It’s really sad. I was hoping our work would be cleaning up more difficult claims in the new year and getting to the less urgent stuff for people, but we’ll probably have plenty of new damage to deal with. The good news is that EQC was only just starting to scale down, so it shouldn’t be too hard to reverse that again for this event.
I hope Brownlee at least cuts short any vacation plans and gets to work with CERA asap, but I think it’s fair enough if people who aren’t actually working on the recovery plans don’t rush home from vacation, especially seeing having all of cabinet working on it would probably slow things down.
Criticising the government if they make bad or undemocratic decisions relating to the recovery is fair and balanced, but it’s just gormless to bag on people for taking a holiday when there’s literally no way of knowing when a new earthquake is going to happen.
Bob Parker raced back from his family gathering in Taupo. It’s kind of a tricky situation though because it’s not like he’d specially contribute anything that others can’t handle anyway, but if he didn’t go back he’d get bad press.
I don’t think it’s only bad press. It’s his job to front up when things like this happen. I have a modicum of respect for him that he came home so promptly.
See Lyn W 23.1.1 – 24/12 6.45 am
Ow the idea of PPP in health is not good. It makes me feel sick straight away. What a pity that Christchurch couldn’t give a definite sign to National by voting them out? If I lived there I wouldn’t be at all happy with their methods and vision. Presumably many people in Christchurch have blue blood injected in their veins at birth or be indoctrinated with slogans that teach them they are a superior type, connected or following the English upper-class, who do not mingle with Labour the working class party.
Why can’t some national bonds be started to raise money for hospitals. The moneyed are supposed to be panting for a reliable vehicle for their assets, so they could get their asses off the bench and invest in their country and get paid reasonable levels of interest for such blue chip stock.
Other countries have also tried lotteries that raise money for such purposes. A dedicated health lottery would be better than Lotto allocations that must be split amongst many worthy causes not as essential as health infrastructure.
Oh for God’s sake – I have lived in Christchurch for over ten years and this bullshit about it being a toff-controlled Little England has really got to stop. No-one has ever asked me which of the First Four Ships I came in on or where I went to school. The presence of the idiots of the National Front makes it nore more racist than any other large city – the vast majority of Cantabrians treat them as an embaressing joke. The only reason that national got voted in again and gained ground is that Labour voters are less likely to own property and were among the first to permanently relocate after the first quakes – that and obviously major natural disasters and uncertainty tend to make swing voters vote for the conservative or status quo option. And while I really don’t want to continue to live there because there isn’t any opportunity for me right now in the chaos, I don’t think some of the hysterical raving bullshit I’m reading from some posters is helping anyone. We are a community. I’m sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but except for those posters living in Christchurch you can have absolutely no f!*$ing idea what it’s like or how much inane comments hurt and piss us off or what an unmitigated unending horror it is – you might think you do from media coverage or what your firends tell you, but YOU DO NOT. If people in Christchurch foolishly voted National, leave them the f@!%k alone – they’ve got enough shit to deal with right now, WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER- ideology takes second place. Try to remember that this is New Zealand’s second largets city and the main hub for 1 million people in the South Island and some of our most significant parts of the agricultural and tourism sectors, AND THAT PEOPLE LIVE THERE AND ARE TRYING TO CARRY ONE WITH THEIR SHATTERED LIVES. If you are going to talk about the political ramifications of the Canterbury Quakes, there are only three sane ones worth pursuing right now:
(1) The severing of communications and cooperation between the CCC and CERA at the Government’s insistance.
(2) Why the government has not underwritten reconstruction now that insurance is impossible to acquire.
(3) Why are the citizens of Christchurch not getting the information they need to get on with their lives.
Sorry for the ranting and shouting, but you need to keep in mind that this is a very real and precarious existence for all concerned, and turning it into an ideological bunfight when there are very real pragmatic issues that must be addressed, or talking hysterical shit about Christchurch being doomed is extremely distressing.
@ Populuxe1 Sorry that you have got such a load on your shoulders. Obviously many in eastern Christchurch have to spend most time just managing, so it isn’t a bad idea for others to try and get an overview and understanding of the situation in Christchurch and its future. Also whether the most affected people are being adequately and fairly helped. The rest of NZ has to help with funding and support, Christchurch can’t be left to flounder on its own without resources so we are involved.
And ideology shows up in decisions about whether people are helped as in a collective or many are left to flounder individually with inadequate support.. When people are helped it needs to be unequal help in the right direction ie not those with large assets and good incomes getting the most and what’s left over going to the poor. The unequal treatment needs to be that those with the most need receive more, and those with much receive lesser assistance. This all comes down to ideology. It doesn’t take second place, it is right up front, in decision-makers heads.
I apologise prism, but when you are in the midst of it, and you’re awake nights wondering if your roof is going to fall in or whether you’re going to lose what little the previous quakes have left you with, then politics becomes a bit of a side show. Usually The Standard is a welcome distraction, but this was too close to the bone and perhaps I shouldn’t have read this thread.
@Populuxe1 Hi I did a comment which I thought would follow yours 31/12/11 12.35 am – but it’s shot up to 25. All the best wishes for happy times over New year and the holiday season.
Hard to express thougths on Christchurch, they’ve got much more to cope with than a few distant words can help. We only feel the tail end of the worst of them, and even from down here it’s “soul shaking.
A forlorn Christmas wish is for the earth to calm for the people of Christchurch for Christmas.
Realistically vto it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that this kind of quake sequence could continue for another 3-5 years. I know that’s a horrible thought, but geologically it’s still a blink of an eye. Less than that.
Can ChCh survive this? Such an extended period of uncertainty, disruption and personal trauma is certainly not something you would hope for, but we know have to accept is something that we might have to begin planning for.
What is a realistic response to this possibility? We could at one extreme abandon the city, or at the other extreme do nothing and let people muddle through as best they can… which at the end of the day might amount to much the same thing as abandonment.
This quake sequence is the final straw for the ‘let’s hope for the best and she’ll be right’ approach we’ve taken as a nation so far. We’re going to have to change our thinking on this one.
I’m sitting comfortably far away, but having been through the Edgecumbe event in 1987 (equally violent but compressed into only a few weeks) I’m concious that it took me a good 15 years afterwards for my body to stop traumatically reacting to every slight movement. Even now just thinking about what you are all going through gives me itchy palms.
So how much more can the city and the people cope with? I know everyone varies enormously in their reaction to this kind of stress, but I believe it’s cumulative. Do we wait for a mass-breaking point? This is all a bit unprecendented vto… what are your thoughts?
What is a realistic response to this possibility? We could at one extreme abandon the city, or at the other extreme do nothing and let people muddle through as best they can…
The thing is that tens of thousands of people have already made their decision, or are very close to it. Official notice is not required.
edit: last two posts the reply button hasn’t worked. this was in reply to mr logix just above, and the one below was to lanthanide. [Sorry that was me mucking you about moving things…RL]
Prior to this I felt that if there was another big one then that would be a tipping point and those many who were still semi-undecided and still muddling through would have the decision made for them i.e. they would leave. That applies to some around us.
Now that that has eventualised I suspect that is what will come to pass. By yesterday morning many more people than normal had already left Chch for xmas because they were knackered and tired and wanted a break. By early evening yesterday the streets were becoming more deserted. It is definitely emptying.
