Posts Tagged ‘christchurch rebuilding’

Brownlee accused of bullying lawyer

Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, September 13th, 2018 - 128 comments

Gerry Brownlee has been accused of ringing a young lawyer involved in a potential class action concerning steal used in the Christchurch rebuild and making her feel intimidated and harassed. Update: National has admitted “[s]o he just kind of unleashed, you know how Gerry is”.

Labour’s Christchurch policy

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, August 28th, 2017 - 21 comments

More new policy from Labour yesterday on Christchurch. Giving locals a say in the decision making process – what a radical new idea!

Brownlee determined that Christchurch should suffer too

Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, April 19th, 2017 - 25 comments

Christchurch rebuilt must suffer the same central traffic madness as Auckland. Thus decrees Gerry Brownlee, as short-sighted, bullying, and ignorant as ever.

Brownlee is dragging Canterbury down

Written By: - Date published: 11:34 am, April 8th, 2016 - 85 comments

The Christchurch rebuild gets its second fail grade from Treasury. And what of the rebuild work that has been done with failed reinforcing steel?

Christchurch – 5 years on

Written By: - Date published: 6:03 am, February 22nd, 2016 - 31 comments

The people of Christchurch don’t need any more words about how brave and resilient they are. They need action.

Nats failing Christchurch and lashing out at Treasury

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, December 1st, 2015 - 128 comments

A Treasury report calls the Christchurch rebuild plan “unachievable”. Gerry Brownlee immediately springs in to action – attacking Treasury. Christchurch deserves better than this…

Christchurch – rhetoric and reality

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, September 4th, 2015 - 29 comments

Today is five years since the first of the Canterbury / Christchurch earthquakes. Christchurch voices are calling out for leadership.

Christchurch four years on

Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, February 22nd, 2015 - 42 comments

It will soon be four years to the minute since the most destructive and deadly Canterbury / Christchurch earthquake. Condolences to the friends and families of the dead. Greetings to all who lived through it and remember.

The Budget and the Christchurch rebuild

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, May 17th, 2014 - 44 comments

In the pursuit of a balanced budget it appears that the Government has cut funding from a number of areas of Government activity, the Christchurch rebuild included. And Gerry Brownlee is refusing to accept that flooding has been exacerbated by the earthquakes and trying to undermine the suggestion that costs estimates are overly optimistic.

Fairfax quotes Government cheerleader

Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, February 16th, 2014 - 30 comments

Fairfax posted an article recently where three businessmen were interviewed on what they thought the political parties should be discussing this election year. The comments from the first interviewee were basically a John Key love in so I thought we should try and provide some balance …

Leaked EQC data posted online

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, April 12th, 2013 - 11 comments

The EQC data leaked to a Christchurch advocate / blogger has been posted on line.

Working for a Living

Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, February 24th, 2013 - 118 comments

The thing I like about the Living Wage campaign is the branding represents strongly both the problem and the solution.  The Prime Minister fell into its trap when he said that the Living Wage was not a priority for his Government. The statement says it all really. The Government don’t want you to work for a living, they just want you to work.

Forgotten Christchurch

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 22nd, 2013 - 22 comments

Today is the second anniversary of the most destructive of the Christchurch earthquakes. Condolences to the friends and families of the dead. Greetings to all who lived through it and remember. Commiserations to those who have been forgotten by this government…

Affordable Housing: the way forward?

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, October 7th, 2012 - 29 comments

There is increasing concern about New Zealand’s housing situation, with an escalation in homelesssness, people living in totally unacceptable conditions,  and the lack of sufficient affordable housing stock.Update: Government close to unveiling plans for “cheap” housing on city fringe and ‘brownfield’ sites.

On Planet Key, the market always provides

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, October 1st, 2012 - 16 comments

We’re told 36,000 workers are needed for the Christchurch rebuild. But since the earthquakes began 2 years ago, 9,000 people with the skills needed for the rebuild have left New Zealand. We’re making no effort to keep the skilled workers we have but the Government thinks those 36,000 workers will just magically appear when needed.

Red zone ride

Written By: - Date published: 5:50 pm, September 17th, 2012 - 34 comments

Guest poster Andy-Roo reflects on a ride through the Christchurch Red Zone, the social contract, and Gerry Brownlee…

Christchurch carpers and moaners

Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, September 12th, 2012 - 37 comments

Gerry Brownlee calls Christchurch residents “carpers and moaners” who “buggerise on Facebook all day”.

