Canterbury's earthquake risk has caught up to Wellington's.
Christchurch employers have been in Wellington today signing up tradespeople to help rebuild the earthquake damaged city.
<b>In the late 1960s the Wellington City Council surveyed all the commercial buildings in the city and marked nearly 200 as earthquake prone. The owners were given 15 years to either strengthen or demolish their buildings. The end result was mass demolition throughout the seventies and eighties.¹ Prompted by the Christchurch earthquakes, once again the council has published a list of over 630 earthquake prone buildings that need to be strengthened or demolished by 2030.²Of these earthquake prone buildings, the majority were built between 1880 and 1930, with 125 buildings appearing on the Wellington City Council Heritage Building List.³ This list accounts for a significant proportion of character buildings in the city. There is a danger that the aesthetic integrity of our city will be further damaged due to the urgent need to strengthen these buildings. Many of the building owners are resistant because of the high cost. By adapting these buildings to house co-workspaces, we can gain more than just the retention of the building’s heritage. The seismic upgrade provides the opportunity for the office space to be redesigned to suit changes in the ways we work. Through a design-based research approach this thesis proposes a framework that clarifies the process of adapting Wellington’s earthquake prone heritage buildings to accommodate co-working. This framework deals with the key concepts of program, structure and heritage. The framework is tested on one of Wellington’s earthquake prone heritage buildings, the Wellington Working Men’s Club, in order to demonstrate what can be gained from this strengthening process. ¹ Reid, J., “Hometown Boomtown,” in NZ On Screen (Wellington, 1983).</b> ² Wellington City Council, List of Earthquake Prone Buildings as at 06/03/2017. (Wellington: Absolutely Positively Wellington. 2017). ³ ibid.
An infographic showing predictions for the effect of a major earthquake on services in Wellington.
An infographic showing predictions for the effect of a major earthquake on access to Wellington.
Wellington businesses are being encouraged to work with their counterparts in Christchurch to help with post-earthquake rebuild projects.
Three men chat in a pub. One of them reads a newspaper article about the Mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker, who commented that he was scared of earthquakes when in Wellington. All three drinkers would rather be in Wellington than trapped beside Bob Parker at a dinner table. Context: Christchurch's Mayor has told the Emergency Management Conference he's scared to be in Wellington. He gave graphic descriptions of the Christchurch earthquakes, getting people to bang on the tables for 45 seconds so they could see what it felt like. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The head of an international team of engineers who design for disasters says Wellington should look closely at the lessons from the Canterbury earthquake.
A new report says a major earthquake in Wellington would leave a bill of nearly 40 billion dollars, almost twice as much as that of the Canterbury quakes.
"Lifelines in Earthquakes: Wellington Case Study was the topic of CAE's first major project, which was carried out in 1990/91. Lifelines are those services vital to the running of day-to-day life and include water, gas, electricity, telecommunications and transportation networks. The aim of the project was to assess the vulnerability of these lifelines, identify mitigation measures and raise awareness amongst lifeline managers. Although the project focused on Wellington, the findings are applicable to all urban centres within New Zealand and ongoing study groups have been established in Wellington and Christchurch since the project's completion."
"Lifelines in Earthquakes: Wellington Case Study was the topic of CAE's first major project, which was carried out in 1990/91. Lifelines are those services vital to the running of day-to-day life and include water, gas, electricity, telecommunications and transportation networks. The aim of the project was to assess the vulnerability of these lifelines, identify mitigation measures and raise awareness amongst lifeline managers. Although the project focused on Wellington, the findings are applicable to all urban centres within New Zealand and ongoing study groups have been established in Wellington and Christchurch since the project's completion."
A graph comparing investor confidence between Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
A graph comparing housing consents issued in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
John Carter, Minister for Civil Defence gives reporters in Wellington a briefing.
A page banner promoting an article titled, "Christchurch 'being run from Wellington'".
Kate Gudsell received an initial death toll in the civil defence bunker in Wellington.
A page banner promoting an article about Mayor Bob Parker's comments on Wellington's earthquake risk.
The devastation caused by the Christchurch earthquake has other cities reviewing how well they are prepared for a similar shake.
The devastation caused by the Christchurch earthquake has other cities reviewing how well they are prepared for a similar shake.
Hundreds of tourists have spent the night in makeshift accommodation in Wellington after fleeing earthquake hit Christchurch. The tourists were flown to the capital by the Royal New Zealand Airforce, many without passports, money and belongings left behind in hotels.
A photograph of SPCA Wellington vehicles parked on the intersection of Lichfield and Manchester Streets after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. In the background, the earthquake damage to the Tower Chambers building can be seen.
Here's what we know.
A graphic illustrating a quote from Janine Burns, Media Specialist from the US Embassy in Wellington.
Australian cricket legend Shane Warne is top billing on an all-star lineup of former cricketers and sporting personalities for a Christchurch earthquake appeal charity match in Wellington on Sunday March the 13th. Warne will play in Stephen Fleming's Canterbury Invitation Eleven against Martin Crowe's Wellington Legends at the Basin Reserve.
A photograph of a SPCA Wellington vehicle driving through the Christchurch central city after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. In the background, a group of shops has been damaged by the earthquakes. A portaloo can be seen to the left.
A fundraising initiative held in Wellington to fund raise for people affected by the February 2011, Christchurch earthquake.
Christchurch jazz vocalist performing with many other artists as part of Earthquake fundraising concert in Wellington this weekend.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee flew down to Christchurch from Wellington when he heard about the quakes.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Staff monitor the Christchurch earthquake at the Civil Defence 'bunker' under the Beehive, Wellington".
Some Christchurch residents will find out the fate of their properties and Wellington cracks down on earthquake prone buildings.