And you’re right, it is cumulative. The stress, the uncertainty, the high blood pressure, … It is all very damaging.
I must away, but a bit more briefly, the major impact will be any rebuild stopping virtually dead. Insurers must surely turn away again. Who would insure buildings in Chch?. And even infrastructure type repairs, etc. There is no doubt now that rebuilding is just plain silly for the simple reason that the damaging earthquakes are continuing. That seems to be the only certainty. Until the quakes stop I suspect that no building will happen. And that reality has many consequences of course ……….
Population decrease.
Little positive activity.
Decreased economic activity.
Increased health acitivity.
More ghetto suburbs.
It’s easy to get depressive. Anyway, gotta beat the crowds to the mall and I’m running late! later
Yeah strange isn’t it. The gathering last night and then all through the night we felt them, even in the last half hour. Since 5.30am there have been eight between 3.5 and 5.1. Some places just feel them more I think. Those out west feel nada. We seem to feel the lot.
Its quite fascinating though getting to learn them. You always feel/sense/hear them first and then feel the intimacies of each shake and its different characteristics. Gets better if you place yourself, say, in a slightly wobbly chair with feet on the ground and sit still and quiet. Set up your own body as a seismometer.
Well, gotta head off for xmas eve chores. Leave the emergency kit with the others. Take some water, cellphone, wallet, boots and warm clothes, some fud – and prepare for the worst. Strange days.
Sorry, my post above was entered before it was completed. Here it goes again.
To try and bring a positive note to the conversation:
At Christchurch quake map there is a cumulative total for earthquakes after each event. With a bit of subtraction and division, the figures work out as follows:
September 4 to February 22 932 quakes per month (approx)
February 22 to June 13 904 quakes per month (approx)
June 13 to December 23 250 quakes per month (approx)
As can be seen, the number of monthly quakes has reduced considerably since June 13. After June 13 the aftershock activity subsided much more quickly than with the two previous large quakes. So here’s hoping for more of the same. Lately we have had periods of almost a week between quake activity on some occasions, so things are definitely quieting down, despite the recent big quakes. The experts have said all along that reduction of quake activity doesn’t preclude more large quakes. So while it is both frustrating and tragic, it is within the pattern of expected activity.
On the other hand, I just read an article by experts involved in earthquake investigations here who thought that we would be down to one aftershock per month by about March 2012. If that is the case, then the probability of the next one being large is obviously much less. Certainly, things seemed to be heading towards much lower activity. Hopefully the aftershakes will subside quickly again, and we can get back to the rapid downward trend in activity.
My heart goes out to those who are covered with liquifaction again, especially at this time of the year. Hopefully what I have pointed out above will give you a bit more hope if you are suffering badly with the aftershocks.
Yep, it’s getting better, even if I totally understand people being fed up with the uncertainty and risk. The ground will eventually settle, and hopefully the communities that are staying will be paid out adequately to fund their repairs or, in the case of unsound land, rebuilding elsewhere.
I dont think anyone has really fully looked into what is happening under Christchurch. We need the finest geological minds in the country (and the world), down there ASAP, looking into what the hell is going on.
Thoughts go out to Christchurch. Just when they recover from one shake, another one happens and they are back where they started. Dont really blame anyone who quits the city. Dont blame anyone who takes their EQC money and runs either.
I dont think anyone has really fully looked into what is happening under Christchurch. We need the finest geological minds in the country (and the world), down there ASAP, looking into what the hell is going on.
millsy
Indeed, I can’t help wondering Millsy, if all this movement isn’t building up to something even more catastrophic?
Your suggestion that there should be a full scale investigation employing the finest geological minds and As Soon As Possible makes a lot of sense. Such a proposed large scale investigation is what a responsible government should be funding right now. Not to mention serious funding for earthquake strengthening of public buildings in the targetted towns mentioned in the following report.
The earthquakes around Christchurch are no way near the main fault, though there has been pivoting and elastic deformation on the plains to the east of the Southern Alpine Fault, as Chris Rowan a NZ expert, points out, the main fault itself has been frozen for a long time.
…..earthquakes are found all along the Alpine fault, suggesting that a substantial length – 3 or 4 hundred kilometres – of the whole active structure ruptured in one go, generating a magnitude 8+ earthquake…..
……. the average repeat time of the four confirmed ruptures of the Alpine Fault is around 160 years, and the maximum gap between ruptures is about 200 years. The last confirmed rupture, in 1717, was almost 290 years ago. The math is hardly reassuring, is it?
Note that I have refrained from using words like ‘overdue’. Whilst it’s certainly true that we are currently at the wrong end of the longest known period between ruptures on the Alpine Fault, we need to bear in mind that from a geological perspective, our record is still woefully short – there is no way of knowing if the last millennium accurately reflects the long-term seismic behaviour of the fault…..
…….Settlements on the west coast like Greymouth and Hokitika would be far more severely affected; roads and railways across and along the Southern Alps could be destroyed; and there must be some risk of damage to some of New Zealand’s many hydroelectric dams, which are a significant contributor to the country’s overall generation capacity.
Chris Rowan, New Zealand geologist specialising in tectonics
I wonder if the exploratory wells they drilled in the Canterbury region before the earthquakes geologically destabilized the area? Despite the Fracking industry saying that the technology does not cause earthquakes… there are now some reputable studies that show otherwise. That could account for the Earthquakes being in unexpected places… in any case a full scientific seismological investigation is overdue.
Nope. If there was a basalt plume (the only likely candidate for your idea) causing the earthquakes, then you’d expect that the earthquakes would have a very localised centre rather than being scattered over 50 kms. You’d also expect a much slower sequence in time.
Volcanoes don’t start as calderas. Calderas form AFTER a cone collapses at the END of an eruption sequence. This is because the magma reservoir under the cone(s) empties out. So your time line just displays your characteristic ignorance.
I think that you are confusing the characteristics of several different types of volcanoes. But really you’re talking your usual half-baked nonsense.
No, expert either but it ?looks? more like a scree slope, where at the higher end there was an initial earthquake. which pushed scree down and destablized a slope further down. Christchurch is half way along the scree slope and so was hit harder when the scree slope its on collapsed. But its not over. The slope still continue on out to sea. Would not surprise me if there was a tsunami.
The analog I have for earthquakes is a sloping sand hill, some slips may trigger other slips.
I think we need to halt all rebuilding of Christchuch until more understanding has been made of the geological side of things, and that includes residential buildings. Of course, short term work to ensure public safety would need to still go ahead, but anything permanent, out of the question.
Abandonment is probably unlikely or unrealistic, but I wouldnt be suprised if Christchurch was a smaller, more decentralised community in 10 years time, with completely different demographics, with itinerant tradespeople and single unskilled workers drifting into the city and families with the financial means and connections to be able to relocate, drifting out, and only the post loyal or poorest remaining.
There will be no exodus. For every big quake to hit Chch the media will always say ‘this is the last straw for lots of people etc’. The truth is that those who wanted to leave, by and large, already have. Like we did. The remaining people know that this kind of thing may continue for years but have done the sums on all the relevant factors and realise that they may as well ride this out.
Edgeware Road from Springfield to Cranford has a couple of plate-sized holes, most due to third-world style patches bodged together after the previous shakers. Continuing east it just gets progressively worse with new areas of uplifted footpaths, silt-covered driveways and gutters full of gray muck.
