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Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a Victim Support poster on a traffic light on Oxford Street. The poster reads, "Looking after yourself in times of crisis. Firstly you have the strength within you to get through this. You are not alone: keep talking to the people around you, use your family, whanau, friends and colleagues and do what you can to help others. Don't ingnore your own emotions and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Keep positive: it is important to keep a positive attitude to events keeping a focus on your strengths and positive coping skills. Do things that will help give you a sense of control. Remaining positive can help reduce stress and anxiety in other people around you, especially children. Reduce stress: you need to keep to routines as much as possible including eating, sleeping, exercise and incorporating those things you enjoy doing as part of your usual daytime activities. Do things that you find comforting as be with people who company you enjoy. It is especially important for children to be participating in normal routine activities as quickly as possible to reduce long term stress factors. You may experience a range of feelings as you move through the crisis and afterwards. Stress, worry, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, anger etc. all are natural responses. Feeling tense and constantly going over events in your mind are also natural responses. It is normal and okay to feel whatever you are feeling. The intensity of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings will lessen as life returns to normal".

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of a presentation by Dr Duncan Webb, Partner at Lane Neave, during the third plenary of the 2016 People in Disasters Conference. The presentation is titled, "Loss of Trust and other Earthquake Damage".The abstract for this presentation reads as follows: It was predictable that the earthquakes which hit the Canterbury region in 2010 and 2011 caused trauma. However, it was assumed that recovery would be significantly assisted by governmental agencies and private insurers. The expectation was that these organisations would relieve the financial pressures and associated anxiety caused by damage to property. Some initiatives did exactly that. However, there are many instances where difficulties with insurance and related issues have exacerbated the adverse effects of the earthquakes on people's wellness. In some cases, stresses around property issues have become and independent source of extreme anxiety and have had significant impacts on the quality of people's lives. Underlying this problem is a breakdown in trust between citizen and state, and insurer and insured. This has led to a pervading concern that entitlements are being denied. While such concerns are sometimes well founded, an approach which is premised on mistrust is frequently highly conflicted, costly, and often leads to worse outcomes. Professor Webb will discuss the nature and causes of these difficulties including: the complexity of insurance and repair issues, the organisational ethos of the relevant agencies, the hopes of homeowners and the practical gap which commonly arises between homeowner expectation and agency response. Observations will be offered on how the adverse effects of these issues can be overcome in dealing with claimants, and how such matters can be managed in a way which promotes the wellness of individuals.

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

A natural disaster will inevitably strike New Zealand in the coming years, damaging educational facilities. Delays in building quality replacement facilities will lead to short-term disruption of education, risking long-term inequalities for the affected students. The Christchurch earthquake demonstrated the issues arising from a lack of school planning and support. This research proposes a system that can effectively provide rapid, prefabricated, primary schools in post-disaster environments. The aim is to continue education for children in the short term, while using construction that is suitable until the total replacement of the given school is completed. The expandable prefabricated architecture meets the strength, time, and transport requirements to deliver a robust, rapid relief temporary construction. It is also adaptable to any area within New Zealand. This design solution supports personal well-being and mitigates the risk of educational gaps, PTSD linked with anxiety and depression, and many other mental health disorders that can impact students and teachers after a natural disaster.