The minister wants to ask people at Treasury how they are getting on with all the unexpected expenses but cannot get them on his cellphone. His adviser tells him that they are all out holding garage sales and sausage sizzles. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The Christchurch Art Gallery is on track to reopen late next year, almost five years after the most devastating of the city's earthquakes put it out of commission. One of the key players in this important next step is Dr Lara Strongman who is the gallery's new senior curator.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake aftermath. Abandoned flats in South Brighton after tenants having suddenly been told by the council they have to move out after initially been given green stickers after the Christchurch earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch earthquake. The Shell service station at Southbrook out of fuel at 9am, and they have no idea of when more is coming. Cars are just driving through".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Canterbury Cheesemonger owner Martin Aspinwall is afraid that with other buildings in his block set for the wrecking ball, his business will be driven out and forced to close".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Canterbury Cheesemonger owner Martin Aspinwall is afraid that with other buildings in his block set for the wrecking ball, his business will be driven out and forced to close".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Helping out: Daiken, ITM and Linfox step up and donate time, goods and information to the people of North Canterbury who have been affected by the 4 September earthquake".
View down Papanui Road. Some road works ahead with a sign that says 'Extreme Care Cyclist Merging' and 'Footpath closed please use other side'. On the left is a shop operating out of a shipping container in a site where a building has been demolished.
More than 800 medals are stolen from the War Memorial Museum in Waiouru. Shares in State Owned Enterprises will be capped at 10 percent and gaps in the government's insurance cover will leave many schools damaged by the earthquakes in Canterbury out of pocket.
Many people in this city are, yet again, cleaning up after a major earthquake. An increasing number of householders, especially in the badly hit eastern suburbs, say they're close to hanging up their spades and shipping out.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake aftermath. Nicholas Keen is reluctant to leave his flat after been told by the council he has to move out after initially been given green stickers after the Christchurch earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch earthquake. Rachel Hood (Darfield) with her daughters Izra (3) and Jasmine (1) who she is putting on an aircraft and getting out of Christchurch because of the earthquakes".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake aftermath. Abandoned flats in South Brighton after tenants having suddenly been told by the council they have to move out after initially been given green stickers after the Christchurch earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch earthquake. Rachel Hood (Darfield) with her daughters Izra (3) and Jasmine (1) who she is putting on an aircraft and getting out of Christchurch because of the earthquakes".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Abandoned armchairs outside flats in South Brighton after tenants having suddenly been told by the council they have to move out after initially been given green stickers after the Christchurch earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch earthquake. Rachel Hood (Darfield) with her daughters Izra (3) and Jasmine (1) who she is putting on an aircraft and getting out of Christchurch because of the earthquakes".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Abandoned armchairs outside flats in South Brighton after tenants having suddenly been told by the council they have to move out after initially been given green stickers after the Christchurch earthquake".
Looking across the faultline where the Saturday 4 September 2010 magnitude 7.1 earthquake originated. Note how much the previously straight fence is now out of alignment.
Looking across the faultline where the Saturday 4 September 2010 magnitude 7.1 earthquake originated. Note how much the previously straight fence is now out of alignment.
Tax, water and housing concerns were all debated at length by Bill English and Jacinda Ardern in last night's TVNZ leaders debate. The debate came just an hour after shock 1 News Colmar Brunton poll put Labour out in front. There have been fires and explosions at a flood damaged chemical plant near Houston forcing the evacuation of people in nearby homes. A block of flats in Aro Street has been evacuated after a large slip has come down behind it. After heavy rains and flooding a Mumbai building has collapsed, killing at least 23 people. Biosecurity officials say they expect to decide by the end of the year whether they will need to order the destruction of dairy herds to wipe out a cow disease that's broken out in the South Island. It's been revealed that not a single one of New Zealand's 315 police buildings constructed before 2011 have had a full earthquake safety check. People who've bought houses in Canterbury since the September 2010 earthquake and are still battling with insurance companies over repairs, have been told that if they want to take the matter to court, today is their last chance. The Government has begun urgent talks with Australia over the Queensland's state government's "discriminatory" trade policy which takes effect today. Trade Minister Todd McClay joins us.
Southern Response is back in court today - this time having a final go at arguing that a class action against it should not be an 'opt-out'. Christchurch residents Brendan and Colleen Ross say the state insurer deliberately withheld the true cost of repairing their home which was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes. They are now among 3000 people represented in a class action led by Christchurch lawyer Grant Cameron. In September last year the Court of Appeal decided the class action could proceed on an 'opt-out' basis - which means it would cover more people and potentially cost the state-owned insurer more money if it loses. Southern Response is challenging that decision in the Supreme Court, a two day hearing wrapped up on Tuesday. Checkpoint reporter Logan Church was there.
An adviser tells the minister that the PM is going to make sure that no cowboy builders make a quick buck out of the massive rebuilding project. The minister curses because he is in the process of getting his box of tools ready. Refers to rebuilding damaged buildings in the wake of the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September 2010. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
An elderly couple sit having afternoon tea and chatting about Prince William's visit to Christchurch after the February 22 earthquake. The woman expresses delight that 'Prince William took time out to visit Christchurch' and her husband comments that there is 'Not much talk about becoming a republic lately'. Context - The Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 and Prince William's subsequent visit. Also discussion about New Zealand's becoming a republic; there is a Republican Movement who are promoting the idea of an elected head of state. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Commentary from the cartoonist 'The Earthquake Commission's leak of 83,000 files is like a storyline from Alfred Hitchcock: : a loon attempts to shock a nation that has already been rendered braindead from previous shocks.Note: EQC is ued here as an 'echo' of the term ECT [electro convulsive therapy...ie shock treatment].' In March 2013, there was a massive leak of of some 83,000 EQC files relating to individual claims relating to the Christchurch earthquakes. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Businesses in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton are demanding urgent action to pull the area out of an economic slump. The seaside town has struggled since the Canterbury Earthquakes, with thousands of people - and customers - leaving the area due to land damage under their homes.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Emma Howard was married today to Chris Greenslade at the Christ the King church centre on Greers Road, Burnside. Howard was pulled out of the collapsed PGC building after February 22nd earthquake in Christchurch".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "A big day of moving out of the caravan up the drive of their house to a rental home, for earthquake-stricken Kaiapoi mum and children. Tyler Entwistle (13) with boxes stacked in the caravan".
It's no longer politics as usual in Christchurch following a series of devastating earthquakes. Not everyone in the city and its surrounding areas is happy with last week's offer to buy out those households on land which has suffered the worst damage. Our political editor Brent Edwards investigates.
The Aromaunga Flowers nursery in Heathcote, Christchurch sits right above the point where the earthquake struck on 22 February. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes visits the growing business to find out what damage has been done and how owner John Baxter and his partner Elisabeth Marsh are coping.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Emma Howard was married today to Chris Greenslade at the Christ the King church centre on Greers Road, Burnside. Howard was pulled out of the collapsed PGC building after February 22nd earthquake in Christchurch".