The wife and I had a nice walk along North Hagley Park (it’s a treasure for sure) and down Deans Ave to Riccarton Road. Nothing visibly wrong along Riccarton Road that we could detect. The Westfield Mall was crowded as one would expect the day before Christmas.
Rebuild on the parks, playgrounds and golf courses that are in safe(r) areas and remake them in the red zone where no sane person would want to rcside.
Plans and work based around this idea has been on display at the Palms Shopping Mall at Shirley where it has generated very good feedback.
Officialdom has been resoundingly uninterested…
RDSsubstantial houses can be built on driven piles .These houses are inherently stronger as they are self supporting made of wood[only one wooden house in these Quakes has collapsed an old higgledy piggledy built house] And can be moved if there is liquefaction or land subsidence.
I would not allow any other type of permanent dwelling it would be stupid!
Determination or just the desperation of people with not a lot of good options?
I’m not taking one jot away from their efforts, it’s admirable and not a little humbling watching them pick themselves up and clean up the mess over and again. My point is this…. these shocks COULD go on for years and I’m asking, just how long does the rest of NZ sit back comfortably and watch them go through this?
A situation like this, an extended series of high energy, high acceleration shocks one of the largest cities of a modern developed nation is more or less unprecedented. I’m suggesting that as a nation maybe it’s time we had another think about what our expectations are.
I’m thinking we should all be grateful to Chch people who are gaining the skills at living with sustained trauma. If the shit hits the fan badly with peak oil and CC, we will need alot of people with those skills. The rest of NZ should be paying close attention.
I also feel uncomfortable about how much the rest of NZ is letting Chch deal with this. It could actually be any of us, and we’re now starting to see how this is a long term issue, not just a natural disaster that happened one year. It’s going to affect all of us. I don’t know what the solution is though.
RL, I’ve been wondering how other places have coped with such a situation. What happens in Japan? Do they not get such sustained aftershocks?
This wiki page on peak ground accelerations is worth reading. While the ChCh quakes have had relatively small magnitudes, only 6.3 compared to 9.0 for the Tohoku/Sendai quake in terms of total energy, the ground accelerations which are what counts in terms damage. In that sense the ChCh quakes have been some of the largest ever recorded.
Moreover the wiki page records Tohoku accelerations at 2.7g, but crucially it’s not clear where this was recorded. Certainly Tokyo was not subject to anything like that, nor most of the Japanese land areas… while we know ChCh caught the full brunt of the 2.2g right bang in the Eastern suburbs.
Yesterday’s quake at about 1g is still right up there in terms of impact. And even if most of the more vulnerable structures have already fallen over or been demolished, there’s the cumulative damage to currently sound structures… and as John Key correctly stated, the cumulative trauma for so many people.
Great that we have a strong government in place that has looked after Christurch so well in these times of trouble. That is why National polled so well in Chrsitchurch this election because the voters knew how hard they tried despite trying times ,and labour attempting to undermine everything they were doing.How many times did we see Dalzell going on about the eastern suburbs didnt go down well with the voters did it?
I wondered at the time how well it would have coordinated if Labour were in control ,and whether they would have to get permission from the greens everytime they used a front end loader to scoop up a bucket load of silt just in case there were snails endangered.
Hold on people of Christchurch work through this and things will get better eventually. Our hearts are with you all
[lprent: Another sycophantic brownnoser – I really have to make a rule about people who make my skin crawl. Perhaps this mythical godlike government that you see can figure out how to get insurers back into Christchurch. That would be some practicable help. ]
James 111 is clearly one of the tribe of people who believes that if you say something that makes it true. Either that or he works in marketing and brings his work home with him. He’s like one of Prince Charles’ flunkies, constantly reassuring poor Mr. Windsor that talking to plants isn’t completely mad, and the people are hanging off his every word.
“Great that we have a strong government in place that has looked after Christurch so well…”
I appreciate your attempt at sarcastic humour, but we shouldn’t make fun of the sad situation the Cantabs are in, made worse-so by their government’s incompetance.
Seven quakes today alreadyOn first floor we hear the rumble, we tense and wait.(grrr)) The Christchurch Labour M.Ps Jim Anderton, Clayton Cosgrove, Brendon Burns, Ruth Dyson and Lianne Dalziel worked themselves to a standstill and Lianne is in the thick of it again. Christchurch has lost a lot of voters. We in Christchurch Central lost 4 voting booths which in 2008 recorded a 2 for 1 swing in our favour There was not one voting booth in Avonside this election Around 4,500 fewer people voted.Other losses were recorded in Richmond and ShirleyBrendon & Philippa Burns worked tirelessly for Christchurch. The 2014 battle has commenced.
on a different level, what worries me is that the authorities will do a New Orleans, ie use a natural disaster as an opportunity to socially cleanse poor people and turn the place into a boutique tourist place where no-one who isn’t wealthy can afford to live.
(Rather less brutal in Chch of course – no-one’s been shot!)
The Great Earth Monster has been giving Christchurch the once over again, of that there no doubt.
If anyone wants to see the Great Earth Monster unsheathed check out Castle Rock, (above Heathcote Valley, Feb epicentre), from the north. The peak got smashed in February and June and seems to have lost a bunch more leaving his giant phallus exposed. Its quite the disturbing thing – the beast is clearly primed, in fuck off mode and risen for all to see…
for Gods sake, why don’t we get real.
This City is fucked.
It was bloody mediocre forever, but now t is fucked.
In geological terms the earthquakes could go on for a century.
Goodbye Christchurch
Leave now, get real, go anywhere,
if you don’t go buy my house idiot
for Gods sake, why don’t we get real.
This City is fucked.
It was bloody mediocre forever, but now t is fucked.
In geological terms the earthquakes could go on for a century.
Goodbye Christchurch
Leave now, get real, go anywhere,
if you don’t go you can buy my house idiot
To try and bring a positive note to the conversation:
At Christchurch quake map there is a cumulative total for earthquakes after each event. With a bit of subtraction and division, the figures work out as follows:
September 4 to February 22 932 quakes per month
February 22 to June 13
So, is this step one in the takeover of Christchurch? They already control ECAN.
Earthquake Minister scolds council
BEN HEATHER
Last updated 05:00 21/12/2011
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has accused “parts” of the Christchurch City Council of slowing the earthquake recovery and has refused to rule out sacking councillors.
Days after being reappointed, Brownlee waded into Christchurch politics, accusing some councillors of being ill-informed and not supporting Mayor Bob Parker.
“There is a case for some elected members of the council to step up and learn a little more about what is going on than they know at the moment.
“We need to get past the idea that we are waiting for someone else to do it,” he said. “I have great sympathy for the mayor. I don’t know that he is all that well supported by the council.”
The relationship between the Government’s Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) and the council was good, but there were “parts of the council” slowing the recovery, he said.
He would not elaborate but has previously raised concerns about council red tape.
“Our tolerance for slowing things down is zero,” he said. “I think there are too many examples at the moment of people wanting progress coming up against a bit of a brick wall in some parts of the council.”
Brownlee said several people had asked him to “sack the bloody council and you guys [Cera] can get on with it”, but Cera was not big enough to take over all of the council’s role.
“We are a small organisation and you need people who know where things are at.”
