Topics - Jim Anderton says he still has a shot at winning Christchurch's Mayoralty - despite a swing in favour of incumbent Bob Parker and the Treasury predicts the Canterbury earthquake could knock nearly half percent off the country's economic growth rate in the three months to the end of September.
A photograph of the Speaker's Chair on display in the Canterbury Quakes exhibition at the Canterbury Museum. The Speaker's Chair stood at the southern end of the Stone Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Chambers, and survived the 22 February 2011 earthquake despite the damage to the chamber.
The line that runs across this picture is the subsidence line - everything this side of the line has sunk by about 50 cm.
A photograph of an exhibition sign next to the Speaker's Chair on display in the Canterbury Quakes exhibition at the Canterbury Museum. The Speaker's Chair stood at the southern end of the Stone Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Chambers, and survived the 22 February 2011 earthquake despite the damage to the chamber.
A video showing members of the SPCA standing for two minutes in silence a week after the 22 February 2011 earthquake, in memory of those who lost their lives. A pigeon, found in the ChristChurch Cathedral after the quakes, is released at the end of the two-minutes' silence.
The damaged Snell Place footbridge. A crack is visible at the apex of the span. The photographer comments, "Before the Christchurch earthquakes this bridge used to be just just 9 feet at high tide above the River Avon. Now with the ends pushed together it has probably moved up another 9 feet".
British researchers have found smokers are twice as likely to succeed in quitting if they receive supportive text messages, the head of the Christchurch Earthquake Rebuilding Agency (CERA) Roger Sutton says there will be no quick end in sight for the ongoing insurance problems in Canterbury and the government's hoping a new deal with Bollywood film-makers could bring millions of dollars into New Zealand.
Gary Luff's home was destroyed in February earthquake in Christchurch and he faced scenes of devastation in his work with the fire service. He and his partner struggled to find somewhere to stay in the aftermath and ended up living on a borrowed boat. They've enjoyed the surprise lifestyle change so much they're thinking of making it permanent - but it hasn't all been plain sailing.
Text top left reads 'A tale of two quakes' In the first frame a man runs from 'radiation leaks' yelling 'The end of the world!' and in the second frame a man runs from the notion 'No World Cup?' yelling 'The end of the world!' Context - the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan 11 March 2011 that have led to the overheating of several nuclear power plants that are leaking radiation and threaten a nuclear catastrophe and 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).
The decision on what to do with Christchurch's earthquake damaged redzone is one step closer, with the end of the public consultation period on the plan for the area. Over the past month Christchurch people have been asked to comment on a draft land use plan for the 602 hectares of land. Now those pitching ideas want the authorities to get on with the next step, so they can have some certainty about whether their projects can go ahead.
In quake-ravaged Christchurch businesses are tentatively restarting, and infrastructure is being restored, but there's ongoing uncertainty about job losses and how people will survive financially. Within six days of the February earthquake; the Government had introduced a subsidy scheme for businesses and their employees, as well as people who'd found themselves out of a job. Now there's growing disquiet about what will happen to thousands of Cantabrians when that support scheme finishes at the end of May.
A demon mask hangs from a brick chimney in New Brighton. Some of the bricks at the base of the chimney appear to have moved. The photographer comments, "Since the September earthquake brick chimneys have been tumbling down. I do not know if this was put up to ward off shaking of the chimney during earthquakes, but it seems to be working. This chimney has now been taken down at the end of March 2012 and replaced with a simple metal flue".
A digger demolishing the Ozone Dressing Sheds building. The photographer comments, "This is the end of the Ozone Dressing Sheds built in 1914. The two storey Ozone Cafe, which was a hotel, will be given it's coup de grace on Friday. They were gutted in a spectacular fire in 1922, but were unable to be saved after the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011".
The Temple for Christchurch is an enormous work, representing the seismic wave of the February 22 earthquake. Made mostly from salvaged wood it's taken a team of volunteers two years to build. But it will meet a fiery end on Saturday night when it is deliberately set alight. Justin Gregory meets the designer and his volunteers with two weeks left until burn day. But when he gets there, none are to be found.
Protecting live music venues is taking on a new urgency in Christchurch, with the popular 12 Bar announcing it will close at the end of the month. With people flocking back to live in the central city after the earthquakes, there have been more complaints about noise from entertainment venues. But the local music scene says positive changes are in the works, so residents and live venues can live in harmony. Niva Chittock reports.
Almost half the ACC applications made for mental injuries caused by the Christchurch mosque attacks have been turned down. By the end of April, 85 people had made claims for mental injuries and thirty-five of them had been declined. Decisions are pending on another 25 claims. A woman who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and didn't qualify for ACC, says that's tragic. Kirsty Cullen says leaving people who have psychological problems without support from ACC is history repeating. Veronica Schmidt reports.
