At 4.35 a.m. on the 4th of September 2010 Christchurch residents were shaken awake by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, the largest earthquake to hit urban New Zealand for nearly 80 years. It was a large earthquake. On average the world only has 17 earthquakes a year larger than magnitude seven. Haiti’s earthquake in January 2010 was magnitude 7.1 and Chile’s earthquake in February was magnitude 8.8. Although it was a big quake, Christchurch was lucky. In Haiti’s earthquake over 230,000 people were killed and in Chile 40,000 homes were destroyed. Happily this was not the situation in Christchurch, however the earthquake has caused considerable damage. The challenge for the Landscape Architecture community is to contribute to the city’s reconstruction in ways that will not only fix the problems of housing, and the city’s urban, suburban and neighbourhood fabric but that will do so in ways that will help solve the landscape problems that dogged the city before the earthquake struck.
Liquefaction silt in the forecourt of the Challenge petrol station on the corner of Creswell Avenue and New Brighton Road.
A photograph of a pile of books in an office in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury after the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The book at the top is called, "Wellington After the 'Quake: The Challenge of Rebuilding Cities".
Refers to the government's earthquake response legislation and the Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill. 26 experts in constitutional law from all six of the country's law faculties have penned a letter condemning the Government's earthquake response legislation. No sooner was their work in the public eye than the similarly flawed Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill was reported back from a select committee, with a recommendation that it pass. It also goes far beyond what is required to get things done. In bypassing the normal consent process, the bill says the authority does not have to hold hearings on applications and that its decisions can be challenged in the High Court only on points of law. Effectively, the legislation asks New Zealanders to accept that the Rugby World Cup Minister knows best. It is he who knows how the event must be run. Precisely the same attitude pervades the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act. This hands individual Government ministers the power to change almost every law, thereby handing Parliament's normal law-making role to the Executive. Their decisions cannot be challenged in any court'. (NZ Herald editorial - 1 October 2010)
Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The Resilient Organisations Research Programme and the University of Canterbury are undertaking a longitudinal study to examine the resilience and recovery of organisations within the Canterbury region following the 4 September Canterbury earthquake. The preliminary data suggest the physical, economic and social effects of the earthquake were varied across industry sectors within Canterbury. These preliminary results catalogue organisations’ perceptions of the: - disruptions to their ability to do business - challenges faced in the aftermath of the earthquake - factors that have helped mitigate the effects of the earthquake - revenue changes and projections for the duration of this change - financing options for recovery
Questions to Ministers
1. AARON GILMORE to the Minister of Finance: What steps are the Government and the Earthquake Commission taking to streamline the Canterbury earthquake claims process?
2. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that "the vast majority" of people will be "better off" as a result of his tax switch on 1 October 2010?
3. KEVIN HAGUE to the Minister of Conservation: Does she agree with Forest and Bird that "many endangered species will meet a watery death, or be rudely shunted from their homes", if the Mōkihinui dam is given the green light?
4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for ACC: Is he satisfied with the performance of ACC?
5. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister for Economic Development: What steps will the Government take to aid the recovery of the Canterbury region from the recent major earthquake?
6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: What advice, if any, did Treasury receive from KordaMentha in relation to South Canterbury Finance's financial condition prior to approving the extension of the Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme, and did this advice question whether such an extension was appropriate?
7. COLIN KING to the Minister of Transport: What is the Government doing to address challenges in delivering supplies into the area affected by the Canterbury earthquake?
8. Hon RUTH DYSON to the Minister of Health: When will all the District Health Board Annual Plans for 2010/11 be publicly available?
9. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Education: How were Canterbury schools affected by last Saturday's earthquake, and what is the current situation for schools in the region?
10. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Attorney-General: Is his objective under the new foreshore and seabed bill to settle the protracted controversy around foreshore and seabed?
11. AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Agriculture: What is the Government doing to support the rural Canterbury community through the earthquake recovery?
12. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Labour: Does she stand by all of the statements made on her behalf in response to question for oral answer No. 11 on 9 September 2010?
Questions to Members
1. DARIEN FENTON to the Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee: How many submissions were received on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill (No. 2) as at 5pm Monday, 13 September 2010?