However, he did not rule out using his special powers to sack councillors or assume some of the council’s responsibilities. ..
The Press report of the growing sinkhole in Monterey Cres. and the comments of a geologist who lives there about the need for the authorities to bite the bullet and stop waffling about areas being considered suitable for rebuilding when they obviously aren’t and so placing huge stress and despair on people gives a fair indication of how Gerry Brownlee and his merry men are failing earthquake-affected Christchurch people.
Each time I visit Christchurch there is a noticeable earthquake. I can understand people deciding to leave this shaky place, the earth shakes and the economy quakes and the employment disappears down a sinkhole.
I don’t know why this isn’t the last in the thread. It’s not a reply to anybody’s comment so doesn’t make sense stuck in the middle of old comments. Odd way of organising this thread.
[lprent: looks like a issue in the threading with orphaned child comments. I will write some code to scan for and fix such orphans in the morning. I am getting bored with holidaying… ]
Thanks Lynn though I can’t believe that you are bored yet. Still if it’s going to rain everywhere fining and shining up your system so that the hubcaps sparkle might seem a good occupation. Or if you feel like a game of trivia we can supply good content with just a little thought.
OK if Brownlee wants to get heavy with the Christchurch City Council like they did with Ecan then why didn’t the government put on a price freeze from day one.
What has resulted is that those from the red zone have been settled up at yesterdays price and have gone their ‘merry’ looking for another house to buy.
This has created a huge demand on property that has forced the price up astronomically and the developers and speculators are laughing to the bank!
On the backs of other peoples misery!!!!!!!
CERA has not addressed this issue nor does it intend to because idealogicaly the government is free-market driven.
I am very surprised and even suspicious as to why Geoff didn’t campaign hard on this issue.
@Populuxe1 I have been visiting Christchurch each time there has been a big earthquake except for the June one. And my sympathy is with you. This 23 December my flight arrived and I was picked up by about 1pm and the quake happened shortly after. I sprang up and ran into my grandchild’s room upsetting her afternoon nap, there was no problem, but you can’t be sure can you. And our sleep was disturbed each night with the 4’s so I have an idea about how hard it is for you permanent residents. Also that virus that gives a sore throat and tiredness and takes ages to go away seems to be circulating well in my family’s area, also seen in Nelson, but just another stress for Christchurch if its going around.
The hospital idea of PPP also is a concern and was what prompted my comment. Good politics have the potential to make positive advances but these can’t be guaranteed and only a careful eye and protest may prevent some bad, permanent results.
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It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came from Education Minister Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has been under pressure from rising costs. Down on the farm, this has been hitting hard. But there was more positive news this week, first from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where prices rose, and then from a report ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normalcolumn of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
The electorate has high expectations of the new government. The question is: can it deliver? Some might say the signs are not promising. Protestors are already marching in the streets. The new Prime Minister has had little experience of managing very diverse politicians in coalition. The economy he ...
Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to …. Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand! Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations. • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme – that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate changeDaily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenanceBeehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
Labour’s immigration spokesperson Phil Twyford is calling on the Government to follow the example of Australia and help New Zealanders’ close family members stuck in Gaza to escape and take shelter here. ...
The Green Party is urging the Government to recognise its commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi so our tamariki and mokopuna can grow up in an Aotearoa where their language is celebrated, their health is prioritised, and their whenua is protected. ...
By scrapping Aotearoa’s world-leading smokefree laws, this government is sacrificing Māori lives to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Not only is this plan revolting, but it doesn’t add up. Treasury has estimated that the reversal of smokefree laws to pay for tax cuts will cost our health system $5.25bn, ...
Figures showing National needs to find another $900 million for landlords highlights the mess this coalition Government is in less than a week into the job. ...
Community organisations, mana whenua and the Greens have written to the incoming Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to call for the progression without delay of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. ...
"On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to congratulate Christopher Luxon on his appointment as Prime Minister,” Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
NZ First has gotten their wish to ‘take our country back’ to the 1800s with a policy program that will white-wash Aotearoa and erase tangata whenua rights. By disestablishing the Māori Health Authority this Government has condemned Māori to die seven years earlier than Pākehā. By removing Treaty obligations from ...
Te Pāti Māori have called for the resignation of the Ministry of Foreign and Trade chief executive Chris Seed following his decision to erase te reo Māori from government communications. While the country still waits for a new government to be formed, Mr Seed took it upon himself to undermine ...
The New Zealand Labour Party is urgently calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel to put a halt to the appalling attacks and violence, so that a journey to a lasting peace can begin, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says. ...
New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says. “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids. The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber. I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States. This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bianca Baggiarini, Lecturer, Australian National University Last week, reports emerged that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are using an artificial intelligence (AI) system called Habsora (Hebrew for “The Gospel”) to select targets in the war on Hamas in Gaza. The system has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johan Lidberg, Associate Professor, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University The most significant recommendation in the Senate inquiry report on the functionality of the Commonwealth FOI system is this: move the federal Freedom of Information (FOI) function from the Office ...
Analysis: The government was under attack on multiple fronts during a week of relentless criticism and then faced its first Question Time in Parliament, Peter Wilson writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University Shutterstock A home – in the physical and emotional sense – is foundational to living an ordinary life with a feeling of inclusion. National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants with the highest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney Veronika Kunitsyna/Shutterstock Red imported fire ants are a particularly nasty type of ant because they are aggressive, and inflict painful stings that may ...
Christopher Luxon says the new government is going to continue everything that the previous one put into place to help with the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Live - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been in Wairoa this morning to gauge progress of the town's recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. Watch a media conference with him here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Pavlovich, Senior lecturer in the School of Accounting and Commercial Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The new coalition government has announced a suite of tax reforms, including reintroducing the ability for property investors to deduct the interest ...
“The new government has a clear choice to make before Christmas. Do they live up to their stated intention of governing for all New Zealanders, or do they dash the hopes of tens of thousands of kiwi workers by unilaterally abolishing Fair Pay ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Reid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Sciences, Monash University titoOnz, Shutterstock You’ve probably heard El Niño brings hot and dry weather to the eastern states, but what about the rest of Australia? Are we all in for a scorcher ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Currie, Professor of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Heatwaves are a major public health hazard. Socially disadvantaged people are especially exposed to extreme heat and other impacts of climate change. Many people experiencing homelessness – more than 120,000 ...
The Free Speech Union has sent 14 Cabinet Ministers a comprehensive Briefing to the Incoming Government, outlining five key areas of policy that the Government must address in order to protect and expand Kiwis’ speech rights. We look forward to ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she has already met twice with KiwiRail bosses over a "major cost blowout" in the project to replace the Interislander ferries. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the National Party to front up to consumers who will face 15% higher prices for some services from the likes of Uber, Airbnb and food delivery apps after their app tax U-turn rather than trying to erase all ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University While 2023 was a watershed year for Australian women’s sport due to the Matildas’ stirring run at the Women’s World Cup, netball is going through its worst period ever. Netball Australia and the ...
Responding to news that Wellington City Councillors have voted down a proposal to reduce business rates in the capital, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “When Mayor Tory Whanau comes out with a line like ‘I couldn’t in good ...
The new tertiary education minister says Te Pūkenga will be replaced with eight to 10 individual institutions, and hopes legislation will be in place within eight months. ...