The base of the tower on the right of this picture has sunk about 25cm so that the lower course of bricks have disappeared below ground level. Meanwhile the other end of the building has sunk about 50cm splitting the building into thirds. The sand you can see is what came bubbling up out of the ground due to liquifaction. Unfortunately the build...
The base of the tower on the right of this picture has sunk about 25cm so that the lower course of bricks have disappeared below ground level. Meanwhile the other end of the building has sunk about 50cm splitting the building into thirds. The sand you can see is what came bubbling up out of the ground due to liquifaction. Unfortunately the build...
Text across the top reads 'Wearing burqas and veils could limit job prospects...' The cartoon shows a crowd of people hidden under a huge burqa-like cloth. A man peers from both ends of the crowd and one of them says 'Well, we work behind a veil and STILL have jobs... And so do all our mates!' The man at the other end gives a cheerful thumbs up. There is a great deal of whispering about 'jobs for the...' and 'split contracts'. Above is a notice that reads 'Council job contract meeting'. Context - Complaints have been laid with the Auditor-General's Office about the Christchurch City Council's handling of consultants' contracts (to do with the rebuilding of the city after the earthquakes). City councillors have been questioning the council's awarding of more than $2.8 million of contracts to consultants. The burqa has been in the news lately with bus-drivers refusing to accept women in burqas on their buses. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Andre Lovatt grew up in Christchurch and completed a masters degree in Civil Engineering at Canterbury before taking up a position in Singapore working on, among other things, the $6.7 billion Marina Bay Sands waterfront resort. After almost 10 years in Southeast Asia he has returned to his earthquake ravaged home to take on a project with a much smaller price tag. Andre is the new CEO of the Christchurch Arts Centre and his job is to oversee the $290 million dollar project that will, if it's successful, return the centre to its former glory by the end of 2019.
An earthquake-damaged bridge, the approach to which has slumped. The photographer comments, "Due to lateral spread and the land slumping the road leading to this bridge has moved down greatly. Just imagine making the street lamps upright and how much that section of road would rise up at the end. When you go over bridges in the east side of Christchurch it is quite a climb up and a big drop down on the other side. The bridges in most cases coped very well, but not so the land leading to them".
Damage to TJ's Kazbah in New Brighton. The tower and east end of the building have collapsed onto two parked cars. The photographer comments, "The occupants of the business and rooms all managed to escape alive. A digger was used to make the building safe and then used to sift through the rubble for any surviving belongings. It was a very emotional time for the ex-occupants. The damaged cars were removed before the digger demolished the building".
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".
The title reads 'All shook up.... The cartoon shows the year '2010' shaking and dropping bits off the ends of the numbers. A second version has pupils inside the two zeros so that they look like eyes. Context - The Christchurch earthquake of 4 September 2010 and aftershocks which are continuing into 2011. 'All shook up' is the name of a song made famous by Elvis Presley. Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
In eight frames a man searches for a house in Christchurch and a real estate agent tries to sell him one. In each case the estate agent tries to emphasise the positives but the buyer sees the negatives brought about by the earthquakes. In the end the buyer settles for a caravan. Context - The problems of buying and selling houses in post-earthquake Christchurch. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Cartoon shows a mechanic asking his boss for a pay rise. Text reads 'Like the Christchurch Council CEO - I've also been working hard. Would I be cheeky to ask for a $68,000 pay rise?'. Context: Christchurch City Council Chief Executive Officer Tony Marryatt ended up turning down a pay rise of $68,000 following the outcry when the fact was made public. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Two businessmen emerge from a building wondering whether 'Bill English' has ''Made any uplifting pronouncements on the economy or budget lately?..' On the footpath outside is Finance Minister Bill English wearing a sandwich board that reads 'the end is nigh' and carrying a banner that reads 'We're doomed'. Context - the impact of an already struggling economy of the Christchurch earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A video showing part of the demolition of the Ozone Hotel in New Brighton. Steve Taylor comments "She put up a good fight. The Ozone in New Brighton was damaged in the February earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Here is the main corner of the structure being, as they say, deconstructed. At the end there is a reverent bow by the excavator. Just before this the claw had caught on the floor/ceiling and the whole building shook from side to side, but it still stayed in place."
The cartoon shows a desperate man representing 'Christchurch' who is clutching the end of a broken plank that protrudes from a crumbling cliff-face. He says 'Who said we're living ON the edge?!' Context - the man is suggesting that they are not On the edge but OVER it. Refers to the continuing hardships facing many Christchurch residents as earthquakes and aftershocks continue and many face large financial losses because of insurance problems. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Finance Minister Bill English takes a chain saw to a huge tome that represents the 'NZ Government BUDGET May 2011'. Context - the Government says cutting budget spending is necessary because it is going to have to pay back money borrowed to rebuild Christchurch. The Government will face the biggest budget deficit in New Zealand's history at the end of the current financial year, Finance Minister Bill English says. (NZ Herald 31 March 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).