A photograph of Crack'd for Christchurch's preparation for mosaicking their armchair artwork in a garage. A number of mosaics of flowers and leaves have been laid over the floor. Several cars covered in dust sheets are parked in the background. To the right, Jenny Cooper is placing paper mosaic designs on the arms of the chair.Crack'd for Christchurch comments, "Some of the flowers made over the summer, laid out and ready to go on the chair."
Nature has endowed New Zealand with unique geologic, climatic, and biotic conditions. Her volcanic cones and majestic Southern Alps and her verdant plains and rolling hills provide a landscape as rugged and beautiful as will be found anywhere. Her indigenous fauna and flora are often quite different from that of the rest of the world and consequently have been of widespread interest to biologists everywhere. Her geologic youth and structure and her island climate, in combination with the biological resources, have made a land which is ecologically on edge. These natural endowments along with the manner in which she has utilized her land, have given New Zealand some of the most spectacular and rapid erosion to be found. It is quite evident that geologic and climatic conditions combine to give unusually high rates of natural erosion. Present topographic features indicate the past occurrence of large-scale flooding as well. Prior to the arrival of the Maori, it is very likely that most of the land mass of New Zealand below present bush lines was covered with indigenous bush or forest. Forest fires of a catastrophic nature undoubtedly occurred as a result of lightning, and volcanic eruptions. The exposed soils left by these catastrophes contributed to natural deterioration. While vast areas of forest cover were destroyed, they probably were healed by nature with forest or with grass or herbaceous cover. Further, it is probable that large areas in the mountains were, as they are now, subject to landslides and slipping due to earthquakes and excessive local rainfall. Again, the healing process was probably rapid in most of such exposed areas.
A scathing inquiry into the Earthquake Commission's handling of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes could mean huge change for how it handles claims. The Government says it's committed to implementing all of the recommendations from the inquiry, including improving its communication, planning and preparedness and dispute resolution. John Goddard, an insurance and employment law barrister who dealt with more than 4000 claims at the time, says repairs were handled poorly and the new recommendations won't cover all the bases. John Goddard and Melanie Bourke of EQC Fix speak to Corin Dann.
Volunteers photographed with one of Gap Filler's painted pianos. The piano has been set up at the demolished site of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. In the background, Gap Filler's Pallet Pavilion can be seen. The back of the piano has been covered by plastic sheeting with a picture of a dog. A wooden structure has also been built around the piano with Perspex and corrugated iron on top and plastic sheeting to the left and right. This is to protect the piano and pianist from wind and rain.
Welcome to the Recover newsletter Issue 5 from the Marine Ecology Research Group (MERG) of the University of Canterbury. Recover is designed to keep you updated on our MBIE-funded earthquake recovery project called RECOVER (Reef Ecology, Coastal Values & Earthquake Recovery). This 5th instalment covers the question of how much of the coast uplifted how much, recent lab work on seaweed responses to stressors, and more on our drone survey work to quantify earthquake impacts and recovery along 130 km of coastline in the intertidal zone!
The title reads 'Greener square for Christchurch?..' The cartoon depicts the city centre in Christchurch entirely covered with green and there are cows wandering by the stream as well as grazing on the tops of buildings. A man at the top of the green cathedral says 'I can see it really growing on me!' Context: This is a reference to the draft Central City plan under which the Central City will be greener and more attractive. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The policing of building safety systems is being cut back nationwide. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is reducing its monitoring of the building warrants of fitness scheme that covers 16 crucial safety systems including fire measures. This coincides with it having to do more checks on what councils are doing regarding fences around pools and earthquake-prone buildings. The cutback is despite ministry reviews which show many councils do little to audit the building warrants they issue. An inspector of building safety systems and adviser on warrants, Charlie Loughnan of Canterbury, told our reporter Phil Pennington that less monitoring is not a good idea.