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission has today launched a short film calling for the public and government to champion and protect human rights ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Seventy-five years on, ...
The parliamentary motion passed today , a full two months after Israel’s slaughter of Palestinian civilians began, says: "Express grave concern at the ongoing violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, unequivocally condemn ...
To replace $700 million a year of revenues lost from a foreign buyers tax, the new coalition government is dumping the previous government’s smokefree 2025 goal. This relaxing of policies will keep more people smoking for longer, costing thousands of lives per year and at least $10 billion is extra ...
London has always been a hard place to live, but in 2023, it’s almost impossible. Charlotte Doyle, a New Zealander currently living in London, explores why we keep heading there. “You’re dreaming,” the letting agent tells me impatiently over the phone. “A one-bedroom for £1,500 per month is a needle ...
With The Project wrapping up last week (you can read Duncan Greive’s excellent reflections on that here), Warner Bros Discovery has announced broadcaster Ryan Bridge will host a brand new current affairs show for Three. The currently unnamed show will focus on live news and interviews and is a return ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew H. Holden, Lecturer, School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland Dot-underwing moth (_Eudocima materna_) found in the researchers’ yard.Matthew Holden, CC BY-NC We are biodiversity researchers – an ecologist, a mathematician and a taxonomist – who were locked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Bennett, Disability Program Director, Grattan Institute The long-awaited NDIS review has looked far beyond the National Disability Insurance Scheme, taking a bird’s eye view of disability services in Australia. Critical to the future of the NDIS are services for people with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca J McLeod, Senior Research Fellow in Marine Ecology, University of Otago Climate change might not be high on its immediate agenda, but New Zealand’s new government does have one potentially significant and innovative policy. Recognising the marine environment’s ability to remove ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Happé, Graduate researcher in art history and material culture studies, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock As we get closer to Christmas, your family will probably have some kind of gathering. You will reunite with people who you might not ...
Te Whatu Ora IT worker Barry Young had a “relatively muted” digital presence prior to his arrest last week over a massive Covid data breach, Stuff reports. Young has since become something of a cause celebre among vacccine sceptics, appearing on online shows hosted by local conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn and ...
After an 11 year hiatus, legendary Aotearoa hip-hop group Home Brew are back today with their first new album in over a decade, Run it Back, and will continue that reunion at Laneway Festival in February. Breaking their indefinite hiatus, Run it Back comes off the back off the 2023 ...
There may be less than a fortnight left in the political year, but politicians seem determined to make the final days count, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Question time is ...
Labour's leader says O'Connor is "incredibly passionate" about the issue but party policy is that relevant international bodies will determine whether Israel's actions are lawful. ...
The Spinoff’s live updates editor reflects on three-and-a-half years in the role, and looks forward to what’s next. Today marks the final day of live updates on The Spinoff. It’s a big day for me given I have been editing the live updates since mid-2020, but it’s also a big ...
On a quiet morning before the first parliamentary question time of the new term, Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon took a moment to analyse and reflect on their election campaigns. When Chris Hipkins was sworn in as prime minister on January 21, 2023, he had a feeling of optimism and ...
Opinion: Courts are halls of justice, but they are also well-financed institutional purchasers of goods and services, outsourcing much of their work to private consultants and contractors, including lawyers, advocates, psychologists, social workers, and drug counsellors who earn their living from court contracts. Though there is nothing inherently wrong ...
Analysis: The United Nations’ COP28 climate negotiations have begun their final phase with only five days or so left to agree a wide range of measures designed to accelerate nations’ climate responses in coming years. While the draft text prepared by government officials over the past week has some ...
Liv McGoverne has just returned from an enjoyable season playing rugby in England, but playing there in a Black Ferns jersey, on the sport’s biggest stage, remains the ultimate goal. McGoverne, 26, played the 2022-23 campaign for Exeter Chiefs in the Premier 15s competition. Coached by former England half-back ...
FICTION 1 The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner (Hachette, $37.99) An ideal Xmas present for the commercial fiction reader who would relish a wartime story of a shipboard romance. 2 The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35) An ideal Xmas present for the ...
After most of a billion dollars and six years’ work, the Puhoi to Warkworth section of State Highway 1 has been warmly received by long-distance motorists no longer slowed down by small town traffic lights. Where once cars would back bumper to bumper on a Sunday evening, now the ...
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It’s really sad. I was hoping our work would be cleaning up more difficult claims in the new year and getting to the less urgent stuff for people, but we’ll probably have plenty of new damage to deal with. The good news is that EQC was only just starting to scale down, so it shouldn’t be too hard to reverse that again for this event.
I hope Brownlee at least cuts short any vacation plans and gets to work with CERA asap, but I think it’s fair enough if people who aren’t actually working on the recovery plans don’t rush home from vacation, especially seeing having all of cabinet working on it would probably slow things down.
Criticising the government if they make bad or undemocratic decisions relating to the recovery is fair and balanced, but it’s just gormless to bag on people for taking a holiday when there’s literally no way of knowing when a new earthquake is going to happen.
Bob Parker raced back from his family gathering in Taupo. It’s kind of a tricky situation though because it’s not like he’d specially contribute anything that others can’t handle anyway, but if he didn’t go back he’d get bad press.
I don’t think it’s only bad press. It’s his job to front up when things like this happen. I have a modicum of respect for him that he came home so promptly.
+1. While I don’t like his policies, at least he’s trying to support the people of Christchurch.
Another excellent view on this topic
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2011/12/shock-doctrine-in-christchurch.html
See Lyn W 23.1.1 – 24/12 6.45 am
Ow the idea of PPP in health is not good. It makes me feel sick straight away. What a pity that Christchurch couldn’t give a definite sign to National by voting them out? If I lived there I wouldn’t be at all happy with their methods and vision. Presumably many people in Christchurch have blue blood injected in their veins at birth or be indoctrinated with slogans that teach them they are a superior type, connected or following the English upper-class, who do not mingle with Labour the working class party.
Why can’t some national bonds be started to raise money for hospitals. The moneyed are supposed to be panting for a reliable vehicle for their assets, so they could get their asses off the bench and invest in their country and get paid reasonable levels of interest for such blue chip stock.
Other countries have also tried lotteries that raise money for such purposes. A dedicated health lottery would be better than Lotto allocations that must be split amongst many worthy causes not as essential as health infrastructure.
Oh for God’s sake – I have lived in Christchurch for over ten years and this bullshit about it being a toff-controlled Little England has really got to stop. No-one has ever asked me which of the First Four Ships I came in on or where I went to school. The presence of the idiots of the National Front makes it nore more racist than any other large city – the vast majority of Cantabrians treat them as an embaressing joke. The only reason that national got voted in again and gained ground is that Labour voters are less likely to own property and were among the first to permanently relocate after the first quakes – that and obviously major natural disasters and uncertainty tend to make swing voters vote for the conservative or status quo option. And while I really don’t want to continue to live there because there isn’t any opportunity for me right now in the chaos, I don’t think some of the hysterical raving bullshit I’m reading from some posters is helping anyone. We are a community. I’m sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but except for those posters living in Christchurch you can have absolutely no f!*$ing idea what it’s like or how much inane comments hurt and piss us off or what an unmitigated unending horror it is – you might think you do from media coverage or what your firends tell you, but YOU DO NOT. If people in Christchurch foolishly voted National, leave them the f@!%k alone – they’ve got enough shit to deal with right now, WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER- ideology takes second place. Try to remember that this is New Zealand’s second largets city and the main hub for 1 million people in the South Island and some of our most significant parts of the agricultural and tourism sectors, AND THAT PEOPLE LIVE THERE AND ARE TRYING TO CARRY ONE WITH THEIR SHATTERED LIVES. If you are going to talk about the political ramifications of the Canterbury Quakes, there are only three sane ones worth pursuing right now:
(1) The severing of communications and cooperation between the CCC and CERA at the Government’s insistance.
