As the fourth anniversary of the earthquake which devastated Christchurch approaches, the slow pace of the rebuild has surprised many. But how quickly have other earthquake hit cities returned to their former glory? Radio New Zealand Christchurch reporter, Rachel Graham, visited Japan for an Insight documentary to compare the progress made in the Sendai area, almost four years after it was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and a mega tsunami. She also visited Kobe to look at the impact on that city, and the lessons learnt, 20 years after it was hit by a major earthquake.
A photograph of the photocopy template for the Christchurch City Council's yellow sticker. The sticker was used by the Civil Defence after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes to indicate that a building had been inspected and that structural damage or other safety hazards had been found. The sticker states that there should be no entry to the building, 'except on essential business'. It also states that 'earthquake aftershocks present danger' and that people who enter must do so at their own risk.
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.
The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, incurred significant damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city had, by the late 2010s, regained economic and social normalcy after a sustained period of rebuilding and economic recovery. Through the concerted rebuilding effort, a modern central business district (CBD) with redesigned infrastructure and amenities was developed. The Christchurch rebuild was underpinned by a commitment of urban planners to an open and connected city, including the use of innovative technologies to gather, use and share data. As was the case elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions to social and economic life in Christchurch. Border closures, lockdowns, trading limitations and other restrictions on movement led to changes in traditional consumer behaviors and affected the retail sector’s resilience. In this study, we used CBD pedestrian traffic data gathered from various locations to predict changes in retail spending and identify recovery implications through the lens of retail resilience. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns have driven a substantive change in the behavioral patterns of city users. The implications for resilient retail, sustainable policy and further research are explored.
A panoramic photograph of a public talk about temporary street furniture. The furniture was designed and fabricated by F3 Design for the Christchurch City Council. The event was part of FESTA 2012.
The family of a man killed while trying to reach his family after the February earthquake in Canterbury wants the Christchurch City Council to ensure people in Lyttelton are not cut off again.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. People in the city try and resume their normal day to day lives after the earthquake".
Boarded-up broken windows on the old Christchurch City Council building in Tuam Street. The photographer comments, "What can happen to a building when the land is no longer solid as a rock".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. People in the city try and resume their normal day to day lives after the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. People in the city try and resume their normal day to day lives after the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. People in the city try and resume their normal day to day lives after the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. People in the city try and resume their normal day to day lives after the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. People in the city try and resume their normal day to day lives after the earthquake".
A digitally manipulated photograph of the partially-demolished Ozone Hotel. The photographer comments, "As if a deadly disease is moving out from Christchurch City red zone, the heritage buildings are being put down".
Days after the city of Christchurch was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, This Way Up's presenter Simon Morton traverses the city using the Avon River as his route. Travelling on a bicycle from the source of the Avon in the West to Heathcote Estuary in the East, where the Avon meets the Pacific, everyone has a story to tell.
Days after the city of Christchurch was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, This Way Up's presenter Simon Morton traverses the city using the Avon River as his route. Travelling on a bicycle from the source of the Avon in the West to Heathcote Estuary in the East, where the Avon meets the Pacific, everyone has a story to tell.
Topics - Eight days on from the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 161 people in Christchurch, officials have announced that the rescue effort will now transition to a recovery operation. Dunedin shares the nation's sorrow for Christchurch - but the ODT reports today that it could also benefit from an influx of workers and businesses relocating from the Garden City. Some Christchurch landlords have been labelled opportunistic vultures for ramping up rents for homeless businesses trying to find temporary office space.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "This detail from the south side of ChristChurch Cathedral shows the lateral movement that has occurred at about this height all along the south side".
A lecturer at Canterbury University's School of Forestry, Justin Morgenroth on new research into the lifesaving role played by trees in the Christchurch earthquakes - and the importance of urban forests for the future of the city.
A photograph submitted by Philip Broderick Willis to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "Christchurch National Memorial Service – watching videos of the Central City, which most of us had not seen anything of in months.".
For the first time in November 2011, Christchurch residents finally had the opportunity to see the earthquake-damaged city centre on the Red Zone bus tours organised by CERA. A partial view of Christ Church Cathedral.
Six years on from the Christchurch earthquakes, one in five residents of the city say the disaster is still taking its toll. The latest wellbeing survey by the Canterbury DHB found people living in north-east and east Christchurch were the most likely to be suffering from issues such as anxiety, from ongoing aftershocks, being in a damaged environment, and surrounded by construction.
Ravenscar House Museum holds an extraordinary, previously private art collection. The new building has been gifted to Christchurch by art collectors Susan Wakefield and her late husband Jim. The art remains in the ownership of the Ravenscar Trust. Artists in the collection include Colin McCahon, Bill Sutton and Frances Hodgkins. The treasures were previously in the Wakefield's Christchurch home which suffered irreparable earthquake damage. They're now displayed in the purpose-designed and built Ravenscar House Museum in the city's Arts precinct. The story of the art and artefacts is told in in the book - Ravenscar House: A Biography, written by Christchurch journalist and writer Sally Blundell.
A black and white historic photograph of the Clarendon Hotel, prior to its 1903 reconstruction, [1902].
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The light shines through these stained glass windows in ChristChurch Cathedral in a way that used to be seen only from the inside of the Cathedral".
A notice on the cordon fence around the site where the CTV building once was. It says 'Please respect this site. In recognition of the special significance this site holds for the people of our city and all those affect by the earthquakes, the Christchurch City Council is working with Canterbury Museum to preserve aspects of our remembering. Tributes may be left at this site. Older tributes will be removed from archiving by the Canterbury Museum to become part of the city's memory of the Canterbury Earthquakes. Organic materials will be composted and used in the city's gardens'.
Santarium is cutting 36 jobs in Christchurch as it pulls out of manufacturing Weetbix in the city. The final engineering report on the site says the factory's tower block is an earthquake risk, and demolition starts tomorrow.
For the first time in November 2011, Christchurch residents finally had the opportunity to see the earthquake-damaged city centre on the Red Zone bus tours organised by CERA. A partial view of the Hotel Grand Chancellor.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team inside a building in the Christchurch central city. Silt and water from liquefaction has covered large sections of the concrete floor.
A photograph of a sign outside a property in Christchurch. The sign reads, "Thanks for helping our city". Sandcastles have been made out of liquefaction silt on the footpath in front of the sign.