Christchurch moteliers say this has been the hardest winter since the Canterbury earthquakes - and they are blaming both AirBnB and a lack of events. RNZ Christchurch reporter Logan Church spoke with Comfort Inn motel owner, Bob Cringle, about the state of the sector.
After lengthy construction and Covid-19 delays, a centrepiece in Christchurch's earthquake rebuild will finally open its doors today. The $475 million convention centre called Te Pae is already booked to host 150 events next year, but they're not expected to be money-makers. Reporter Jean Edwards took a tour.
Earthquake bus survivor, Mike Ardagh - Christchurch Hospital, Reporter Erina O'Donohue live from Christchurch, Where to obtain water, Murray McCully thanks international community, Cowles Stadium welfare centre closed, Man escapes from 12th floor of Forsyth Barr building, Aussie medics set up field hospital, Schools need significant rebuilding and Fourteen supermarkets closed in Christchurch.
Survivor Nick Walls, who was pulled from the rubble of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, says his life will change as a result of the earthquake. From his bedside in the Christchurch hospital's orthopeadic ward he explained to our reporter Lorna Perry what he was doing when the earth shook.
Survivor Nick Walls, who was pulled from the rubble of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, says his life will change as a result of the earthquake. From his bedside in the Christchurch hospital's orthopeadic ward he explained to our reporter Lorna Perry what he was doing when the earth shook.
The Christchurch City Council's plans to to help curb a rising homeless population has left some people who live rough worried. The council is considering funding the Christchurch City Mission to employ outreach workers for the first time since the Canterbury earthquakes, and police are increasing central city patrols. Christchurch reporter Logan Church has the story.
The government plans to introduce legislation to change the Earthquake Commission's operations, after a report found major failings. It found EQC was woefully unprepared as it dealt with the Canterbury quakes, and made dozens of recommendations about clarifying EQC's role and improving the way it deals with claimants. RNZ political reporter Yvette McCullough has more.
A huge milestone in the rebuild of the Christchurch Cathedral. Twelves years since the Canterbury earthquakes caused extensive damage to the building, community leaders and project managers have gathered inside the cathedral this morning for the first time since the quakes. It also marks the completion of stablisation phase of the project. Our reporter Adam Burns went along.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is promising help for Tongan children traumatised by Cyclone Gita and says New Zealand was too slow responding to children caught up in the Christchurch earthquakes. Ms Ardern spent the day in Nuku'alofa where she went to a school that was badly damaged from the cyclone last month. RNZ political reporter Mei Heron is in Tonga.
Christchurch's plan to have 20,000 people living in the city centre within the next few years looks increasingly set to fail. Official figures from last year show the Central Business District's population hovering at around 7000, stubbornly lower than before the earthquakes struck more than a decade ago. Reporter Anan Zaki has more.
Just one CTV employee who was in the building during the February 22 earthquake managed to escape before it came down. For Maryanne Jackson, the pain of losing 16 colleagues has been compounded by the lack of accountability following the catastrophic collapse that killed 141 people. She sat down with Checkpoint reporter Nick Truebridge and cameraman Nate McKinnon.
A complaint against an engineer whose firm designed the CTV building that collapsed in the Christchurch earthquake will be heard by a disciplinary committee on Monday. One-hundred-and-fifteen people were killed when the six-storey building came down in February 2011. Dr Alan Reay lost a High Court bid to stop the hearing. Reporter Anna Sargent spoke to Corin Dann.
A protest is underway outside insurance company Vero's Christchurch's office, with building owners dismayed to be still fighting for earthquake repairs 10 years on. The protest was organised by the owners of an 11 unit apartment block in New Brighton, who says Vero is purposefully delaying progress to wear them down. RNZ's reporter Rachel Graham is at the protest and spoke to Meriana Johnsen
Tomorrow will mark four years since a huge 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked North Canterbury. As well as severely damaging homes and roads, it left some hill country farms in the area with up to 40 percent of their land unusable. Four years on, sheep and beef farmers are finding new ways to work. Rural reporter, Maja Burry and cameraman Nate McKinnon have the story.
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.
A mental wellbeing programme for primary and intermediate school students will be expanded to five more district health board areas. Mana Ake started in 2018 in Canterbury and Kaikōura, and was a response to the ongoing trauma some tamariki were experiencing following the earthquakes. Now more year 1 to 8 pupils will receive extra help if they're struggling. Our reporter Kirsty Frame was at the announcement in Auckland.
David discusses the latest news in North Canterbury including updates on the earthquake damaged Glen Alton bridge funding, calls for a local driving licence test route in Kaikoura, reactions from local mayors on the government's bid to get young people off a jobseekers benefit, and there have been reports of dog attacks on little penguins along Kaikoura's coastline. David Hill is a Local Democracy Reporter with North Canterbury News, based in Rangiora.
A school pool, a BMX bike club and a music school are among twenty organisations in Christchurch that have benefitted from the final grants from an international appeal for re-building the quake-damaged city. The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal has so far raised almost 100 million dollars, and as our reporter Teresa Cowie discovered, the latest 8 million dollars that's been released from the fund is giving a welcome boost to residents.
