First red zone offer letters in the mail

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the first 3000 of about 5000 property owners whose houses were zoned red on 23 June will begin receiving government letters of offer for their properties over the next couple of days.

"We set ourselves an ambitious goal of mid-August to get offers to Christchurch's hardest hit residents, and I'm pleased to say we've met that target in respect of homeowners who promptly returned their consent forms to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority [CERA]," Mr Brownlee said.

Each homeowner in the red zone will be sent a consent form to complete and return to CERA. This allows the government to share information with the Earthquake Commission [EQC] and their private insurer to develop the offers.

"Of the 5000 forms sent out nearly a month ago almost 4000 have already been returned to CERA," Mr Brownlee said.

The 920 homeowners in the Waimakariri District whose properties were zoned red yesterday will receive their consent forms in the mail over the next few days.

Each government offer pack contains a personalised letter of offer, a detailed booklet of offer information explaining the two government options, advice on how to seek legal and other assistance, and an extensive Q&A document based on engagement with residential red zone residents over recent weeks.

"CERA has done a great job of engaging with residents at the earliest stage of the process," Mr Brownlee said.

"A valuable workshop was held for red zone residents at CERA's housing expo in late July, so I'm confident we've engaged with affected residents in a meaningful way in developing the offers they now have nine months to consider."

CERA is responsible for rebuilding greater Christchurch and its surrounds, and supporting the welfare of its residents. For more information visit http://www.cera.govt.nz

© Scoop Media