NRT: Nats sit on their hands as Chch housing crisis grows

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, September 5th, 2012 - 27 comments

There’s a major housing crisis in Christchurch. People are living in unsafe, cold houses and their health is suffering. Rents are at criminal levels. And people are still fleeing the city. So, what’s the Government doing about it? As I/S at No Right Turn reports, OIA requests show that they are doing nothing and leaving it to the market to house people after a national disaster.

Christchurch anniversary

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 am, September 4th, 2012 - 52 comments

It is two years since the first big Christchurch earthquake. For far too many families the aftermath lingers on…

Working InZone

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, August 9th, 2012 - 6 comments

Yesterday, National was patting itself on the back for getting, wait for it, 25 people into work and off benefits as part of rebuilding Christchurch. This in a $770,000 programme called Work InZone that was meant to get 100 people into work. This programme didn’t create jobs, it just helped get the select beneficiaries to the front of the queue for them. Just means someone else missed out.

King Gerry ripping off the peasants

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, August 6th, 2012 - 22 comments

The design of the red-zone buy-out puts CERA first, the insurers seconds, and the earthquake victims last. Homeowners could take the 2007 valuation for their property, ignoring subsequent improvements, or the 2007 valuation for their land plus whatever their insurance company would give for the home. That generated a huge incentive for insurers to understate […]

Gerrymania

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, July 31st, 2012 - 80 comments

What is it with this government and convention centres? The international convention market is dying. The Nats are already doing a bargain with the cancer in the heart of Auckland called SkyCity to build one there that won’t be worth its cost to build. Now, they want to build another convention centre in Christchurch to compete for that dying market. It’s just one thing that’s wrong with Gerrymania.

The wheel turns

Written By: - Date published: 6:33 am, May 18th, 2012 - 11 comments

Across the country, the number of party votes National received fell in 2011, except for in Christchurch. Given turn-out fell 10%, the fact more people voted National was a sobering moment for critics of how the rebuild is being handled. Or perhaps not. Now, 87% of Press readers think the government isn’t doing enough. National just got lucky with the timing of the election.

Nats eye up Chch assets for sale

Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, May 10th, 2012 - 5 comments

Remember when John Key said that rebuilding Christchurch wasn’t just that city’s challenge, it was New Zealand’s challenge? Yeah, well, now Gerry Brownlee and Bill English are pressuring the council to sell off its assets to pay for the rebuild. Green figures show the madness of that. This is a 20-year rebuild. The dividends over that period are more valuable than one-off sale revenue.

It’s turtles all the way down

Written By: - Date published: 6:14 am, April 19th, 2012 - 8 comments

Anyone else see the irony in the ‘bureaucracy-slashing National Government‘TM reacting to delays in the Christchurch rebuilding – partly caused by lack of coordination between the local bureaucracy, the existing central government bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy National created especially to deal with the rebuild – by adding another layer of back-room bureaucracy?

Foresight

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, March 20th, 2012 - 16 comments

There’s no rental properties in Christchurch. Impossible for builders to move there and for families to move while their houses are being repaired. Who warned of a mass housing shortage a year ago and called for action? What did the government provide? A few over-priced caravans and a handful of temporary houses far short of the 10,000 promised.

Quake anniversary

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, February 22nd, 2012 - 18 comments

The thoughts of the whole country are with Christchurch today.

Another ‘aggressive recovery’?

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, February 21st, 2012 - 54 comments

Key upbeat about quake recovery work – Headline

Here’s a couple of numbers that might sober Mr Smile and Wave:

  • 28,200 fewer jobs in Canterbury now than a year ago. 1 in 11 jobs lost.
  • Net international emigration from Canterbury, 3,634 by December.
  • 5,086 building consents in Canterbury in 2011. 100,000 houses damaged or destroyed.

Brownlee moves to kill Chch democracy

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, December 21st, 2011 - 91 comments

How long until National usurps Christchurch Council? Brownlee’s doing the groundwork – creating a crisis, making the councillors to blame (for not automatically agreeing to whatever Parker wants), claiming public support. Reckon he’ll wait until rebuilding is just about to start. Then council gets blamed for the delays and he gets credit for the rebuilding.

This can’t go on

Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, December 13th, 2011 - 18 comments

140 more jobs have been lost in Christchurch. Employment in the region had already fallen by 26,800 in the year to September. DoL research says that 18% of surviving businesses cut staff due the earthquakes, 40% lost revenue, 50% survived with government support, and 28% a finding they are losing more staff. The economy is […]

Labour’s EQC policy

Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 17 comments

Labour’s EQC policy has taken the holes in the current system revealed by the earthquakes – too low cap, inequitable flat levy, non-universal coverage, lack of provision for accommodation coverage – and fixed them. On top of that, they’ve promised to give people access to their geotech info. Great policy. No wonder National’s angry.