As the government eyes an EQC overhaul, Christchurch earthquake insurance specialist Dean Lester wants to see action, not hear more empty words. This after a report yesterday found EQC staff had no confidence in their own data, and the organisation needed to drastically improve its treatment of claimants. The minister in charge of the Earthquake Commission is calling for immediate changes to the organisation.
The policing of building safety systems is being cut back nationwide. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is reducing its monitoring of the building warrants of fitness scheme that covers 16 crucial safety systems including fire measures. This coincides with it having to do more checks on what councils are doing regarding fences around pools and earthquake-prone buildings. The cutback is despite ministry reviews which show many councils do little to audit the building warrants they issue. An inspector of building safety systems and adviser on warrants, Charlie Loughnan of Canterbury, told our reporter Phil Pennington that less monitoring is not a good idea.
National MP Gerry Brownlee says it's a great tragedy that the former chairman of government insurer Southern Response has been treated the way that he has. Ross Butler resigned on Tuesday night after a State Services Commission inquiry found Southern Response had broken its code of conduct and possibly the law, when it used private investigators to secretly record meetings of earthquake victims. The Minister for Christchurch Regeneration Megan Woods says Mr Butler was aware of what was going on, as was Mr Brownlee when he was a Minister.
Construction delays and cost over-runs are prolonging the earthquake risks facing patients and staff at Christchurch hospital. Six major hospital buildings at the central city site have been listed as earthquake prone since May, but there is no safer space to shift patients into. Christchurch Hospital boss David Meates pron; Mates says the hospital is still basically a construction site. One earthquake prone building has roof tanks containing 75 tonnes of water. Mr Meates told RNZ reporter Phil Pennington removing the water from the tanks in the meantime is not an option.
Construction delays and cost over-runs are prolonging the earthquake risks facing patients and staff at Christchurch hospital. Six major hospital buildings at the central city site have been listed as earthquake prone since May, but there is no safer space to shift patients into. Phil Pennington reports.
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.
The former Earthquake Commission minister, Gerry Brownlee, is defending EQC over claims its assessors in Christchurch were not properly qualified. A growing number of homeowners in the city are discovering EQC assessors have completely missed quake damage including broken foundations costing hundreds of thousands to repair. That's been disastrous for people who've bought homes with hidden damage who are sometimes finding private insurers unwilling to cover the cost of putting right mistakes made by EQC. The company hired by EQC to carry out repairs was Fletcher Construction. Its chief executive at the time, Mark Binns, told Checkpoint that EQC probably hired unqualified people to assess quake damaged homes. Gerry Brownlee refused to be drawn on the comments from Mr Binns. But when asked by RNZ Christchurch reporter, Conan Young, if it was acceptable to have retired policemen, school principals and vacuum cleaner salesmen carrying out assessments for EQC, he admitted finding enough people to do the job was a challenge.
The State Services Commission is investigating Canterbury earthquake insurer Southern Response. A new pharmacy council ethics code has upset doctors.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is promising help for Tongan children traumatised by Cyclone Gita and says New Zealand was too slow responding to children caught up in the Christchurch earthquakes. Ms Ardern spent the day in Nuku'alofa where she went to a school that was badly damaged from the cyclone last month. RNZ political reporter Mei Heron is in Tonga.
Christchurch moteliers say this has been the hardest winter since the Canterbury earthquakes - and they are blaming both AirBnB and a lack of events. RNZ Christchurch reporter Logan Church spoke with Comfort Inn motel owner, Bob Cringle, about the state of the sector.
It's being called the worst winter for moteliers since the Canterbury earthquakes and the blame's being put squarely on Airbnb and a lack of events in Christchurch. Motels are reporting up to a third less business than last year - and that means some could have to close.
Two tragedies have brought two groups of young people from opposite sides of the world together for a special tree planting in Christchurch. Twenty-eight students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida -- the scene of a deadly shooting in February -- are spending the week with the Student Volunteer Army, established after the Christchurch earthquake. Jonathan Mitchell reports.
Eye patients in South Auckland face threats to their eyesight because of long waits for treatment. But patients in central Auckland do not. The Auckland DHB doesn't have a backlog, but Counties Manukau has 4000 people waiting to see a specialist. Why is there such a difference? Simon Dean is head of ophthalmology at Counties Manukau. He tells Susie Ferguson the size of their department is the main problem at Counties-Manukau DHB. It was due for an upgrade in 2013 but was sidelined because of the needs around the Christchurch earthquake.
A very large earthquake in the central North Island could trigger a big lahar from Mt Ruapehu. In the recent past it's been eruptions that have led to lahars on the mountain. But scientists from Canterbury University have checking what else might cause cause mud and debris to spew out of the crater lake.
The integrity of the entire public service is under scrutiny after revelations about the close relationship between a private security firm Thompson and Clark and the SIS and the Ministry for Primary Industries. In March, the State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes ordered an investigation after it was revealed the firm spied on Canterbury earthquake claimants for Southern Response. That was was further widened to include the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment which has been accused by Greenpeace of using the company to spy on them. On Tuesday as a result of RNZ inquiries, Mr Hughes widened the investigation even further to cover all government department and scores of other public sector agencies such as District Health Boards. State Services Minister Chris Hipkins is demanding answers. The SIS emails show a staff member and one of the Thompson and Clark directors were old friends who met regularly. Also an OIA request from RNZ News has triggered the uncovering of what the Ministry for Primary Industries describes as potentially serious misconduct by several former staff members. Joining us to explain the details are the reporters who have been doing this digging, Checkpoint's Zac Fleming and Conan Young. Thompson and Clark's Gavin Clark declined to come on Morning Report but in an email said Thompson and Clark is willing to cooperate fully with the SSC and will await the investigation to take its natural course.
