Heathcote family say EQC failed them
Audio, Radio New Zealand
A Christchurch family have found themselves stuck with a house that is too unsafe to live in after a fire revealed earthquake damage, which EQC admits it failed to identify.
A Christchurch family have found themselves stuck with a house that is too unsafe to live in after a fire revealed earthquake damage, which EQC admits it failed to identify.
Topics - New Zealanders paid tribute to the victims of the Christchurch earthquake today - with two minutes' silence marking the moment the disaster struck last week. The emergency ambulance service provider, St John, has hit out at hoax callers who have been wasting valuable time and ambulance service resources following Tuesday's earthquake.
It's hoped a new art installation in Ōtautahi Christchurch can help people talk their worries away through a series of telephones by the riverside. Twelve telephones have popped up across sites commemorating the city's devastating 2011 earthquakes. The group behind the project is Flourish Kia Puawai. Its associate director Sharon Torstonson spoke to Corin Dann.
The decision on what to do with Christchurch's earthquake damaged redzone is one step closer, with the end of the public consultation period on the plan for the area. Over the past month Christchurch people have been asked to comment on a draft land use plan for the 602 hectares of land. Now those pitching ideas want the authorities to get on with the next step, so they can have some certainty about whether their projects can go ahead.
Christchurch artist Mike Beer creates miniature models of Christchurch buildings that were lost in the Canterbury earthquakes. Through these tiny models Mike hopes to remind people of the buildings that once shaped the city - and bring back the feelings and memories associated with them. Mike, who goes by the name Ghostcat, says It's all about the connections people have with a time, and place. His models are to be displayed at Fiksate Gallery in Christchuch from April 9.
The repair of Christchurch's earthquake damaged arts centre has revealed details hidden from view for forty years including a badminton court and the site of an old swimming pool.
Tower Insurance has increased the amount it is willing to pay towards repairing an earthquake-damaged Christchurch home, but is still refusing to pay for a more expensive rebuild.
About 70 percent of Canterbury's residential earthquake claims have not been dealt with and submissions on the closure of Christchurch schools show some are willing to sacrifice their neighbours.
Health officials in Christchurch have today begun work on a recovery plan for how they will replace hundreds of beds lost in rest homes because of the recent earthquake.
The voters of Botany will elect a new MP tomorrow, but last week's earthquake in Christchurch has meant the last few weeks of the campaign have been very subdued.
Scientists studying last month's earthquake in Christchurch say the shaking was exacerbated by a slapdown or trampoline effect that made the land under the city bounce up and down.
The agency in charge of fixing earthquake damaged pipes and roads in Christchurch was last night issued an excessive noise notice after keeping residents awake in the early hours.
Canterbury mayors say their ratepayers are already paying for earthquake recovery, roading, water and storm water infrastructure, so a shiny new Christchurch stadium is way down the priority list.
As the government eyes an EQC overhaul, Christchurch earthquake insurance specialist Dean Lester wants to see action, not hear more empty words. This after a report yesterday found EQC staff had no confidence in their own data, and the organisation needed to drastically improve its treatment of claimants. The minister in charge of the Earthquake Commission is calling for immediate changes to the organisation.
An inquiry into the Earthquake Commission has found it was poorly prepared for the Canterbury earthquakes - and has left people with a "deep mistrust of government" that will take years to overcome. The government has this morning released findings from the inquiry, chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright. Our Christchurch reporter, Conan Young, has been reading through the details and spoke with Māni Dunlop.
Tonight Christchurch's Bread & Circus Buskers festival is swinging into action, and its promising to lure the biggest crowds to the central city since pre-earthquake times. But organisers admit the festival hasn't escaped its dire financial past, despite new management and a rebrand as the Bread and Circus Festival last year. And it it will still be running at a loss until about 2022. Katie Todd reports.
Building plans signed off by the Christchurch City Council show one of its own structural engineers was involved in the design of a new multistorey building that is unstable. The eight-storey office building at 230 High Street is off-limits as it is too weak and might 'rupture' in an earthquake. But the council insists the planning documents are wrong and its engineer had only a minor role. Phil Pennington reports.
Gary Luff's home was destroyed in February earthquake in Christchurch and he faced scenes of devastation in his work with the fire service. He and his partner struggled to find somewhere to stay in the aftermath and ended up living on a borrowed boat. They've enjoyed the surprise lifestyle change so much they're thinking of making it permanent - but it hasn't all been plain sailing.
The only Christchurch street still closed following the 2011 earthquake will reopen later in 2018 only to close again in 2019 so the council can extend the route for the tram. The proposal has raised the ire of fledgling businesses along High st worried about the disruption the road works will cause them and wanting the work done now, before they open their doors to the public.
Matt Brown is a barber - but he does much more than cut hair. After the Christchurch earthquakes he set up a barber shop - in a shed in his backyard.
A lawyer for the husband of a woman who died in the Christchurch earthquake says a coming inquest will show rifts within the Fire Service did hamper rescue efforts.
Radio NZ's Vicki McKay among those honoured at an awards ceremony in Christchurch for heroism, service or acts of kindness by organisations and individuals during the Canterbury earthquakes.
Church bells tolled around the country at exactly 12.51 this afternoon - one week on from the deadly Christchurch earthquake, which may have claimed as many as 240 lives.
The declaration by the Finance Minister that all spending is now under review has prompted warnings that the Christchurch earthquake should not be used to push through unpopular policies.
The Plumbers industry body says some plumbers helping Christchurch quake victims are struggling to stay afloat, because the Earthquake Commission is not paying out fast enough for emergency repairs.
The first report into the damage done to three large buildings in the Christchurch earthquake is recommending urgent steps be taken around the country to strengthen buildings with stairwells.
A researcher of the Israeli spy agency MOSSAD says the suspicious activity of four Israeli students during the Christchurch earthquake bears all the hallmarks of a classic intelligence operation.
For the first time the man whose firm designed the CTV building has apologised to the families of the 115 people killed when it collapsed in the Christchurch earthquake.
A payrise of nearly 70 thousand for the Christchurch City Council's chief executive has stunned people in the community, many of whom have been struggling financially since the earthquakes.
Some of the men and women who risked their lives to save others in the aftermath of the February 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch have been recognised for their bravery.