A few older Christchurch Earthquake Pics from after the 6.3 last Feb (2011). And yes the aftershocks are still happening.. Twitter | Facebook |
Within four weeks of the September 4 2010 Canterbury Earthquake a new, loosely-knit community group appeared in Christchurch under the banner of “Greening the Rubble.” The general aim of those who attended the first few meetings was to do something to help plug the holes that had already appeared or were likely to appear over the coming weeks in the city fabric with some temporary landscaping and planting projects. This article charts the first eighteen months of Greening the Rubble and places the initiative in a broader context to argue that although seismic events in Christchurch acted as a “call to palms,” so to speak, the city was already in need of some remedial greening. It concludes with a reflection on lessons learned to date by GTR and commentary on the likely issues ahead for this new mini-social-environmental movement in the context of a quake-affected and still quake-prone major New Zealand city. One of the key lessons for GTR and all of those involved in Christchurch recovery activities to date is that the city is still very much in the middle of the event and is to some extent a laboratory for seismic and agency management studies alike.
This research provides an investigation into the impact on the North Island freight infrastructure, in the event of a disruption of the Ports of Auckland (POAL). This research is important to New Zealand, especially having experienced the Canterbury earthquake disaster in 2010/2011 and the current 2012 industrial action plaguing the POAL. New Zealand is a net exporter of a combination of manufactured high value goods, commodity products and raw materials. New Zealand’s main challenge lies in the fact of its geographical distances to major markets. Currently New Zealand handles approximately 2 million containers per annum, with a minimum of ~40% of those containers being shipped through POAL. It needs to be highlighted that POAL is classified as an import port in comparison to Port of Tauranga (POT) that has traditionally had an export focus. This last fact is of great importance, as in a case of a disruption of the POAL, any import consigned to the Auckland and northern region will need to be redirected through POT in a quick and efficient way to reach Auckland and the northern regions. This may mean a major impact on existing infrastructure and supply chain systems that are currently in place. This study is critical as an element of risk management, looking at how to mitigate the risk to the greater Auckland region. With the new Super City taking hold, the POAL is a fundamental link in the supply chain to the largest metropolitan area within New Zealand.
Though there is a broad consensus that communities play a key role in disaster response and recovery, most of the existing work in this area focuses on the activities of donor agencies, formal civil defence authorities, and local/central government. Consequently, there is a paucity of research addressing the on-going actions and activities undertaken by communities and ‘emergent groups’ , particularly as they develop after the immediate civil defence or ‘response’ phase is over. In an attempt to address this gap, this inventory of community-led recovery initiatives was undertaken approximately one year after the most devastating February 2011 earthquake. It is part of on-going project at Lincoln University documenting – and seeking a better understanding of - various emergent communities’ roles in recovery, their challenges, and strategies for overcoming them. This larger project also seeks to better understand how collaborative work between informal and formal recovery efforts might be facilitated at different stages of the process. This inventory was conducted over the December 2011 – February 2012 period and builds on Landcare Research’s Christchurch Earthquake Activity Inventory which was a similar snapshot taken in April 2011. The intention behind conducting this updated inventory is to gain a longitudinal perspective of how community-led recovery activities evolve over time. Each entry is ordered alphabetically and contact details have been provided where possible. A series of keywords have also been assigned that describe the main attributes of each activity to assist searches within this document.This inventory was supported by the Lincoln University Research Fund and the Royal Society Marsden Fund.
This thesis was completed by Abigail Thompson for her Master of Architecture (Professional) at the University of Auckland in 2012. It was initiated with the aim of the addressing the destruction of many Christchurch buildings following the earthquakes, and investigates the role of architecture in public memory and ways of reconnecting people with the city. Note that some images in the thesis have been obscured in order to avoid copyright infringement.
The top frame shows the barbed wire and watch tower of a prison. There is a comment about someone wanting the warmth of a prison cell. The second frame shows prison staff chatting at cross purposes about a petition from Christchurch with homes wrecked by earthquake pleading to be allowed to live in prison and the sentence imposed on the Bridgecorp directors who have been accused of defrauding investors. Colour and black and white versions available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
The recent Christchurch earthquakes provide a unique opportunity to better understand the relationship between pre-disaster social fault-lines and post-disaster community fracture. As a resident of Christchurch, this paper presents some of my reflections on the social structures and systems, activities, attitudes and decisions that have helped different Canterbury ‘communities’ along their road to recovery, and highlights some issues that have, unfortunately, held us back. These reflections help answer the most crucial question asked of disaster scholarship: what can recovery agencies (including local authorities) do - both before and after disaster - to promote resilience and facilitate recovery. This paper – based on three different definitions of resilience - presents a thematic account of the social recovery landscape. I argue that ‘coping’ might best be associated with adaptive capacity, however ‘thriving’ or ‘bounce forward’ versions of resilience are a function of a community’s participative capacity.
The Wizard of Christchurch talks to a member of the public outside the damaged cathedral. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look at the cathedral. The tower and the front wall of the building have partially collapsed. Steel bracing has been added to the front wall for support.
The front of Christ Church Cathedral showing its broken tower. Bracing has been placed on the front wall to limit further damage. Security fences have been placed around the cathedral to restrict access. The Wizard of Christchurch talks to members of the public. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look.
The front of Christ Church Cathedral showing its broken tower. Bracing has been placed on the front wall to limit further damage. Security fences have been placed around the cathedral to restrict access. The Wizard of Christchurch talks to members of the public. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look.
