Following a disaster, an organisation’s ability to recover is influenced by its internal capacities, but also by the people, organisations, and places to which it is connected. Current approaches to organisational resilience tend to focus predominantly on an organization's internal capacities and do not adequately consider the place-based contexts and networks in which it is embedded. This thesis explores how organisations’ connections may both hinder and enable organisational resilience. Organisations in the Canterbury region of New Zealand experienced significant and repeated disruptions as a result of two major earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks throughout 2010 and 2011. This thesis draws upon 32 case studies of organisations located in three severely damaged town centres in Canterbury to assess the influence that organisations’ place-based connections and relational networks had on their post-earthquake trajectories. The research has four objectives: 1) to examine the ways organisations connected to their local contexts both before and after the earthquakes, 2) to explore the characteristics of the formal and informal networks organisations used to aid their response and recovery, 3) to identify the ways organisations’ connections to their local contexts and support networks influenced their ability to recover following the earthquakes, and finally, 4) to develop approaches to assess resilience that consider these extra-organisational connections. The thesis contests the fiction that organisations recover and adapt independently from their contexts following disasters. Although organisations have a set of internal capacities that enable their post-disaster recovery, they are embedded within external structures that constrain and enable their adaptive options following a disaster. An approach which considers organisations’ contexts and networks as potential sources of organisational resilience has both conceptual and practical value. Refining our understanding of the influence of extra-organisational connections can improve our ability to explain variability in organisational outcomes following disasters and foster new ways to develop and manage organisational resilience.
A pdf transcript of Ian's second earthquake story, captured by the UC QuakeBox Take 2 project. Interviewer: Samuel Hope. Transcriber: Josie Hepburn.
A story submitted by Anonymous to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Christine Wilson to the QuakeStories website.
Insurance is widely acknowledged as a key component in an organisation's disaster preparedness and resilience. But how effective is insurance in aiding business recovery following a major disaster? The aim of this research was to summarise the experiences of both the insurance industry and businesses dealing with commercial insurance claims following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
Livelihood holds the key to a rapid recovery following a large-scale devastating disaster, building its resilience is of paramount importance. While much attention has been given to how to help people who are displaced from their jobs to regain employment, little research on livelihood resilience has been undertaken for those relocated communities following a disaster event. By studying five re-located villages post-2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, Indonesia, this research has identified the indicators of livelihood resilience and the critical factors driving it for post-disaster relocated communities. A mixed approach, combining questionnaire surveys, semistructured interviews, and field observations, was used for the collection of data. Housing entitlement, the physical and mental health of residents, access to external livelihood support and the provision of infrastructure and basic services were identified as amongst the most critical indicators that represent the level of livelihood resilience. Early recovery income support, physical and mental health, availability and timeliness of livelihood support, together with cultural sensitivity and governance structure, are amongst the most important factors. Given the nature of resettlement, access to infrastructure, location of relocated sites, the safety of the neighbourhood and the ability to transfer to other jobs/skills also play an important role in establishing sustained employment for relocated communities in Indonesia. Those indicators and factors were synthesised into a framework which was further tested in the recovery of Christchurch, and Kaikoura, New Zealand during their recovery from devastating earthquakes. It is suggested that the framework can be used by government agencies and aid organisations to assess the livelihood resilience of post-disaster relocated communities. This will help better them plan support policies and/or prioritise resilience investment strategies to ensure that the recovery needs of those relocated are best met.
A story submitted by Ginny Larsen to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Sarah to the QuakeStories website.
An entry from Ruth Gardner's blog for 7 May 2012 entitled, "Alice's (re) Appearance".
A story submitted by Linda Grainger to the QuakeStories website.
An entry from Jennifer Middendorf's blog for 8 February 2013 entitled, "Vote for me!".
An entry from Jennifer Middendorf's blog for 24 February 2014 entitled, "VIPs, flowers and hail".
Summary of oral history interview with Mel Hillier about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
A story submitted by Patti-Ann Oberst to the QuakeStories website.
Summary of oral history interview with Estelle Laugesen about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Summary of oral history interview with Irene Cleary about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
An entry from Jennifer Middendorf's blog for 8 September 2010 entitled, "Exhaustion and fear".
A story submitted by Trent Hiles to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Serra Kilduff to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Philip Broderick Willis to the QuakeStories website.
Summary of oral history interview with Susan Hird about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Summary of oral history interview with April about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Summary of oral history interview with Thérèse Angelo about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Summary of oral history interview with Lynne about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Video of Audrey Dragovich's earthquake story, captured by the UC QuakeBox project.
Transcript of May's earthquake story, captured by the UC QuakeBox project.
Transcript of Tish Hunter's earthquake story, captured by the UC QuakeBox project.
Summary of oral history interview with Laine Barker about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
The "Lyttelton Review" newsletter for 27 June 2011, produced by the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre.
The 4 September, 22 February, and 13 June earthquakes experienced in Canterbury, New Zealand would have been significant events individually. Together they present a complex and unprecedented challenge for Canterbury and New Zealand. The repetitive and protracted nature of these events has caused widespread building and infrastructure damage, strained organisations’ financial and human resources and challenged insurer and investor confidence. The impact of the earthquakes was even more damaging coming in the wake of the worst worldwide recession since the great depression of the 1930s. However, where there is disruption there is also opportunity. Businesses and other organisations will drive the physical, economic and social recovery of Canterbury, which will be a dynamic and long-term undertaking. Ongoing monitoring of the impacts, challenges and developments during the recovery is critical to maintaining momentum and making effective mid-course adjustments. This report provides a synthesis of research carried out by the Resilient Organisations (ResOrgs) Research Programme1 at the University of Canterbury and Recover Canterbury in collaboration with Opus Central Laboratories (part of Opus International Consultants). The report includes discussions on the general state of the economy as well as data from three surveys (two conducted by ResOrgs and one by Recover Canterbury) on business impacts of the earthquakes, population movements and related economic recovery issues. This research and report offers two primary benefits:
