A video of an interview with Peter Townsend, Chief Executive of Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce about the experiences of businesses in the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. Townsend talks about business collaboration in Christchurch, the need for businesses to have a back-up plans, the increase in people working from home, and the importance of businesses understanding their insurance. This video is part of a series about businesses in Christchurch after the earthquakes.
The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission has heard the earthquake resilience of stairways in the Forsyth Barr building was compromised when they were installed.
The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission has heard how close the city's tallest building came to collapsing entirely during the February 22nd earthquake.
The Labour Party has accused the Government of sitting on money set aside to provide skills training needed for the Canterbury earthquake rebuild.
Christchurch Hospital Chimney. File reference: CCL-2012-02-20-CanterburyBrewery-February-2012 DSC_148.JPG From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
This paper examines the consistency of seismicity and ground motion models, used for seismic hazard analysis in New Zealand, with the observations in the Canterbury earthquakes. An overview is first given of seismicity and ground motion modelling as inputs of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, whose results form the basis for elastic response spectra in NZS1170.5:2004. The magnitude of earthquakes in the Canterbury earthquake sequence are adequately allowed for in the current NZ seismicity model, however the consideration of ‘background’ earthquakes as point sources at a minimum depth of 10km results in up to a 60% underestimation of the ground motions that such events produce. The ground motion model used in conventional NZ seismic hazard analysis is shown to provide biased predictions of response spectra (over-prediction near T=0.2s , and under-predictions at moderate-to-large vibration periods). Improved ground motion prediction can be achieved using more recent NZ-specific models.
Lincoln University and CBRE, a commercial real estate service provider, have conducted research to investigate the impacts of the Canterbury earthquake on the commercial office market in Christchurch. The 22 February 2011 Canterbury earthquake had a devastating impact on Christchurch property with significant damage caused to land and buildings. As at January 2012, around 740 buildings have either been demolished or identified to be demolished in central Christchurch. On top of this, around 140 buildings have either been partially demolished or identified to be partially demolished. The broad aims of our research are to (i) examine the nature and extent of the CBD office relocation, (ii) identify the nature of the occupiers, (iii) determine occupier’s perceptions of the future: their location and space needs post the February earthquake, and the likelihood of relocating back to the CBD after the rebuild, and (iv) find out what occupiers see as the future of the CBD, and how they want this to look.
Shortly after 4 o’clock this morning the whole of the South and a portion of the North Island was shaken by a violent shock of earthquake, the most severe experienced for more than 20 years……
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'.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The food caravans that used to operate in the Arts Centre, now travel to several places in the city. Here they are in the quad at Canterbury University with the lunchtime queues".
A photograph of a flower in a road cone at the University of Canterbury. On the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake, people were encouraged to place flowers in road cones as a way of honouring those who lost their lives during the earthquake.
A photograph of the Canterbury Provincial Chambers on Durham Street. The building has been cordoned off with wire fencing and the roof covered by plastic sheeting. Much of the masonry has been removed and a wooden structure constructed inside. A crane can be seen behind.
Slides from the presentation by Associate Professor Kate Van Heugten (Human Services and Social Work Department) on "Challenges and Rewards of Working in the Human Services in the Aftermath of the Canterbury Earthquakes 2010/2011".
New research shows the Canterbury earthquakes generated eight million tonnes of waste - forty times what would normally come from local households in a year.
It was just a little under an hour and a half ago, two years today, that a seven-point-one magnitude earthquake shook Canterbury.
West Auckland residents begin the cleanup after yesterday's tornado. The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission calls for the seismic grading of all non-residential buildings.
Witnesses before the Canterbury Earthquake Royal Commission have been questioned over whether preservation of heritage buildings was given more consideration than preserving human lives.
Canterbury retail spending surges following earthquake disruptions. Traders face potential prison terms in Britain's rate-rigging scandal and the sharemarket falls half a percent.
A freshwater biologist says a tsunami of sediment and sand caused by the Canterbury earthquakes is choking the city's riverbeds and killing aquatic life.
A photograph of a cairn created in protest against the removal of democratically elected Environment Canterbury councillors and their replacement by centrally appointed commissioners.
A photograph of a cairn created in protest against the removal of democratically elected Environment Canterbury councillors and their replacement by centrally appointed commissioners.
The Canterbury earthquakes are unique in that the there have been a series of major earthquakes, each with their own subsequent aftershock pattern. These have extended from the first large earthquake in September 2010 to currently, at the time of writing, two years later. The last significant earthquake of over magnitude 5.0 on the Richter scale was in May on 2012, and the total number of aftershocks has exceeded 12,000. The consequences, in addition to the loss of life, significant injury and widespread damage, have been far reaching and long term, with detrimental effects and still uncertain effects for many. This provides unique challenges for individuals, communities, organisations and institutions within Canterbury. This document reviews research-based understandings of the concept of resilience. A conceptual model is developed which identifies a number of the factors that influence individual and household resilience. Guided by the model, a series of recommendations are developed for practices that will support individual and household resilience in Canterbury in the aftermath of the 2010-2011 earthquakes.
The earthquake sequence has resulted in significant physical and reputational damage to the Canterbury tourism industry. Eighteen months after the earthquakes inbound tourism data is still below pre-earthquake levels, with Canterbury operators reporting that the industry has not bounced back to where it was before September 2010. Outcomes of the earthquakes on business performance highlight there were winners and losers in the aftermath. Recovery of inbound tourism markets is closely tied to the timeframe to rebuild the CBD of Christchurch. Reinstating critical tourism infrastructure will drive future tourism investment, and allow tourism businesses to regenerate and thrive into the future. A blueprint for rebuilding the CBD of Christchurch was released by the Christchurch City Council in July 2012, and has been well received by tourism stakeholders in the region. The challenge now is for city officials to fund the development projects outlined in the blueprint, and to rebuild the CBD as quickly as possible in order to help regenerate the tourism industry in Christchurch, Canterbury and the rest of the South Island
An interview with Mark Quigley, lecturer in Active Tectonics/Tectonic Geomorphology at the University of Canterbury, about his experiences during the 22 February 2011 earthquake, and the active fault lines which caused the earthquakes. This video is part of The Press's 'Christchurch, one year after February 22, 2011' series.
The minister for Earthquake Recovery, Gerry Brownlee, is refusing to intervene and force the Canterbury regional council, to loosen rules around log burners in Christchurch.
The Royal Commission into the Canterbury Earthquakes has heard the CTV building collapsed because of the incompetence of the man in charge of designing it.
South Island motorists are warned to take care as snow falls and the Canterbury Earthquake Royal Commission is told the engineering profession is in crisis.
Seismologists studying the Canterbury earthquakes say aftershocks from the September 2010 quake were so unusually strong because of the type of rocks along the faultline.
Canterbury's health officials say an increase in binge drinking, not taking medicines, and domestic violence are signs of the ongoing effect of the region's earthquakes.
The creation of a new unit within the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to oversee the rebuilding of central Christchurch is being welcomed by business leaders.