A Christchurch homeowner in a five year battle with the Earthquake Commission over the damaged house she unwittingly bought says a critical new report about EQC tells her nothing new. The 27 page review by Independent Ministerial Advisor Christine Stevenson looks at how to resolve the 3,600 claims that still haven't been settled after the 2010 and 2011 quakes. The recommendations include getting the Commission to hire more staff and to stop forcing people to use the Official Information Act to get their files. It also suggests giving EQC more power to settle the on-sold claims where people bought houses under the impression all damage had been identified and fixed. Georgina Hannafin has a home that needs $260,000 worth of repairs but EQC has offered her just $48,000.
A Christchurch earthquake insurance specialist says a critical report of the Earthquake Commission is a good start but doesn't go far enough. The report by an independent ministerial advisor says EQC staff have no confidence in their own data, and that the organisation needs to dramatically improve the way it communicates with claimants. The advisor, Christine Stevenson, said EQC was unable even to tell her how many claims it's still dealing with from the Canterbury earthquakes. Dean Lester is a Christchurch insurance advocate and claims preparer. He talks to Susie Ferguson.
Hundreds of children and 12 schools have pre-registered for swimming lessons at Christchurch's new Taiora QE2 sports centre, which opens today. The Canterbury earthquakes damaged the complex beyond repair, and almost six years after it was demolished, a new QE2 has risen from rubble - admittedly smaller and without the athletics track the old one was so well known for. Schools in particular are welcoming today's opening, after having to spend big bucks on transport to get their students to pools for lessons since the quakes. Logan Church reports.
Businesses in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton say something needs to be done urgently to pull the area out of an economic slump. The seaside town has struggled since the Canterbury Earthquakes, with thousands of people - and customers - leaving the area due to land damage under their homes. And they're pointing the fingers at city leaders like the Christchurch City Council and its rebuild agency, Development Christchurch. Logan Church spoke to New Brighton business owner Nigel Gilmore.
Businesses in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton are demanding urgent action to pull the area out of an economic slump. The seaside town has struggled since the Canterbury Earthquakes, with thousands of people - and customers - leaving the area due to land damage under their homes.
Opposition leader Simon Bridges is accusing the government of a spending blowout. He says the government plans to increase borrowing by $17 billion over the next four years. Mr Bridges tells Gyles Beckford the total is about what National had to borrow to steer the country through the Global Financial Crisis and the Canterbury earthquakes.
Some central Christchurch businesses are having to close their doors, blaming a tough economic climate. Retail spending in the central city is only 80 percent of what it was before the devastating 2011 earthquakes, while the number of people living in the area has shrunk by a third.
The Christchurch City Council's plans to to help curb a rising homeless population has left some people who live rough worried. The council is considering funding the Christchurch City Mission to employ outreach workers for the first time since the Canterbury earthquakes, and police are increasing central city patrols. Christchurch reporter Logan Church has the story.
KiwiRail's Coastal Pacific scenic journey will roll again between Picton and Christchurch from December 1, two years after the service was put on hold because of the devastating Kaikoura earthquake. KiwiRail's sales manager Alan Piper tells Susie Ferguson the details.
In half an hour, the first passenger train since the devastating Kaikoura earthquake will depart Picton for Christchurch. The 7.8 earthquake that struck the region in 2016 ripped up much of the scenic Coastal Pacific railway - sweeping kilometres of tracks out to sea and buried beneath slips. The rebuild of the railway line has taken two years and the efforts of nearly 1700 workers. Todd Moyle is KiwiRail's acting chief executive. He talks to Susie Ferguson.
A second attempt at a symposium aimed at learning from the Canterbury earthquakes has been labelled an attempt to re-write history. The first was cancelled by the previous government two months after it was announced, and after over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars had been spent on preparations. The revamped symposium is a joint venture between the government and the Christchurch City Council.
Kaiapoi, just north of Christchurch, has unveiled a bold new plan for the parts of the town wiped off the map in the Canterbury earthquakes. The plan proposes having house boats on the river that runs through the town, there'll be a place for campervans to park up and a covered sports facility is on the cards.
The only Christchurch street still closed following the 2011 earthquake will reopen later in 2018 only to close again in 2019 so the council can extend the route for the tram. The proposal has raised the ire of fledgling businesses along High st worried about the disruption the road works will cause them and wanting the work done now, before they open their doors to the public.
The public policy think tank, the New Zealand Initiative, says this country is still under-prepared for the next big earthquake. The group of economists has reviewed the policy response to the Canterbury earthquakes and has just released its report: Recipe for disaster: Building policy on shaky ground. It says recovery from the quakes was hindered by avoidable policy mistakes that still haven't been addressed. One of the report's co authors Dr Eric Crampton joins Susie Ferguson to discuss the issues.
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.