Aaron Keown gets some ice cream from his daughter Lucy, aged 6".
Post graduate students and visitors from Oxford at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Universities.
Roger Sutton, the chief executive of networks company Orion has taken up a five-year contract as the CEO of the Christchurch Earthquake Reconstruction Authority, the top bureaucrat in the post-quake city.
A photograph of workers in a cherry picking installing steel bracing on the Colombo Street face of the former Sydenham Post Office. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A residential street in New Brighton. Liquefaction still lines the street, and lampposts are leaning in different directions. The photographer comments, "This is the New Brighton red zone, which is parallel to the Avon River. The area suffered serious liquefaction during the numerous earthquakes/aftershocks and the land is being bought by the government. Although the houses do not look too bad in the background they have suffered badly. On the day I took this picture the council had just hours before cut the grass, which made the area look less abandoned".
A video of an interview with Andreas Duenser, research scientist at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory, about an earthquake simulator at the University of Canterbury. The simulator was developed to help treat people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. It allows people to relive their earthquake experiences in a safe environment to help them overcome their ordeals.
During 2010 and 2011, a series of major earthquakes caused widespread damage in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The magnitude 6.3 quake in February 2011 caused 185 fatalities. In the ensuing months, the government progressively zoned residential land in Christchurch on the basis of its suitability for future occupation (considering damage from these quakes and future earthquake risk). Over 6,000 homes were placed in the ‘red-zone’, meaning that property owners were forced to sell their land to the Crown. This study analysed patterns of residential mobility amongst thirty-one red-zone households from the suburb of Southshore, Christchurch. Drawing on interviews and surveys, the research traced their experience from the zoning announcement until they had moved to a new residence. The research distinguished between short (before the zoning announcement) and long term (post the red zone ‘deadline’) forms of household relocation. The majority of households in the study were highly resistant to short term movement. Amongst those which did relocate before the zoning decision, the desire to maintain a valued social connection with a person outside of the earthquake environment was often an important factor. Some households also moved out of perceived necessity (e.g. due to lack of power or water). In terms of long-term relocation, concepts of affordability and safety were much more highly valued by the sample when purchasing post-quake property. This resulted in a distinct patterning of post-quake housing location choices. Perceived control over the moving process, relationship with government organisations and insurance companies, and time spent in the red-zone before moving all heavily influenced participants’ disaster experience. Contrary to previous studies, households in this study recorded higher levels of subjective well-being after relocating. The study proposed a typology of movers in the Christchurch post-disaster environment. Four mobility behaviours, or types, are identified: the Committed Stayers (CSs), the Environment Re-Creators (ERCs), the Resigned Acceptors (RAs), and the Opportunistic Movers (OMs). The CSs were defined by their immobility rather than their relocation aspirations, whilst the ERCs attempted to recreate or retain aspects of Southshore through their mobility. The RAs expressed a form of apathy towards the post-quake environment, whereas, on the other hand, the OMs moved relative to pre-earthquake plans, or opportunities that arose from the earthquake itself. Possibilities for further research include examining household adaptability to new residential environments and tracking further mobility patterns in the years following relocation from the red- zone.
Recent advances in timber design at the University of Canterbury have led to new structural systems that are appropriate for a wide range of building types, including multi-storey commercial office structures. These buildings are competitive with more traditional construction materials in terms of cost, sustainability and structural performance. This paper provides seismic design recommendations and analytical modelling approaches, appropriate for the seismic design of post-tensioned coupled timber wall systems. The models are based on existing seismic design theory for precast post-tensioned concrete, modified to more accurately account for elastic deformation of the timber wall systems and the influence of the floor system. Experimental test data from a two storey post-tensioned timber building, designed, constructed and tested at the University of Canterbury is used to validate the analytical models.
Christchurch’s architecture, both new and old, has been brought to life in an illustrated walking book that pays homage to the city’s historical buildings and showcases its new direction in the post-earthquake era.
A photograph of workers in a cherry picking installing steel bracing on the Colombo Street face of the former Sydenham Post Office. A large crack can be seen in the side of the building.
More now from today's post cabinet news conference where the Prime Minister announced that a national memorial service to mark the Christchurch earthquake will be held in the city on Friday March the 18th.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Kaiapoi businesses and retail outlets are struggling post-earthquake leading into Christmas. The Rooster cafe operating out of a prefab building after their building was demolished. Janeen Johnson bringing out coffee".
OPINION: Associate Professor MARK QUIGLEY, from the University of Canterbury's department of geological sciences, and Dr MATTHEW HUGHES, from its department of civil and natural resources engineering, survey the changing landscape of post-quake Christchurch.
Ongoing post-earthquake stresses are having an effect on Cantabrians, resulting in increased demand for anger management counselling. We hear from Jo Westbury, clinical director of Stopping Violence Services, and Struan Duthie, director of Petersgate Counselling.