The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand caused widespread damage and the deaths of 185 people. Suburbs on the eastern side of Christchurch and in the satellite town of Kaiapoi, 20 kilometres north of Christchurch, were badly damaged by liquefaction. The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), a government organisation set up in the wake of the earthquakes, began to systematically zone all residential land in 2011. Based on the possibility for land remediation, 7860 houses in Christchurch and Kaiapoi were zoned red. Those who were in this zone were compensated and had to buy or build elsewhere. The other zone examined within this research – that of TC3 – lies within the green zone. Residents, in this zone, were able to stay in their houses but land was moderately damaged and required site-specific geotechnical investigations. This research sought to understand how residents’ senses of home were impacted by a disaster and the response efforts. Focusing on the TC3 and red zone of the eastern suburbs and the satellite town of Kaiapoi, this study interviewed 29 residents within these zones. The concept of home was explored with the respondents at three scales: home as a household; home as a community; and home as a city. There was a large amount of resistance to the zoning process and the handling of claims by insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission (EQC) after the earthquakes. Lack of transparency and communication, as well as extremely slow timelines were all documented as failings of these agencies. This research seeks to understand how participant’s sense of home changed on an individual level and how it was impacted by outside agencies. Homemaking techniques were also focused on showing that a changed sense of home will impact on how a person interacts with a space.
What does leadership look like in a disaster? David compares Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's leadership this week with how Bob Parker and Lianne Dalziel coped with the Christchurch earthquakes and terror attacks. He looks at how current Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger's council is faring and whether reality meets the rhetoric and what's happened to the city's Metro Sports facility, one of the anchor projects in the rebuild.
Christchurch Hospital has just celebrated its 150th anniversary. The major medical facility is in the heart of the city, beside Hagley Park, and played a key role in the February earthquake, treating the many who were seriously injured. Christchurch correspondent Katy Gosset discovers the hospital faces its own quake-related challenges as it plans for the future.
A video of an address by developer Stephen Collins, at the 2015 Seismics and the City forum. This talk focuses on commercial development progress, and opportunities and issues in Central Christchurch and beyond.
Website of the St Albans Residents Association Incorporated (SARA), dedicated to the recovery of St Albans and its city, Christchurch after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
Cantabrians are still surrounded broken buildings and empty spaces on the 10th anniversary of the devastating 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The disaster forced 70 percent of the CBD to be demolished. The Government launched an ambitious recovery plan to help it recover in 2012. The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan, dubbed the "blueprint" would dictate the rebuild of the central city. To support it, the Government would complete a series of "anchor projects", to encourage investment in the city and make it a more attractive place to live in. As Anan Zaki reports, the anchor projects appeared to weigh down the progress of the rebuild.
Many areas of Christchurch are underwater, dealing with what's been described as the worst flooding since the earthquakes. The high tide has just passed, with the rivers already running across roads and flooding into some homes. Schools have been closed, businesses inundated and dozens of roads around the city, closed. Already more than 70mm of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours, making it the city's wettest July on record. Now as the bad weather moves south the army has been put on standby in Dunedin for the expected deluge there. RNZ reporters Niva Chittock, Adam Burns and cameraman Nathan McKinnon are in Christchurch with the details.
A PDF copy of pages 262-263 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'The Flying Cup and Just a Couple of Strangers'. Photos: Jess de Boer
A PDF copy of pages 314-315 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'The New Zealand Institute of Architects Exhibition Pavilion'. Photo: Soo Ryu, Jasmax and NZIA
A video of people protesting outside the Christchurch City Council offices on Worcester Street. The are protesting the demolition of the Manchester Courts building.
The Earthquake Minister Gerry Brownlee says it would be an absolute disaster for Christchurch, if the City Council stopped issuing building consents next week.
The Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority says today's aftershocks have caused up to 50 additional buildings in the city's redzone to collapse or partially collapse.
Christchurch Womens Refuge says its safe houses are full as women have fled the worsening domestic violence in the city following June's powerful aftershocks.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee is denying accusations he's about to engineer a central government takeover of the rebuild of central city Christchurch.
Whale-shaped sculpture made out of grass in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
Animal-shaped sculpture made out of grass in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
There's a warning that a return to pre-earthquake numbers of houses in Christchurch may not be enough to ease the city's housing crisis.
It's seven years today since Christchurch was rocked by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake. It killed 185 people, injured thousands more and led to whole suburbs and most of the central city being demolished. Seven years on, the rebuild is still underway and some residents are still struggling to get the repairs they want.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake. A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Christchurch and the wider South Island causing widespread damage, two serious injuries and power cuts to most of the city. The Kobussen family all pitched in to clear their grandmother's Kaiapoi driveway. (L-R) Josh (11), Henny (father) and Luke (14)".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake. A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Christchurch and the wider South Island, causing widespread damage, two serious injuries and power cuts to most of the city. The Kobussen family all pitched in to clear their grandmother's Kaiapoi driveway. (L-R) Josh (11), Henny (father) and Luke (14)".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake. A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Christchurch and the wider South Island, causing widespread damage, two serious injuries and power cuts to most of the city. The Kobussen family all pitched in to clear their grandmother's Kaiapoi driveway. (L-R) Josh (11), Henny (father) and Luke (14)".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake. A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Christchurch and the wider South Island, causing widespread damage, two serious injuries and power cuts to most of the city. The Kobussen family all pitched in to clear their grandmother's Kaiapoi driveway. (L-R) Josh (11), Henny (father) and Luke (14)".
A PDF copy of pages 206-207 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Fulton Hogan BMX Pump Track'. Page 206 photos: Irene Boles. Page 207 photos: Peter Walker, Three Chairs Photography. With permission from Student Volunteer Army Foundation.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Henry Africas, one of the city's landmark restaurants on Stanmore Road in Richmond, two and a half months after the earthquake. Still cordoned off pending a decision to possibly demolish".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Prime Minister John Key, centre, visited Christchurch after its 7.1 magnitude earthquake at 04:35 Saturday morning. Mayor Bob Parker, took him on a tour of the city which was punctuated by a fire breaking out in a building on Worcester Street".
Christchurch’s new $92m central city library opened today – replacing the former library which was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes. But as Logan Church discovers, with sewing suites, a TV wall and a music studio, this library is home to more than rows and rows of books.
A video of Prime Minister John Key taking part in a tree planting ceremony on the banks of the Avon River in Christchurch. The trees were planted to symbolise the beginning of the rebuild of the Christchurch central city.
A video of members of the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Army guarding cordons in the Christchurch central city after the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The video also includes footage of a helicopter flying over the central city.
The recent earthquakes in Canterbury have left thousands of Christchurch residents’ homeless or facing the possibility of homelessness. The New Zealand Government, so far, have announced that 5,100 homes in Christchurch will have to be abandoned as a result of earthquake damaged land (Christchurch City Council, 2011). They have been zoned red on the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) map and there are another 10,000 that have been zoned orange, awaiting a decision (Christchurch City Council, 2011). This situation has placed pressures on land developers and local authorities to speed up the process associated with the development of proposed subdivisions in Christchurch to accommodate residents in this situation (Tarrant, 2011).
A video of a tour through the Christchurch central city Red Zone. The video includes footage of Colombo Street, ChristChurch Cathedral, Warners Hotel, the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Cashel Mall, the former Bus Exchange, Tuam Street, Manchester Street, the Mackenzie & Willis store, High Street, Plume, and The Globe café.