Academic is concerned Chch will struggle to fully recover

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A professor studying the economics of disasters says Christchurch will struggle to ever fully recover from the earthquakes that have devastated the city.

Poetica

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Poetica is a series of large-scale paintings of 20 different poems in twenty different languages, paying tribute to the different nationalities lost in the Christchurch earthquake.

Govt says acquisition price for Chch property 'about right'

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, says the Government's got the price 'about right' for land it's bought for Christchurch's refurbished central business district.

EQC chief responds to highly critical report

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A new report says the Earthquake Commission was ill-prepared for a major earthquake and had to use inexperienced staff to respond to the Canterbury earthquakes.

Chch population shifts have implications for council

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A property expert says a dramatic shift in the population north and west of Christchurch after the earthquakes has serious implications for council's rate take.

Repairs on the homes of vulnerable people took too long

Audio, Radio New Zealand

An audit of the Earthquake Commission's quake repairs in Christchurch has found many dissatisfied home owners and others being left in the dark.

Andy Buchanan - timber and earthquakes

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Professor of Timber Design at the University of Canterbury, who is playing a key role in the international resurgence in the use of timber for large-scale buildings.

Ombudsman report details inefficiencies at EQC

Audio, Radio New Zealand

An earthquake community group in Canterbury says a damning report on the ineffectiveness of the Earthquake Commission highlights the frustration of getting information on their own homes.

Calls for asbestos register in Christchurch

Audio, Radio New Zealand

An Earthquake Commission policy of covering over asbestos in quake-damaged Canterbury houses and not making that information publicly available, is being described as shortsighted and potentially harmful.

Community groups homeless after quake-prone facility closed

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Two years after the Christchurch earthquakes, the city council has only finished detailed assessments of about half its community facilities, and nasty surprises are still cropping up.

Council staff given hurry up over quake repairs

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Christchurch City Council staff have been given the hurry up from councillors over the length of time it is taking to repair or replace earthquake-damaged council housing.

First census in seven years takes place today

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Today is census day; the first nationwide stocktake in seven years after the census was called off in 2011 because of the February earthquake in Christchurch.

Tower insurance admits seeking cheapest option

Audio, Radio New Zealand

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.

Rebuild fraud will be pursued to full extent of law

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Earthquake Recovery Minister says he's instructed government agencies to prosecute any fraudulent activity during the Christchurch rebuild, to the full extent of the law.

Christchurch couple lower damages sought in High Court

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Christchurch couple taking their insurance company to the High Court over their earthquake payout have knocked almost a quarter of a million dollars off their claim.

Recipient of EQC email says don't play politics

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The man who received Earthquake Commission files detailing claims by 83,000 Christchurch people says he's appalled the slip-up has become a political football.

EQC emails private information to wrong person

Audio, Radio New Zealand

In a serious privacy breach - the addresses and earthquake claim details of almost ten thousand Canterbury people have been mistakenly emailed by Earthquake Commission to the wrong person.

Elderly low on priority list for earthquake repairs

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A forum's heard from older people in Christchurch saying they feel vulnerable, misled, and left out in the cold when it comes to earthquake repairs and payouts.

Liability fears hinder the assessment of quake-prone buildings

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The president of the Structural Engineers' Society, John Hare, says since the Christchurch earthquakes, engineers have been too conservative in evaulations for fear of liability.

Brownlee to meet with Chch mayor over consenting today

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Earthquake Minister Gerry Brownlee says it would be an absolute disaster for Christchurch, if the City Council stopped issuing building consents next week.

Concerns highlighted about high costs of dumping quake rubble

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Record fines for two companies and a director who illegally dumped contaminated demolition material has highlighted problems with the costs of dumping earthquake rubble from Christchurch.

EQC respond to claims of inadequate assessments

Audio, Radio New Zealand

EQC's manager for the Canterbury home repair programme, Reid Stiven, respondes to claims of misleading estimates of damage to household foundations from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Lianne Dalziel wouldn't be leaving if not for quakes

Audio, Radio New Zealand

In her valedictory speech to Parliament, the Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalziel said she would not be leaving Parliament if not for the Canterbury earthquakes.

Chch set for radical re-drawing of boundaries

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Christchurch looks set for a radical re-drawing of boundaries in six of its seven electorates to take account of its shifting population since the earthquakes.

CERA pays more for PR advice

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority spent more than three million dollars on communications staff and consultants in the last financial year, up by a third on the previous year.

Labour says by-election victory indictment on National Govt

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Labour Party says its crushing victory in the Christchurch East by-election is an indictment of the National Government's poor response to the earthquakes.

Minister sticks by plan to close or merge Christchurch schools

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Minister of Education has stuck with her proposals in February to close or merge earthquake-hit Christchurch schools, with the exception of some New Brighton schools.

Third year could be the worst for quake-stressed Cantabrians

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Mental health experts in Christchurch are warning the worst could be still to come for people suffering from anxiety, depression and stress related to the earthquakes.

More fraud cases expected in connection with Chch rebuild

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A further round of fraud cases sent to the police by the Earthquake Commission may just be the beginning as the rebuild of Christchurch moves into high gear.

Not everybody in Chch excited about Council approvals

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Earthquake Recovery Minister says the Christchurch City Council has wasted an opportunity in deciding to save the Town Hall, instead of building a new performing arts precinct.