(2) Why the government has not underwritten reconstruction now that insurance is impossible to acquire.
(3) Why are the citizens of Christchurch not getting the information they need to get on with their lives.
Sorry for the ranting and shouting, but you need to keep in mind that this is a very real and precarious existence for all concerned, and turning it into an ideological bunfight when there are very real pragmatic issues that must be addressed, or talking hysterical shit about Christchurch being doomed is extremely distressing.
@ Populuxe1 Sorry that you have got such a load on your shoulders. Obviously many in eastern Christchurch have to spend most time just managing, so it isn’t a bad idea for others to try and get an overview and understanding of the situation in Christchurch and its future. Also whether the most affected people are being adequately and fairly helped. The rest of NZ has to help with funding and support, Christchurch can’t be left to flounder on its own without resources so we are involved.
And ideology shows up in decisions about whether people are helped as in a collective or many are left to flounder individually with inadequate support.. When people are helped it needs to be unequal help in the right direction ie not those with large assets and good incomes getting the most and what’s left over going to the poor. The unequal treatment needs to be that those with the most need receive more, and those with much receive lesser assistance. This all comes down to ideology. It doesn’t take second place, it is right up front, in decision-makers heads.
I apologise prism, but when you are in the midst of it, and you’re awake nights wondering if your roof is going to fall in or whether you’re going to lose what little the previous quakes have left you with, then politics becomes a bit of a side show. Usually The Standard is a welcome distraction, but this was too close to the bone and perhaps I shouldn’t have read this thread.
@Populuxe1 Hi I did a comment which I thought would follow yours 31/12/11 12.35 am – but it’s shot up to 25. All the best wishes for happy times over New year and the holiday season.
+1
Hard to express thougths on Christchurch, they’ve got much more to cope with than a few distant words can help. We only feel the tail end of the worst of them, and even from down here it’s “soul shaking.
A forlorn Christmas wish is for the earth to calm for the people of Christchurch for Christmas.
For some humour ….
Post-June this was our song to the tune of Tom Petty …”don’t wanna live like a refugee…”
Yesterday our song to the tune of Violent Femmes add it up, with words amended…. “had enough,,, had enough,,, i just had enough,,, had enough…”
Realistically vto it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that this kind of quake sequence could continue for another 3-5 years. I know that’s a horrible thought, but geologically it’s still a blink of an eye. Less than that.
Can ChCh survive this? Such an extended period of uncertainty, disruption and personal trauma is certainly not something you would hope for, but we know have to accept is something that we might have to begin planning for.
What is a realistic response to this possibility? We could at one extreme abandon the city, or at the other extreme do nothing and let people muddle through as best they can… which at the end of the day might amount to much the same thing as abandonment.
This quake sequence is the final straw for the ‘let’s hope for the best and she’ll be right’ approach we’ve taken as a nation so far. We’re going to have to change our thinking on this one.
I’m sitting comfortably far away, but having been through the Edgecumbe event in 1987 (equally violent but compressed into only a few weeks) I’m concious that it took me a good 15 years afterwards for my body to stop traumatically reacting to every slight movement. Even now just thinking about what you are all going through gives me itchy palms.
So how much more can the city and the people cope with? I know everyone varies enormously in their reaction to this kind of stress, but I believe it’s cumulative. Do we wait for a mass-breaking point? This is all a bit unprecendented vto… what are your thoughts?
The thing is that tens of thousands of people have already made their decision, or are very close to it. Official notice is not required.
edit: last two posts the reply button hasn’t worked. this was in reply to mr logix just above, and the one below was to lanthanide. [Sorry that was me mucking you about moving things…RL]
Prior to this I felt that if there was another big one then that would be a tipping point and those many who were still semi-undecided and still muddling through would have the decision made for them i.e. they would leave. That applies to some around us.
Now that that has eventualised I suspect that is what will come to pass. By yesterday morning many more people than normal had already left Chch for xmas because they were knackered and tired and wanted a break. By early evening yesterday the streets were becoming more deserted. It is definitely emptying.
And you’re right, it is cumulative. The stress, the uncertainty, the high blood pressure, … It is all very damaging.
I must away, but a bit more briefly, the major impact will be any rebuild stopping virtually dead. Insurers must surely turn away again. Who would insure buildings in Chch?. And even infrastructure type repairs, etc. There is no doubt now that rebuilding is just plain silly for the simple reason that the damaging earthquakes are continuing. That seems to be the only certainty. Until the quakes stop I suspect that no building will happen. And that reality has many consequences of course ……….
Population decrease.
Little positive activity.
Decreased economic activity.
Increased health acitivity.
More ghetto suburbs.
It’s easy to get depressive. Anyway, gotta beat the crowds to the mall and I’m running late! later
I didn’t feel any of them except the 5.1 at 6:whatever it was. I was already awake anyway.
Yeah strange isn’t it. The gathering last night and then all through the night we felt them, even in the last half hour. Since 5.30am there have been eight between 3.5 and 5.1. Some places just feel them more I think. Those out west feel nada. We seem to feel the lot.
Its quite fascinating though getting to learn them. You always feel/sense/hear them first and then feel the intimacies of each shake and its different characteristics. Gets better if you place yourself, say, in a slightly wobbly chair with feet on the ground and sit still and quiet. Set up your own body as a seismometer.
Well, gotta head off for xmas eve chores. Leave the emergency kit with the others. Take some water, cellphone, wallet, boots and warm clothes, some fud – and prepare for the worst. Strange days.
20 quakes registered since midnight mostly 3 and 4s with a 5 at 6:30am. The long term future looks bleak. So sorry.
Sorry, my post above was entered before it was completed. Here it goes again.
To try and bring a positive note to the conversation:
At Christchurch quake map there is a cumulative total for earthquakes after each event. With a bit of subtraction and division, the figures work out as follows:
September 4 to February 22 932 quakes per month (approx)
February 22 to June 13 904 quakes per month (approx)
June 13 to December 23 250 quakes per month (approx)
As can be seen, the number of monthly quakes has reduced considerably since June 13. After June 13 the aftershock activity subsided much more quickly than with the two previous large quakes. So here’s hoping for more of the same. Lately we have had periods of almost a week between quake activity on some occasions, so things are definitely quieting down, despite the recent big quakes. The experts have said all along that reduction of quake activity doesn’t preclude more large quakes. So while it is both frustrating and tragic, it is within the pattern of expected activity.
On the other hand, I just read an article by experts involved in earthquake investigations here who thought that we would be down to one aftershock per month by about March 2012. If that is the case, then the probability of the next one being large is obviously much less. Certainly, things seemed to be heading towards much lower activity. Hopefully the aftershakes will subside quickly again, and we can get back to the rapid downward trend in activity.