An image of 'Polar Opposite': a cartoon cat and dog. 'Polar Opposite' is one of the 'Festive Besties, a series of characters created by All Right? for their 2015 Christmas e-cards. All Right? used the image as a Facebook cover photo on 18 December 2015 at 9:27am with the caption, "Who's your Polar Opposite? Hint: Like avo and Marmite, it'll be someone who you're an unlikely pair with! Thank them and your other 2015 Besties today with our fab FREE tiles: allright.org.nz/festive".
The clock tower of the former Railway Station, encased in plywood to prevent further damage. A banner sponsored by The Press hangs below the clock, covered with words which symbolise the September earthquake. The photographer comments, "After the September earthquake the clocked stopped at 04:35 and everyone campaigned to have this clock left as it was. At that time the building was believed to be OK. Two more earthquakes later and the possible memorial will probably end up like a lot of Christchurch's heritage buildings on a huge pile of stone and bricks in Bottle Lake Forest".
An image of 'Terrific Tinsel', an 'All Rightie' wrapped in Christmas decorations. 'Terrific Tinsel' is one of the 'Festive Besties, a series of characters created by All Right? for their 2015 Christmas e-cards. All Right? used the image as a Facebook cover photo on 17 December 2015 at 10:10am with the caption, "Who's your Terrific Tinsel? Hint: It'll be someone who brings sparkle to any situation and isn't afraid to stand out! Thank them and your other 2015 Besties today with our fab FREE tiles: allright.org.nz/festive".
An image of 'Jazzy Jandal': an 'All Rightie' riding a giant jandal like a surfboard. 'Jazzy Jandal' is one of the 'Festive Besties', a series of characters created by All Right? for their 2015 Christmas e-cards. All Right? used the image as a Facebook cover photo on 19 December 2015 at 5:41pm with the caption, "Who's your Jazzy Jandal? Hint: It'll be someone who is #1 for laid-back fun! Thank them and your other 2015 Besties today with our fab FREE tiles: allright.org.nz/festive".
An image of 'Energetic Elf': an 'All Rightie' with elf ears carrying a stack of presents. 'Energetic Elf' is one of the 'Festive Besties', a series of characters created by All Right? for their 2015 Christmas e-cards. All Right? used the image as a cover photo on 20 December 2015 at 5:22pm, with the caption, "Who's your Energetic Elf? Hint: It'll be someone who puts in the hard graft, often behind the scenes! Thank them and your other 2015 Besties today with our fab FREE tiles: allright.org.nz/festive".
A man reading a newspaper wails and sobs when he discovers that Christchurch will not be hosting any Rugby World Cup games. The newspaper is covered with real disaster news like the Japanese earthquake and potential nuclear disaster, economy problems , and 'aftershock anxiety'. Context - The Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 that have led to the decision that because of the amount of damage to the venue plus infrastructures and accommodation for visitors the Rugby World Cup will not be played in Christchurch. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
An image of 'Brandy Snap': an 'All Rightie' wearing a brandy snap costume. 'Brandy Snap' is one of the 'Festive Besties, a series of characters created by All Right? for their 2015 Christmas e-cards. All Right? used the image as a Facebook cover photo on 20 December 2015 at 8:45am with the caption, "Who's your Brandy Snap? Hint: It'll be someone with a tough exterior and sweet insides to say it like it really is! Thank them and your other 2015 Besties today with our fab FREE tiles: allright.org.nz/festive".
The University of Canterbury's E-Learning team's temporary office in the James Hight building. The photographer comments, "First looks at our new temporary (maybe) office space. Our group will stay here until April or May 2011, then will move to another floor in the Central Library. My desk. I hope to get blinds to cover this internal window. Later - blinds are not allowed, so I rotated the desk 180 degrees. My back is now facing the window, but I'm far enough away that people won't be able to read my screens - and I don't have to look at people looking at me".
