Denis O’Rourke MP
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Spokesperson
13 September 2012

Government Offer to Uninsured Home Owners Unfair

New Zealand First says the Government’s planned offer to 50 uninsured home owners on Christchurch’s red zoned flat land is unfair.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Denis O’Rourke says Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced that the Government will be offering only 50 per cent of the latest rateable value to the owners of uninsured red zoned flat land and nothing for the house itself.

“This will put these people in an impossible position and many will be unable to move on and find alternative homes.

“There is a mismatch between the offers made to red zoners who were insured and who can get 100 per cent of the rating value of their land, and uninsured red zoners who will only get 50 per cent for the same category of land.

“The result will be that the uninsured red zoner will get only half of the value for their land which their red zoned insured neighbours will get.

“There is no satisfactory rationale for this. The Government is using bully-boy tactics on these people. Their decision to self-insure should not attract such punitive treatment.

“I call upon Mr Brownlee to see that these people get 100 per cent of the rating value of their land,” says Mr O’Rourke

ENDS

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