My heart goes out to those who are covered with liquifaction again, especially at this time of the year. Hopefully what I have pointed out above will give you a bit more hope if you are suffering badly with the aftershocks.
Yep, it’s getting better, even if I totally understand people being fed up with the uncertainty and risk. The ground will eventually settle, and hopefully the communities that are staying will be paid out adequately to fund their repairs or, in the case of unsound land, rebuilding elsewhere.
I dont think anyone has really fully looked into what is happening under Christchurch. We need the finest geological minds in the country (and the world), down there ASAP, looking into what the hell is going on.
Thoughts go out to Christchurch. Just when they recover from one shake, another one happens and they are back where they started. Dont really blame anyone who quits the city. Dont blame anyone who takes their EQC money and runs either.
Indeed, I can’t help wondering Millsy, if all this movement isn’t building up to something even more catastrophic?
Your suggestion that there should be a full scale investigation employing the finest geological minds and As Soon As Possible makes a lot of sense. Such a proposed large scale investigation is what a responsible government should be funding right now. Not to mention serious funding for earthquake strengthening of public buildings in the targetted towns mentioned in the following report.
The earthquakes around Christchurch are no way near the main fault, though there has been pivoting and elastic deformation on the plains to the east of the Southern Alpine Fault, as Chris Rowan a NZ expert, points out, the main fault itself has been frozen for a long time.
I wonder if the exploratory wells they drilled in the Canterbury region before the earthquakes geologically destabilized the area? Despite the Fracking industry saying that the technology does not cause earthquakes… there are now some reputable studies that show otherwise. That could account for the Earthquakes being in unexpected places… in any case a full scientific seismological investigation is overdue.
It’s a volcano getting ready to collapse into a caldera. The resulting combination of seawater and rock will result in a helluva explosion.
Nope. If there was a basalt plume (the only likely candidate for your idea) causing the earthquakes, then you’d expect that the earthquakes would have a very localised centre rather than being scattered over 50 kms. You’d also expect a much slower sequence in time.
Volcanoes don’t start as calderas. Calderas form AFTER a cone collapses at the END of an eruption sequence. This is because the magma reservoir under the cone(s) empties out. So your time line just displays your characteristic ignorance.
I think that you are confusing the characteristics of several different types of volcanoes. But really you’re talking your usual half-baked nonsense.
No, expert either but it ?looks? more like a scree slope, where at the higher end there was an initial earthquake. which pushed scree down and destablized a slope further down. Christchurch is half way along the scree slope and so was hit harder when the scree slope its on collapsed. But its not over. The slope still continue on out to sea. Would not surprise me if there was a tsunami.
The analog I have for earthquakes is a sloping sand hill, some slips may trigger other slips.
I think we need to halt all rebuilding of Christchuch until more understanding has been made of the geological side of things, and that includes residential buildings. Of course, short term work to ensure public safety would need to still go ahead, but anything permanent, out of the question.
Abandonment is probably unlikely or unrealistic, but I wouldnt be suprised if Christchurch was a smaller, more decentralised community in 10 years time, with completely different demographics, with itinerant tradespeople and single unskilled workers drifting into the city and families with the financial means and connections to be able to relocate, drifting out, and only the post loyal or poorest remaining.
Thats a bit over the top. Practically no damage above very minor.- in spite of ground accelerations being very high.
Liquefaction in areas that had been hard hit before but have been ‘redzoned’ so no rebuilding will reoccur anyway.
The newspapers have headlines – Panic, but Im surprised by the video of people who are quite calm during the shaking.
There will be no exodus. For every big quake to hit Chch the media will always say ‘this is the last straw for lots of people etc’. The truth is that those who wanted to leave, by and large, already have. Like we did. The remaining people know that this kind of thing may continue for years but have done the sums on all the relevant factors and realise that they may as well ride this out.
The situation in St Albans —
Edgeware Road from Springfield to Cranford has a couple of plate-sized holes, most due to third-world style patches bodged together after the previous shakers. Continuing east it just gets progressively worse with new areas of uplifted footpaths, silt-covered driveways and gutters full of gray muck.
The wife and I had a nice walk along North Hagley Park (it’s a treasure for sure) and down Deans Ave to Riccarton Road. Nothing visibly wrong along Riccarton Road that we could detect. The Westfield Mall was crowded as one would expect the day before Christmas.
good piccy.
its no good anthropormising a natural event.
it will all work out for the best.
hell I didnt spel anthropomorphising right.
I am respiring to lurn how too speel.
http://all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous/2011/12/two-more-earthquakes-shake-christchurch/
Neat.
Rebuild on the parks, playgrounds and golf courses that are in safe(r) areas and remake them in the red zone where no sane person would want to rcside.
Plans and work based around this idea has been on display at the Palms Shopping Mall at Shirley where it has generated very good feedback.
Officialdom has been resoundingly uninterested…
Imo, it will ALL come down to insurance… no rebuild can happen if you cant get insurance on the buildings
RDSsubstantial houses can be built on driven piles .These houses are inherently stronger as they are self supporting made of wood[only one wooden house in these Quakes has collapsed an old higgledy piggledy built house] And can be moved if there is liquefaction or land subsidence.
I would not allow any other type of permanent dwelling it would be stupid!
Its all in their heads according to John Key’s comments today.. Just an inconvenience to flying out to Hawaii..
“Prime Minister John Key says the most significant damage from Christchurch’s recent aftershocks is psychological. “
Christchurch will recover.
The determination and community spirit of the locals will make it happen.
Just watching all the volunteers digging liquefaction, again, out of strangers sections shows that they will recover.
Determination or just the desperation of people with not a lot of good options?
I’m not taking one jot away from their efforts, it’s admirable and not a little humbling watching them pick themselves up and clean up the mess over and again. My point is this…. these shocks COULD go on for years and I’m asking, just how long does the rest of NZ sit back comfortably and watch them go through this?
A situation like this, an extended series of high energy, high acceleration shocks one of the largest cities of a modern developed nation is more or less unprecedented. I’m suggesting that as a nation maybe it’s time we had another think about what our expectations are.
+1
I’m thinking we should all be grateful to Chch people who are gaining the skills at living with sustained trauma. If the shit hits the fan badly with peak oil and CC, we will need alot of people with those skills. The rest of NZ should be paying close attention.
I also feel uncomfortable about how much the rest of NZ is letting Chch deal with this. It could actually be any of us, and we’re now starting to see how this is a long term issue, not just a natural disaster that happened one year. It’s going to affect all of us. I don’t know what the solution is though.
RL, I’ve been wondering how other places have coped with such a situation. What happens in Japan? Do they not get such sustained aftershocks?
This wiki page on peak ground accelerations is worth reading. While the ChCh quakes have had relatively small magnitudes, only 6.3 compared to 9.0 for the Tohoku/Sendai quake in terms of total energy, the ground accelerations which are what counts in terms damage. In that sense the ChCh quakes have been some of the largest ever recorded.
Moreover the wiki page records Tohoku accelerations at 2.7g, but crucially it’s not clear where this was recorded. Certainly Tokyo was not subject to anything like that, nor most of the Japanese land areas… while we know ChCh caught the full brunt of the 2.2g right bang in the Eastern suburbs.
