A photograph of the earthquake-damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street. Rubble from the collapsed tower is lying on the ground in front. A car has been crushed under this rubble. Wire fencing, shipping containers, and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake-damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street. Rubble from the collapsed tower is lying on the ground in front. A car has been crushed under this rubble. Wire fencing, shipping containers, and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake-damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street. Rubble from the collapsed tower is lying on the ground in front. A car has been crushed under this rubble. Wire fencing, shipping containers, and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
Text reads 'Dan Vettori donates his entire cricket memorabilia to raise money for Christchurch - News'. The cartoon shows Black Caps' captain Dan Vettori carrying large boxes of cricketing equipment and saying 'I'd have donated the entire Black Caps team, but I didn't think they'd raise anything...' Context - Opinion expressed a bit premature and is because of the 3-2 defeat to Pakistan just before the World Cup which meant the Black Caps entered the match as underdogs. However, now New Zealand are brimming with new-found confidence after three wins on the trot took them into the quarter-finals of the World Cup, says opener Brendon McCullum. McCullum said new coach John Wright had been a huge influence behind the scenes. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text reads 'Could the wrecking ball be used on structures outside Christchurch?' The cartoon shows Minister for the Reconstruction of Christchurch Gerry Brownlee as the wrecking ball on a crane; he says 'let the fun begin'. To one side is a large house crowded with people which represents 'the welfare state' and is surrounded by a barrier on which are printed the words 'Fiscal emergency'. Context - Gerry Brownlee is seen by many as rather too quick to demolish heritage buildings in his rush to rebuild Christchurch. The wrecking ball idea also suggests that the National government is likely to wreck the welfare state in its efforts to sort out economic problems. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Volunteers dispensing energy drinks, soft drinks and snacks inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
A local musician entertaining University of Canterbury students inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
A local musician entertaining University of Canterbury students inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
A photograph of a portable shower unit set up in Hagley Park for the emergency management personnel who travelled to Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. A clothes line has been set up by tying ropes to the shower unit and a digger. To the right, a number of portaloos can also be seen.
A local musician entertaining University of Canterbury students inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
UCSA President Kohan McNab addressing students inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
UCSA President Kohan McNab introducing a musician inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr addressing students inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team in the hanger of a Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules. The ERT members are travelling to Christchurch to help out in the emergency response to the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Blankets, tent poles, and other supplies have been stacked in the centre of the hanger.
University of Canterbury students watching a local musician perform inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
A pothole in a road surface, showing tyre marks where a vehicle has driven through the hole. The photographer comments, "After the earthquake in Christchurch in February 2011 burst underground pipes and liquefaction caused unseen hollows under the road surfaces. Occasionally after all the rest have been exposed by traffic someone would find 'discover' a new one".
Workers inspect a broken sewerage line in New Brighton. The photographer comments, "After the Christchurch earthquake on 23 December 2011 the sewer pipe got badly damaged at New Brighton and was leaking into the Avon River. I think the guy was worried about the fast flow causing him to fill his boots rather than the depth".
University of Canterbury students watching a local musician perform inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
A paper submitted by Andrew Moore in partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Music with Honours, covering the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes on the musical life of Christchurch. Dissertation supervised by Dr Elaine Dobson, University of Canterbury School of Music. All photographs from The Press are copyright Fairfax Media and are used with permission.
University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr addressing students inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The students have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
The number of speed camera tickets being issued skyrockets, police say it's about road safety, the AA's not so sure. Crisis talks in Europe over the Greek debt crisis... and its impact on the Eurozone and there were angry scenes at a Christchurch meeting last night as residents tried to stop a dump for earthquake debris being built in their suburb.
After the devastating effects on Christchurch, we are all aware of the damage earthquakes can cause. But in New Zealand, a tsunami could be just as damaging. University of Auckland engineers Asaad Shamseldin and PhD student Reza Shafiei are creating waves in the lab to work out how safe our buildings are, if a tsunami hits. Ruth Beran goes to visit them.
There is a critical strand of literature suggesting that there are no ‘natural’ disasters (Abramovitz, 2001; Anderson and Woodrow, 1998; Clarke, 2008; Hinchliffe, 2004). There are only those that leave us – the people - more or less shaken and disturbed. There may be some substance to this; for example, how many readers recall the 7.8 magnitude earthquake centred in Fiordland in July 2009? Because it was so far away from a major centre and very few people suffered any consequences, the number is likely to be far fewer than those who remember (all too vividly) the relatively smaller 7.1 magnitude Canterbury quake of September 4th 2010 and the more recent 6.3 magnitude February 22nd 2011 event. One implication of this construction of disasters is that seismic events, like those in Canterbury, are as much socio-political as they are geological. Yet, as this paper shows, the temptation in recovery is to tick boxes and rebuild rather than recover, and to focus on hard infrastructure rather than civic expertise and community involvement. In this paper I draw upon different models of community engagement and use Putnam’s (1995) notion of ‘social capital’ to frame the argument that ‘building bridges’ after a disaster is a complex blend of engineering, communication and collaboration. I then present the results of a qualitative research project undertaken after the September 4th earthquake. This research helps to illustrate the important connections between technical rebuilding, social capital, recovery processes and overall urban resilience.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Provincial Hotel on the corner of Barbadoes and Cashel Streets. The second storey walls have crumbled, and the bricks have fallen onto the ground below. Scaffolding erected in front of the building is now on a lean. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A stack of wooden frames with the words "Quake makes world headlines" written on the uppermost frame. The photographer comments, "This is a sculpture at the CPIT facility in Christchurch. It is a series of squares placed over a column with writing on the squares. It is an excellent movable sculpture that conveys the Christchurch earthquake very well. The squares are placed so that they can slide over each other and even fall inside the other on one side. It is a pity that only two sides of the squares are written on".
A photograph of an earthquake-damaged building in Christchurch. The wall on the side of the house has crumbled, and the bricks have fallen onto the fence and damaged it. Wooden planks have been used to brace the wall towards the back of the property. A red sticker on the front window indicates that the house is unsafe to enter.
Is organising anarchists like herding cats? Apparently not. Sage Forest talks to an anarchists' collective with a deep faith in human nature. Beyond Resistance is a nation-wide anarchists' collective based in Christchurch. They hold regular meetings with the primary goal of empowering workers. But their faith in human nature has proven itself in the response to the earthquake crises. This, they say, is true anarchy at work.
British researchers have found smokers are twice as likely to succeed in quitting if they receive supportive text messages, the head of the Christchurch Earthquake Rebuilding Agency (CERA) Roger Sutton says there will be no quick end in sight for the ongoing insurance problems in Canterbury and the government's hoping a new deal with Bollywood film-makers could bring millions of dollars into New Zealand.
A collection of wheelbarrows from the Student Volunteer Army in the car park of the USCA. The wheelbarrows have been returned by students after a day of clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties. Behind them the UCSA's "Big Top" tent can be seen, which was erected to provide support for students at the University of Canterbury in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A story of hope, at least when it comes to the rebuilding challenge ahead, particularly of Christchurch's badly damaged Cathedral. The Australian city of Newcastle suffered a major earthquake in 1989, and over the next few years put huge effort into rebuilding, virtually brick by brick, its ruined Cathedral. John McNaughton, who was the Lord mayor of Newcastle who oversaw the rebuild, joins us.