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Brownlee, you’re doing a heck of a job

Written By: r0b - Date published: 9:03 am, April 8th, 2011 - 56 comments

The Nats are taking far too long to act on accommodation after the Christchurch quake. Japan accomplished more in 2 weeks than we have so far managed in 6 weeks and counting. While they build, we dither…

No plan, no worries?

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:55 pm, April 5th, 2011 - 9 comments

A unemployment disaster is slowly unfolding in Christchurch. For now, the tide of job losses is being partially held back by wage subsidies supporting nearly 70,000 workers, but those will be phased out by June. Then, all hell will break loose. The Government has no plan for this and, according to Key, hasn’t even bothered to understand the scope of the crisis.

Plurality support quake levy

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:29 am, April 4th, 2011 - 4 comments

A UMR poll shows that 40% of Kiwis support paying an earthquake levy to help pay for the Christchurch rebuild. 22% prefer more borrowing, and 29% want spending cuts. Asked just whether they supported or opposed a levy – 57% supported it. Yet the Nats are choosing cuts instead.

Elitism and disaster

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:33 am, April 4th, 2011 - 26 comments

Watching Simon Barnett mouthing some cliched pap in front of photogenic rubble in an ad the other night, I got to thinking about how the earthquake has been hijacked for celebrity. At every turn, the government has used the earthquake as a stage, while the people are pushed into the background and their needs ignored.

A fraction liquefaction

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:53 am, April 2nd, 2011 - 11 comments

More Christchurch black humour (or maybe “brown” humour?)…

Business confidence and Christchurch

Written By: r0b - Date published: 9:02 am, April 1st, 2011 - 6 comments

At this time in our history we need government leadership like we have never needed it before. But the signs aren’t good. Christchurch is a city on the edge, and round the country business confidence is plummeting.

NRT: Canterbury Enabling Act II

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:53 pm, March 31st, 2011 - 14 comments

Over at No Right Turn, I/S has written a useful summary of the government’s plan for new emergency legislation for Christchurch. It gives the minister largely unfettered powers with only limited rights of appeal for affected citizens. The mindset behind this legislation is that Gerry Brownlee and his developer mates know best.

Meltdown at Fukushima

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:39 am, March 31st, 2011 - 35 comments

Efforts to cool the nuclear fuel rods in Fukushima’s No 2 reactor have failed. The rods have become molten and it appears some have melted through the steel reactor core into a concrete layer. Two dangers now arise: radioactive chemicals created by the concrete reacting with the nuclear fuel and the nuclear fuel pooling enough to go critical.

Brownlee wrong for Christchuch

Written By: r0b - Date published: 4:46 pm, March 28th, 2011 - 19 comments

Gerry Brownlee is making a mess of the rebuilding of Christchurch. In the latest fiasco, the person Brownlee tapped to head the new earthquake recovery authority apparently can’t face the prospect of working with him.

Fukushima radiation skyrockets

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:16 pm, March 27th, 2011 - 46 comments

Normally, we get 3.65 millisieverts of radiation a year. Increased cancer risk is associated with 100 millisieverts per year. Nuclear workers are only meant to get 100 millisieverts even in an emergency with protective clothing. Today, water in No 2 reactor was detected emitting 1 sievert per hour – and they’re not sure of the source.

English vs. Key on rebuilding costs

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:13 am, March 24th, 2011 - 49 comments

The PM and the Minister of Finance are at odds on how the cost of rebuilding Christchurch will be met. Bill English thinks that the costs are too high to be met by cuts, and significant borrowing will be required. John Key wants to avoid borrowing and cover the costs with budget cuts. This disagreement is indicative of the Nats shambolic preparation for the road ahead.

Informed consent

Written By: r0b - Date published: 10:08 am, March 23rd, 2011 - 47 comments

Owners of businesses in the red zone CBD want brief access to their premises to retrieve items and data that are vital to whatever remaining chance they have of keeping their enterprises alive. The government is refusing access on the grounds of safety. There’s right on both sides of the issue, but whatever happened to informed consent?

Credit where it’s due

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 9:18 am, March 21st, 2011 - 18 comments

On Friday, the government sent out a Request for Proposal for building companies to build 2,500 temporary modular homes in Christchurch. It looks like step towards the rebuilding plan I and others have been suggesting for the past couple of weeks. Now, lets see an aggressive timetable and a plan for what comes next.

Vanishing rebuilding rhetoric

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:00 am, March 21st, 2011 - 7 comments

We’ve had the memorial service. Now we need action. Now we need the plan. Christchurch needs rebuilding. How is it going to happen? Does the current government have the will? I went looking for clues in John Key’s three big speeches to date. What I found was not encouraging…

Hartevelt swipes Nats’ elitism

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:57 am, March 20th, 2011 - 32 comments

The SST’s John Hartevelt is shocked by National’s decision to pay out millions for Christchurch rugby business while ordinary people live in shattered homes and lose their jobs with meager support. He asks whether the Nats have lost their moral-political bearings. In fact, this is a perfect example of National’s elitist philosophy.