Yesterday’s quake at about 1g is still right up there in terms of impact. And even if most of the more vulnerable structures have already fallen over or been demolished, there’s the cumulative damage to currently sound structures… and as John Key correctly stated, the cumulative trauma for so many people.
Great that we have a strong government in place that has looked after Christurch so well in these times of trouble. That is why National polled so well in Chrsitchurch this election because the voters knew how hard they tried despite trying times ,and labour attempting to undermine everything they were doing.How many times did we see Dalzell going on about the eastern suburbs didnt go down well with the voters did it?
I wondered at the time how well it would have coordinated if Labour were in control ,and whether they would have to get permission from the greens everytime they used a front end loader to scoop up a bucket load of silt just in case there were snails endangered.
Hold on people of Christchurch work through this and things will get better eventually. Our hearts are with you all
[lprent: Another sycophantic brownnoser – I really have to make a rule about people who make my skin crawl. Perhaps this mythical godlike government that you see can figure out how to get insurers back into Christchurch. That would be some practicable help. ]
James 111 is clearly one of the tribe of people who believes that if you say something that makes it true. Either that or he works in marketing and brings his work home with him. He’s like one of Prince Charles’ flunkies, constantly reassuring poor Mr. Windsor that talking to plants isn’t completely mad, and the people are hanging off his every word.
“Great that we have a strong government in place that has looked after Christurch so well…”
I appreciate your attempt at sarcastic humour, but we shouldn’t make fun of the sad situation the Cantabs are in, made worse-so by their government’s incompetance.
Merry xmas.
Seven quakes today alreadyOn first floor we hear the rumble, we tense and wait.(grrr)) The Christchurch Labour M.Ps Jim Anderton, Clayton Cosgrove, Brendon Burns, Ruth Dyson and Lianne Dalziel worked themselves to a standstill and Lianne is in the thick of it again. Christchurch has lost a lot of voters. We in Christchurch Central lost 4 voting booths which in 2008 recorded a 2 for 1 swing in our favour There was not one voting booth in Avonside this election Around 4,500 fewer people voted.Other losses were recorded in Richmond and ShirleyBrendon & Philippa Burns worked tirelessly for Christchurch. The 2014 battle has commenced.
on a different level, what worries me is that the authorities will do a New Orleans, ie use a natural disaster as an opportunity to socially cleanse poor people and turn the place into a boutique tourist place where no-one who isn’t wealthy can afford to live.
(Rather less brutal in Chch of course – no-one’s been shot!)
Hats off to Mayor Bob Parker for coming back and all the work he has put in since September.
Merry Christmas everypeople..
The Great Earth Monster has been giving Christchurch the once over again, of that there no doubt.
If anyone wants to see the Great Earth Monster unsheathed check out Castle Rock, (above Heathcote Valley, Feb epicentre), from the north. The peak got smashed in February and June and seems to have lost a bunch more leaving his giant phallus exposed. Its quite the disturbing thing – the beast is clearly primed, in fuck off mode and risen for all to see…
Watch out all of us.
for Gods sake, why don’t we get real.
This City is fucked.
It was bloody mediocre forever, but now t is fucked.
In geological terms the earthquakes could go on for a century.
Goodbye Christchurch
Leave now, get real, go anywhere,
if you don’t go buy my house idiot
for Gods sake, why don’t we get real.
This City is fucked.
It was bloody mediocre forever, but now t is fucked.
In geological terms the earthquakes could go on for a century.
Goodbye Christchurch
Leave now, get real, go anywhere,
if you don’t go you can buy my house idiot
To try and bring a positive note to the conversation:
At Christchurch quake map there is a cumulative total for earthquakes after each event. With a bit of subtraction and division, the figures work out as follows:
September 4 to February 22 932 quakes per month
February 22 to June 13
So, is this step one in the takeover of Christchurch? They already control ECAN.
Earthquake Minister scolds council
BEN HEATHER
Last updated 05:00 21/12/2011
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has accused “parts” of the Christchurch City Council of slowing the earthquake recovery and has refused to rule out sacking councillors.
Days after being reappointed, Brownlee waded into Christchurch politics, accusing some councillors of being ill-informed and not supporting Mayor Bob Parker.
“There is a case for some elected members of the council to step up and learn a little more about what is going on than they know at the moment.
“We need to get past the idea that we are waiting for someone else to do it,” he said. “I have great sympathy for the mayor. I don’t know that he is all that well supported by the council.”
The relationship between the Government’s Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) and the council was good, but there were “parts of the council” slowing the recovery, he said.
He would not elaborate but has previously raised concerns about council red tape.
“Our tolerance for slowing things down is zero,” he said. “I think there are too many examples at the moment of people wanting progress coming up against a bit of a brick wall in some parts of the council.”
Brownlee said several people had asked him to “sack the bloody council and you guys [Cera] can get on with it”, but Cera was not big enough to take over all of the council’s role.
“We are a small organisation and you need people who know where things are at.”
However, he did not rule out using his special powers to sack councillors or assume some of the council’s responsibilities. ..
The Press report of the growing sinkhole in Monterey Cres. and the comments of a geologist who lives there about the need for the authorities to bite the bullet and stop waffling about areas being considered suitable for rebuilding when they obviously aren’t and so placing huge stress and despair on people gives a fair indication of how Gerry Brownlee and his merry men are failing earthquake-affected Christchurch people.
Each time I visit Christchurch there is a noticeable earthquake. I can understand people deciding to leave this shaky place, the earth shakes and the economy quakes and the employment disappears down a sinkhole.
I don’t know why this isn’t the last in the thread. It’s not a reply to anybody’s comment so doesn’t make sense stuck in the middle of old comments. Odd way of organising this thread.
[lprent: looks like a issue in the threading with orphaned child comments. I will write some code to scan for and fix such orphans in the morning. I am getting bored with holidaying… ]
Thanks Lynn though I can’t believe that you are bored yet. Still if it’s going to rain everywhere fining and shining up your system so that the hubcaps sparkle might seem a good occupation. Or if you feel like a game of trivia we can supply good content with just a little thought.
OK if Brownlee wants to get heavy with the Christchurch City Council like they did with Ecan then why didn’t the government put on a price freeze from day one.
What has resulted is that those from the red zone have been settled up at yesterdays price and have gone their ‘merry’ looking for another house to buy.
This has created a huge demand on property that has forced the price up astronomically and the developers and speculators are laughing to the bank!
On the backs of other peoples misery!!!!!!!
CERA has not addressed this issue nor does it intend to because idealogicaly the government is free-market driven.
I am very surprised and even suspicious as to why Geoff didn’t campaign hard on this issue.
Did you just answer your own query.
@Populuxe1 I have been visiting Christchurch each time there has been a big earthquake except for the June one. And my sympathy is with you. This 23 December my flight arrived and I was picked up by about 1pm and the quake happened shortly after. I sprang up and ran into my grandchild’s room upsetting her afternoon nap, there was no problem, but you can’t be sure can you. And our sleep was disturbed each night with the 4’s so I have an idea about how hard it is for you permanent residents. Also that virus that gives a sore throat and tiredness and takes ages to go away seems to be circulating well in my family’s area, also seen in Nelson, but just another stress for Christchurch if its going around.
The hospital idea of PPP also is a concern and was what prompted my comment. Good politics have the potential to make positive advances but these can’t be guaranteed and only a careful eye and protest may prevent some bad, permanent results.