Canterbury farmers say they're at breaking point. A recent Ministry of Health report presented to MPs shows suicide is up 20 percent in rural areas compared with a drop of 10 per cent in cities and towns. Droughts, floods, earthquakes, farm debt, M Bovis, looming water quality reforms and climate change legislation have Canterbury farmers feeling under the pump. Political reporter Jo Moir has been in the region talking to locals like Chris Allen.
A Taranaki business owner is warning leaseholders to read the fine print of their contracts after being asked to pay his rent in full despite a clause in his lease allowing for a rent cut if he couldn't legally access the property. Clause 27.5 was included in the Auckland District Law Society commercial lease in 2012 in response to the Canterbury earthquakes, when many leaseholders were barred from their businesses. RNZ reporter Robin Martin has more.
There are hopes an earthquake simulation in Porirua might result in homes being better prepared for a big shake. Houses on Christchurch's Port Hills suffered more damage than houses in other areas during the Canterbury Earthquakes - even though the ground shaking was roughly the same. Now the Earthquake Commission is on a mission to find out why that was - and prevent the same level of damage in a future quake. Checkpoint reporter Logan Church and video journalist Dom Thomas start their report up on a hilly farm above Wellington.
In the years that have followed the devastating Christchurch earthquake, there have been many stories of the struggles people have faced. Tonight we bring you the tale of the little school in Christchurch's east that took on Wellington's big decision makers and won. Redcliffs School finally reopened last year, after spending the best part of a decade battling for its survival. Our reporter Nick Truebridge and cameraman Nate McKinnon caught up with Redcliffs' principal Rose McInerney to reflect on a tumultuous last 10 years.
A prominent Christchurch property investor says the Government's anchor projects meant to help rebuild the city faster, has instead slowed it down. After the 2011 earthquake, the Government launched a recovery plan for the CBD, which had 16 anchor projects designed to spur on the rebuild. However, many have been plagued by delays and are still unfinished. Property investor Antony Gough told RNZ reporter Anan Zaki that unlike the Government, it was the private sector which ploughed ahead with the rebuild.
Matthew McEachen should have had most of his life ahead of him when he died on February 22, 2011. The 25-year-old was a talented artist and designer, putting his skills to good use at the Southern Ink tattoo shop on Colombo St. But when the earthquake struck, Bruce, Jeanette and Sarah McEachen lost their much-loved son and older brother. Ten years on, Matti's legacy lives on. Checkpoint reporter Nick Truebridge and cameraman Nate McKinnon with his story.
More than a year after North Canterbury's 7.8 magnitude earthquake forced its closure, State Highway 1 north of Kaikoura will re-open to the public on Friday. Thousands of cars and trucks have been diverted inland since one million tonnes of rubble, in the form of 85 landslides, came down on the road, which was the main route between Picton and Christchurch. It's meant a tough year for some of those based along the highway. Reporter Maja Burry checked in with locals and filed this report.
A Christchurch insurance advocate says the new Canterbury Earthquake Insurance Tribunal may finally be the solution to get unresolved claims from the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes settled. The government has launched an earthquake insurance tribunal to try to finally resolve outstanding insurance claims from the Canterbury earthquakes. Dean Lester, who acts as a insurance claim preparer in Christchurch, told our reporter Rachel Graham the tribunal will have the power to get on and make a decision on the key sticking points, without people facing the huge cost of a high court trial.
Construction delays and cost over-runs are prolonging the earthquake risks facing patients and staff at Christchurch hospital. Six major hospital buildings at the central city site have been listed as earthquake prone since May, but there is no safer space to shift patients into. Christchurch Hospital boss David Meates pron; Mates says the hospital is still basically a construction site. One earthquake prone building has roof tanks containing 75 tonnes of water. Mr Meates told RNZ reporter Phil Pennington removing the water from the tanks in the meantime is not an option.
Thousands of people in Christchurch and around the country paused at 12.51 on Monday afternoon to mark a decade since the February 22 magnitude 6.3 earthquake which claimed 185 lives. It was 10 years ago today when an ordinary Christchurch day turned to hell for so many. But in contrast to the harrowing scenes and sounds of that day, today a large peaceful crowd gathered at the Civic Memorial Service on the banks of the Avon River under large oak trees. Reporter Sally Murphy and cameraman Nate McKinnon were there.
As the fourth anniversary of the earthquake which devastated Christchurch approaches, the slow pace of the rebuild has surprised many. But how quickly have other earthquake hit cities returned to their former glory? Radio New Zealand Christchurch reporter, Rachel Graham, visited Japan for an Insight documentary to compare the progress made in the Sendai area, almost four years after it was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and a mega tsunami. She also visited Kobe to look at the impact on that city, and the lessons learnt, 20 years after it was hit by a major earthquake.
A Christchurch primary school is moving into its permanent new home today, nine years after cliffs behind it collapsed during the city's earthquakes. Redcliffs School subsequently moved to a temporary location in the suburb of Sumner, but the new location will mean the school will return home to Redcliffs, after a land swap with the local park. The move comes after in 2016, the then National Government, overturned its own decision to close the school. Christchurch reporter Anan Zaki spoke to principal Rose McInerney ahead of today's move.