The Hororata Highland Games are an initiative of the Hororata Community Trust. The Trust was established to support the community through fundraising activities and help the Mid-Canterbury town rebuild after the September 2010 earthquake left many facilities damaged. The inaugural Highland Games in 2011 was a huge success and this year, Trust director Mark Stewart and dozens of local volunteers have organised another tartan extravaganza.
Spud Hilton knows what it's like to feel the fear of a large scale earthquake. As the Travel Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, he lives in a city on a fault line. Spud Hilton has just published an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the status of Christchurch as a tourist destination and as a city that must rebuild, rethink and reinvent itself.
Photograph captioned, "Dallington used to be the most popular suburb in New Zealand to live in. And that makes sense, because it's halfway between the beach and the city. It's close enough to town but far enough away, as well. There were good schools in the area. The mall was close. It's got the river and the tree lined sections, everything. It was special all right".
A photograph of installations being constructed on the corner of Gloucester Street and Colombo Street for the LUXCITY event. In the foreground is the installation titled "In Your Face", and to the right is the installation titled "Etch-a-Sketch".
A photograph of a paste-up from the Roger Sutton/Man About Town series, created by Nathan Ingram and Jemma Brown. The paste-up is titled "Running Hipster", and is on a building on the corner of Madras Street and St Asaph Street.
A photograph of a paste-up from the Roger Sutton/Man About Town series, created by Nathan Ingram and Jemma Brown. The paste-up is titled "Good Man", and is on a building on the corner of Barbadoes Street and Cashel Street.
Warning tape on the gate of a residential property near Cranmer Square. The photographer comments, "The yellow tape was put on the gate to warn property [owners] that the house beyond was unsafe. Now there is no house, but by the cobwebs on the handle the tape is doing a great job".
A digitally manipulated image of a mannequin. The photographer comments, "During the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011 a lot of people were seriously injured or killed because they run out of buildings. Falling masonry from the exterior of the buildings hit them, but if they had remained inside they would have probably been perfectly safe".
A damaged house perched on the edge of the cliffs above Sumner. The photographer comments, "This house has slowly gone over the edge since the big earthquake in Christchurch in February 2011. Subsequent earthquakes has caused the rock face to crumble more and more".
In a vacant lot opposite the CTV building where a building has been demolished, is a commemoration to those who died in the earthquake. It includes a pile of demolition rubble and 185 white stones in honour of each person who lost their life on 22nd February 2011. Around it are also item such as a frame photograph and flowers left by the public.
In a vacant lot opposite the CTV building where a building has been demolished, is a commemoration to those who died in the earthquake. It includes a pile of demolition rubble and 185 white stones in honour of each person who lost their life on 22nd February 2011. Around it are also item such as a frame photograph and flowers left by the public.
In a vacant lot opposite the CTV building where a building has been demolished, is a commemoration to those who died in the earthquake. It includes a pile of demolition rubble and 185 white stones in honour of each person who lost their life on 22nd February 2011. Around it are item such as a frame photograph and flowers left by the public.
A media release produced by the General Manager of SPCA Canterbury about the SPCA's "Desex in the City" campaign which offered to desex cats, dogs, kittens and puppies in Christchurch for free after the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. The campaign was created in order to help reduce unwanted animal numbers in Christchurch.
A digitally manipulated image of Latimer Square. The photographer comments, "It is so nice to stand in the middle of Latimer Square on a bright Winter's day and forget the havoc that is around you. The square has hardly been touched by the Christchurch earthquake, but it is surrounded by demolished and damaged buildings".
Glass panels with brass surrounds, stacked inside a building. The photographer comments, "These were brass dividers that were brought inside the building two years ago after the Christchurch earthquake. They have been sitting there abandoned in a restaurant that will be either repaired and reopened at a later date or demolished like the many others of its kind".
A woman with a megaphone speaks to gathered residents at the River of Flowers memorial event. In the background, workers look on. The photographer comments, "One year on, Riverside residents gather for a 2 minute silence and to cast flowers in the river. Riverside residents met at the Medway St bridge to commemorate the anniversary of the 22/2/11 quake".
Residents gathered for the River of Flowers memorial event watch a dragon boat being rowed along the river. In the background, workers look on. The photographer comments, "One year on, Riverside residents gather for a 2 minute silence and to cast flowers in the river. Riverside residents met at the Medway St bridge to commemorate the anniversary of the 22/2/11 quake".
A large sign outside QEII stadium advertising a IPC Athletics World Championships event 21-30 January 2011. The photographer comments, "A Sunday afternoon ride to New Brighton, then back via Aranui, Wainoni, Dallington, and Richmond. Not a cheerful experience. QE2 sign. This must have still been in place on Feb 22, 2011. It advertises an athletics meet three weeks earlier".
Tree stumps and wood chips from trees that were removed from the South Brighton pine forest. The photographer comments, "A Sunday afternoon ride to New Brighton, then back via Aranui, Wainoni, Dallington, and Richmond. Not a cheerful experience. South Brighton pine forest - gone! The pines had become poisoned by the rising saline water table, so they've all had to come out".
A woman with a megaphone speaks to gathered residents at the River of Flowers memorial event. In the background, workers look on. The photographer comments, "One year on, Riverside residents gather for a 2 minute silence and to cast flowers in the river. Riverside residents met at the Medway St bridge to commemorate the anniversary of the 22/2/11 quake".