Christ Church Cathedral, Christchurch, with spire being rebuilt after the 1901 earthquake. Photographer unidentified. The nave, tower and spire of Christchurch Cathedral was completed in 1881. Work on completeing the rest of the building began in 1900. In 1902 the transcepts were finished and work started on the chancel and apse. An earthquake in 1901 cracked the upper part of the spire in two places. In this photograph which dates from late 1902/1903 (see scaffolding beyond the transcept indicating work on chancel) the upper part of the spire has been removed by Messrs Graham and Greig in preparation for replacing this section with a copper covered wooden structure. The Cathedral was completed in 1904. (Information from "Vision and Reality; Christchurch Cathedral in the Square," Colin Brown, Christchurch, 2000 and "A Dream of Spires," Ian Lochhead, Canterbury University Press, 1999, page 153.) Preparation for erecting the scaffolding was reported in the Christchurch Star 15 January 1902. The cross was replaced on the top of the new copper covered wooden section of the spire on 29 June 1903. Source of descriptive information - Notes on file print. Source of title - Title supplied by Library Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Glass negative
An image of 'Sparkly Spud': an 'All Rightie' harvesting a giant potato. 'Sparkly Spud' is one of the 'Festive Besties, a series of characters created by All Right? for their 2015 Christmas e-cards. All Right? used the image as a Facebook cover photo on 19 December 2015 at 7:40am with the caption, "Who's your Sparkly Spud? Hint: It'll be someone who is a new friend - tasty, sweet and signal that a new season of fun is just around the corner! Thank them and your other 2015 Besties today with our fab FREE tiles: allright.org.nz/festive".
The cartoon consists of the words 'More quACHES' drawn with a stencil. Context - Two more earthquakes rocked Christchurch on 13th June, following those of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. The first magnitude 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometres east of Christchurch at Taylor's Mistake beach, at a depth of 11 kilometres, and sent people scrambling for cover. It was followed at 2.20pm by a more powerful magnitude 6 quake, centred 10 kilometres southeast of the city and 9km underground. There is a wordplay on 'quakes' and 'aches'. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Professor Lucy Easthope is one of the world's foremost disaster planners. Her first major job in emergency planning was responding to 9/11 and since then, her career has covered almost every major disaster; the Boxing Day tsunami, the London bombings, the Christchurch earthquakes, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shot down over Ukraine, the Grenfell Tower fire, Covid-19 and many more. It's her job to help get the bodies identified, repatriate survivors, return personal effects, look after the bereaved, and advise governments for the future. She speaks to Kathryn about her memoir, When the Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster.
A car on Rowses Road has its entire front half embedded in liquefaction after falling into a sink hole. Another car has its wheels stuck in the silt. In the foreground, a car drives through flooding which covers the road. The photographer comments, "Perhaps the most impressively stuck car was this small silver hatchback that went head first into a large hole in a street just off Shortland Street (between Shortland and Breezes Road) in Aranui. The rear hatch was open when we came across it. Apparently there had been one person and a dog inside but they managed to escape. The silt has now settled around and inside the car, making the vehicle an intimidating monument to the earthquake".
A woman sits at the breakfast table reading the paper - As her husband comes through the door behind her she comments that the 'Regional Council says rural people should be checking their septic tanks!' Her husband is covered in muck and surrounded by flies - he has clearly been taking the council's advice. Refers to the news that the Canterbury Regional Council is encouraging rural residents with septic tanks to check their wastewater system for any signs of damage following September's earthquake. (Radio NZ News 5 November 2010) Both colour and black and white versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
In a Christchurch street still covered in liquefaction man weeps over his four-wheel drive car, which has a number plate showing the word 'macho'. Two women who are working at clearing the road of silt watch and one of them observes that 'he's not handling the quake well at all... Keeps getting silt smears on the 4 x 4!' Context - The Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011. Liquefaction is a particular problem. There is a point being made here about the 'macho' man who sobs over his car and the two staunch women who get on with the cleaning-up effort. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A video about the restoration of the dome of the Isaac Theatre Royal. The video includes an interview with Vanessa Carswell, Associate at Warren and Mahoney, about the dimensions of the dome. Because the dome is not a perfect circle, the dome and the canvas that cover it have to be reinstalled in exactly the same way, and the dimensions have to be measured accurately so that the new steelwork fits correctly. The video also includes an interview with art restorer Carolina Izzo about restoring the canvas covering of the dome. Izzo says that the theatre lights have burnt the edges of the canvas, and some patches have been affected by mould. She also explains the process for cleaning the artwork.