20 March

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:36 am, March 20th, 2011 - 94 comments

Here’s my prediction for 20 March 2011.

Who will do the rebuilding?

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:26 am, March 19th, 2011 - 38 comments

Who will plan, oversee and administer the rebuilding of Christchurch? Public servants. The kind of “back room bureaucrats” that the Nats love to hate. But governments can’t get anything done without them.

Who’s bulldozing Christchurch business?

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:47 am, March 18th, 2011 - 73 comments

There’s a large number of reports coming out of Christchurch of businesses that have been demolished without Civil Defence consulting with the owners, as is procedure, and giving them a chance to recover vital equipment and records first. Disturbingly, some of these demolitions seem to have been carried out by ‘cowboys’ without CD approval.

Christchurch memorial service

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:03 am, March 18th, 2011 - 183 comments

A memorial service will be held in Hagley Park today to pay tribute to victims of the February quake. Proceedings begin at 10:30am, with the service starting at 12:30, and two minutes silence at 12.51pm. This event has strongly polarised opinions in Christchurch…

Killer Cars?

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:21 pm, March 17th, 2011 - 39 comments

While media speculates on how many deaths in Japan will eventually be attributable to the earthquake, the tsunami and radiation exposure, I’ll warrant that one major contributory factor to the total death toll will escape any mention or comment.

Fukushima crisis deepens

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:46 am, March 17th, 2011 - 48 comments

In American football, there’s a move called the ‘Hail Mary pass’ – throw the ball down field and pray. That’s what filling the Fukushima reactors with sea-water has been described as, a Hail Mary pass. It just doesn’t seem to be coming off. Reactor 3 has started emitting more radiation, 4 is on fire, the core may be breached in 2. Even 5 and 6 pose a risk.

The building blocks of new Christchurch?

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:01 pm, March 16th, 2011 - 97 comments

Me & others: How come the government seems to have no plan for rebuilding Christchurch or desire to get one?
Righties: Well, um, Key’s awesome and, anyway, what’s your plan, smart-arse ?
Me: I’m not the government, rebuilding Christchurch isn’t my job. But here’s where I would start.

The Wrong Stuff

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:03 pm, March 16th, 2011 - 17 comments

This week’s Sunday Star-Times was full of stories about unaffordable food, housing and fuel affecting the country’s urban dwellers, nowhere more so than in Auckland. Meanwhile the shortage of housing after the earthquake promises huge rent and house price hikes for Christchurch, assuming the locals don’t flee and push up house prices elsewhere.

Continuing nuke crisis in Japan

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:40 am, March 16th, 2011 - 63 comments

Every day brings a new disaster from the Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant. Four reactors have now experienced an explosion and/or fire and/or partial meltdown. Yesterday saw the first significant radiation release, from Reactor 4. It’s a complex situation, so I’ve tried to summarise it as it stands this morning.

Christchurch RWC

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:03 am, March 16th, 2011 - 76 comments

I don’t think that anyone who has been paying attention to events in Christchurch could seriously have expected the city to host a major sporting event like the RWC within a few short months. So why is John Key the last person left in the country who is denying the obvious?

Weeping for Christchurch

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:27 pm, March 15th, 2011 - 13 comments

Sometimes we take comments here and put them up as posts. Here’s one from long time contributor vto.

Go well

Written By: r0b - Date published: 5:33 pm, March 14th, 2011 - 18 comments

Forty two Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) workers left New Zealand this morning for Japan. Straight off the back of three hard weeks in the rubble of Christchurch, they are flying in to help out with an even bigger disaster.

Earthquake news round-up

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:05 pm, March 14th, 2011 - 22 comments

The destruction wrought by the 9.0 Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami is truly appalling. Untold lives have been lost. Thousands of square kilometres were obliterated by the water which swept up to 20km inland.Updates second explosion at nuke plant. New tsunami warning. 70% chance of 7+ aftershock within days.

Nuclear Free

Written By: r0b - Date published: 10:11 am, March 14th, 2011 - 72 comments

As the nuclear disaster continues to unfold in Japan there is a risk of a Chernobyl style event and a huge release of radiation. Coming as it does on the heels of the Christchurch earthquake, it is all too easy to imagine the same scenario playing out here. New Zealand must remain nuclear free forever. We need a plan for a nuclear free and oil constrained future, and we need it now.

Meltdown

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:13 am, March 13th, 2011 - 186 comments

The Sendai Earthquake cut the power supply to the pumps at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. With no cooling water being pumped through the reactors, the nuclear fuel rods heated themselves until reactor 1 melted. But it should have been OK. The containment building should have kept the radiation from escaping. Then an explosion blew the containment building apart.

Back to School on Quakes

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:51 pm, March 12th, 2011 - 31 comments

A comment from a foreign national in Japan caught my attention last night. She was a language teacher in a school and remarked that she was in the safest possible building as schools in Japan have extra earthquake reinforcement, ie over and above the building code as it applies to other buildings.