Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition 145
Christchurch
LABOUR MPs
16 November 2011
MEDIA STATEMENT
Christchurch Earthquake bulletin
edition 145
A regular bulletin started by
the Labour Party’s Christchurch electorate MPs, Clayton
Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne
Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch
Central) to keep people in their electorates and media
informed about what is happening at grass roots
level.
CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY
PLAN:
Labour
will:
• Purchase 1500 properties and
sell them at cost to red zoned residents
• Ring-fence
$100 million as compensation for home
improvements
• Release all available geotechnical
information
• Resolve the insurance
gridlock
• Intervene in the insurance market as a last
resort
• Make community engagement a
priority
• Use youth unemployment to fill the skills
gap
• Establish an independent insurance
commissioner
For full policy details go to: http://www.labour.org.nz/news/leadership-needed-to-rebuild-canterbury
LABOUR’S CHANGES TO EQC WILL
INCLUDE:
• Ensuring widespread EQC
coverage – making it universal by collecting levies
through the local authority rates system.
• Increasing
the cap on EQC Cover from $100,000 in consultation with the
EQC and the insurance sector.
• Making the levy
proportionate by basing it on rateable
values.
• Reviewing the Operations of Earthquake
Commission to ensure the lessons of the Canterbury
earthquake are used to secure the long-term reliability of
the Commission
• Covering temporary accommodation
expenses.
For full policy details go to: http://www.ownourfuture.co.nz/earthquake-commission
CLAYTON
COSGROVE: It would appear that insurers are upping
the ante in terms of some of the games and tactics they are
employing in dealing with constituents. Recently I met a
couple on the street who are having a massive battle just to
get basic information out of their insurer. Unfortunately as
customers their calls are not being returned and any attempt
to gain information is simply being stonewalled. They have
now engaged a lawyer, not to dispute their claim because
it's not at that stage yet, they simply want to use the
status of a lawyer to try and prize out information.
Unfortunately this large insurer won't even return the
lawyer’s calls. If we've reached the stage where
constituents are being stonewalled and batted away and there
is a total refusal to listen to their concerns or work with
them then we definitely have a market failure. Some of these
insurers are exhibiting no accountability to their customers
who have paid insurance premiums all their lives. If we've
got to the point, as we have in this case, where something
as simple as a phone call is not being returned and insurers
have stopped engaging with their customers then how does a
person have any hope of progressing their recovery if their
insurer’s failure is off the hook? It has to be asked:
what is the Government doing if anything to hold these
insurers to account and to compel them to live up to their
commercial responsibilities?
BRENDON BURNS:
Communications from CERA continues to be a
shambles. Last night’s Geo Dome meeting for recently
green-zoned property owners was attended by only 50 people,
similar to the previous day’s lunchtime numbers. One woman
from Salisbury St said she’d only found out about it by
chance and could have brought 60 other residents if they had
been notified. A CERA spokesperson later told me details
about the meetings were on the website. This morning I found
it, buried within a Chief Executive’s update which is
dated Monday November 14 but which was posted up November 15
(after last night’s meeting?). Crucial information for
homeowners continues to emerge from such meetings. Last
night one major insurer, IAG, advised that when major
repairs actually do start – it won’t be before February
at best – it will prioritise people, with currently
uninhabitable homes first up for work. CERA CEO Roger Sutton
advised that even if you are blue-coded for foundations,
TC3, if your individual geotech report and engineering
analysis suggest a lesser repair is satisfactory, TC2 or
even TC1 foundations may suffice. He acknowledged the delays
to rebuilding/major repairs but said this should allow the
Department of Building and Housing to develop cheaper,
easier foundation options. He said it was possible people
may be able to have their foundation codings changed if
supported by the individual geotech reports but confirmed
there is not yet any review process for those who want to
appeal their red or green zonings
LIANNE DALZIEL:
Tonight I am attending the world premiere of
When A City Falls, a feature documentary on the
earthquakes that have done so much damage to our city.
Tonight’s premiere doubles as the official reopening of
Reading Cinemas at The Palms mall, which has been closed
since the quake – we have really missed having a theatre
on this side of town. The film is directed by Gerard Smyth,
who seemed to be everywhere with his camera after the
quakes. In February he came to our food distribution centre
that the community set up in New Brighton and he followed
the recovery planning that we started here as well. The
people of New Zealand have some idea of the traumatic impact
on the city centre, but not such a clear idea of what
happened in the wider city especially the eastern
communities. Although I don’t know what the film covers,
because I saw Gerard so often in those early days, I am sure
that he has captured the essence of what was an incredible
community response. I am equally sure it is going to be very
moving re-living those early days especially after the
February quake, but it is the strength of the people who
stepped up to the plate that will be etched on my memory
forever. The film will open in cinemas nationwide on
November 24. Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIlxoV6uG3Q.
RUTH
DYSON: The Canterbury Labour team met yesterday
with some of the Ecan Commissioners in relation to our
concern about the impact on our constituents of their
inability to get consent to rebuild their homes (either on
their existing section or in a new area) with an approved
log-burner. This has caused a lot of concern and distress
to people, given their insurance policies which, in the
main, say that they will only replace like with like, the
fact that most of us quite anxious about future times
without power for cooking or hot water, and the fact that
none of us have chosen to be in this situation of building a
new home - this is a decision thrust upon us! I completely
agree and support what is clearly the driving motivation
behind the thinking of the Ecan Commissioners - to clean up
our totally rubbish air which literally kills prematurely
hundreds of people each year. So I don't want to lower the
standards for air quality! But these are extraordinary times
and new thinking should be applied to all problems. I felt
as though the Commissioners picked up that point at our
meeting. I look forward to hearing back from them soon
about how we can progress this issue and I am really
confident that with their good will, we can progress this to
good resolution for our constituents and quality air
standards for Canterbury.