A photograph of members of Crack'd for Christchurch working in their workshop. A number of mosaics of flowers and leaves have been laid out on the table in front of them. Boxes of broken china are organised on the shelf behind.Crack'd for Christchurch comments, "Back at the workshop, flower making continues. You can see a table covered with flower motifs, looking amazing. We had to make the flowers at home in the evenings as we all worked during the day. After much trial and error our flower experts (Helen, Sharon, and Jennie) came up with a clever way to attach the tiny pieces to mesh, so they could be transferred to the chair easily. From left: Sharon Wilson, Helen Campbell, and Shirley Walden."
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.
The University of Canterbury held its inaugural Earthquake Forum on the 2nd September 2011. It was an opportunity to hear the diversity of earthquake-related research currently being undertaken in Canterbury and a chance for researchers and those working on the recovery to identify further areas where the research can support the recovery effort.The morning consisted of presentations showcasing the breadth of research currently underway and the afternoon will create the opportunity for people to connect in a series of concurrent workshops on the land, buildings and people. Neil Challenger's presentation covers landscape architecture, temporary landscapes, exploration of design ideas and specific student research related to urban design and earthquake recovery.
Results from a series of 1D seismic effective stress analyses of natural soil deposits from Christchurch are summarized. The analysed soil columns include sites whose performance during the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes varied significantly, from no liquefaction manifestation at the ground surface to very severe liquefaction, in which case a large area of the site was covered by thick soil ejecta. Key soil profile characteristics and response mechanisms affecting the severity of surface liquefaction manifestation and subsequent damage are explored. The influence of shaking intensity on the triggering and contribution of these mechanisms is also discussed. Careful examination of the results highlights the importance of considering the deposit as a whole, i.e. a system of layers, including interactions between layers in the dynamic response and through pore water pressure redistribution and water flow.
The latest two great earthquake sequences; 2010- 2011 Canterbury Earthquake and 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake, necessitate a better understanding of the New Zealand seismic hazard condition for new building design and detailed assessment of existing buildings. It is important to note, however, that the New Zealand seismic hazard map in NZS 1170.5.2004 is generalised in effort to cover all of New Zealand and limited to a earthquake database prior to 2001. This is “common” that site-specific studies typically provide spectral accelerations different to those shown on the national map (Z values in NZS 1170.5:2004); and sometimes even lower. Moreover, Section 5.2 of Module 1 of the Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering Practice series provide the guidelines to perform site- specific studies.
The cartoon shows God sitting at his computer with an image of a devastated Christchurch on the screen. He is about to hit the 'smite' key. Text above reads 'God at his computer'. Context - Two more earthquakes rocked Christchurch on 13th June, following those of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. The first magnitude 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometres east of Christchurch at Taylor's Mistake beach, at a depth of 11 kilometres, and sent people scrambling for cover. It was followed at 2.20pm by a more powerful magnitude 6 quake, centred 10 kilometres southeast of the city and 9km underground. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The former Earthquake Commission minister, Gerry Brownlee, is defending EQC over claims its assessors in Christchurch were not properly qualified. A growing number of homeowners in the city are discovering EQC assessors have completely missed quake damage including broken foundations costing hundreds of thousands to repair. That's been disastrous for people who've bought homes with hidden damage who are sometimes finding private insurers unwilling to cover the cost of putting right mistakes made by EQC. The company hired by EQC to carry out repairs was Fletcher Construction. Its chief executive at the time, Mark Binns, told Checkpoint that EQC probably hired unqualified people to assess quake damaged homes. Gerry Brownlee refused to be drawn on the comments from Mr Binns. But when asked by RNZ Christchurch reporter, Conan Young, if it was acceptable to have retired policemen, school principals and vacuum cleaner salesmen carrying out assessments for EQC, he admitted finding enough people to do the job was a challenge.