Earthquake Update – February 22 2011 – 7.40 pm

Cordons have been set up around the one way system in central city; these will be pushed out to the Four Avenues overnight.

Welfare centres have been established in the following locations:

Burnside School,

Addington Raceway IS NOW SHUT,

Papanui High School to be open at approximately 8pm,

Lyttelton Recreation Centre open,

Brooklands Community Centre is open,

Akaroa Senior School is open,

Water supplies have been disrupted throughout most of the city. If it rains, residents are asked to collect water in buckets if possible.

Continue to boil water.

There will be a water plan put in place to get water to the community.

Portaloos will be deployed – however this may take some time.

We recommend that people stay home, no work or school for 3 days and please keep travel to absolute minimum.

Look after neighbours friends and family.

Power is off in the CBD and Eastern suburbs overnight.

Missing persons – a phone number is being set up.

Tomorrow’s kerbside collection is cancelled to the Brighton and coastal areas.

Listen to the radio for advice and information.

© Scoop Media

World Refugee Day:
Are We Doing Our Bit?

On World Refugee Day, Thursday June 20th, Doing Our Bit will officially launch a campaign to double New Zealand’s UNHCR Refugee Resettlement Quota...

New Zealand’s low refugee intake is not a new issue. In February a NZ Herald editorial commented that our intake was ‘paltry’, remarking that ‘surely we could do more’. In April, Amnesty International described the quota as ‘tiny'.

“Despite being a small country in the middle of the South Pacific, New Zealand prides itself on being hospitable. We are friendly to overseas visitors and we see ourselves as punching above our weight in international affairs,” said Murdoch Stephens, coordinator of Doing Our Bit.

“However, in terms of accepting refugees New Zealand is clearly not doing our share.” More>>