A photograph of a red sticker on the side of a building. The sticker indicates that the building is unsafe to enter.
A photograph of an excavator clearing rubble on the corner of Manchester and Lichfield Street.
A photograph of an emergency management member photographing the interior of an earthquake-damaged building.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a letter box on a residential property in Christchurch.
A photograph of felled trees in Hagley Park.
A photograph of campervans parked in Hagley Park.
This article is a critical commentary of how political documentary embodies the traits and functions of alternative journalism. I explore this notion through Obrero (‘worker’) my independent documentary project about the labour migration of Filipino workers to Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, after the earthquake in 2011. This article maps out the points at where the theories and practices of alternative media and documentary intersect. Analysing political documentary as a format of alternative journalism has links to the long tradition of film and video production as a tool for social critique. As a form of practice-based research, Obrero falls under the rubric of alternative journalism—able to represent the politically marginal sectors of the polity and report on issues underreported in the mainstream press. This article concludes that a distribution plan that is responsive to fragmenting audiences works best when alternative journalism no longer targets a niche but transborder audiences.
A photograph of cracks and liquefaction in Hagley Park.
A photograph of the Mainland Foundation Ball Park in Christchurch.
A photograph of cracks and liquefaction in Hagley Park.
A photograph taken inside the tunnel between Christchurch and Lyttelton.
A photograph of closed shops on Hampshire Street in Wainoni.
A photograph of an excavator demolishing a building on Armagh Street.
A photograph of earthquake damage to the curb of Gayhurst Road.
A photograph of an Explore More campervan in Hagley Park.
A photograph of emergency management personnel standing outside a school in Christchurch.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a house in Christchurch. The roof of the house has collapsed, bringing the top of the front wall down with it.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a property in the Christchurch central city. Part of the roof of the property has collapsed, spilling material onto the balcony below. A sign in the foreground reads, "Wots your councillor doing for your water?".
A photograph of a messaged spray-painted by USAR staff on the driveway of a property in the Christchurch central city. The message reads, "Overhead danger, NZRT3".
A photograph of bricks stacked outside a house in the Christchurch central city. Bricks can also be seen in the green bins behind.
A photograph of a cardboard box with "Student Army lunches, non-perishables" written on top.
A photograph of cracks in the driveway of a residential property in Christchurch. Remnants of liquefaction can also be seen near the curb.
A photograph of a flowchart outlining the steps emergency management personnel took to inspect buildings after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a house in Christchurch. The front and side of the house has collapsed, the bricks and other rubble spilling onto the garden, exposing the rooms inside.
A photograph of cracks in a building on Manchester Street.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building in central Christchurch. The basement of the building has collapsed and the concrete blocks have broken away from each other. The left corner of the building has also suffered damage, with many of the concrete blocks shaking loose.
A photograph of liquefaction in the driveways of a property on Gayhurst Road.
A photograph of USAR codes spray painted on the window of a building in the Christchurch central city.
A photograph of street signs lying on the side of a road in Christchurch.
A photograph of a hallway in a building in the Christchurch city centre. Concrete blocks and other rubble fill the stairwell on the left-hand side of the hallway.