
The Christchurch earthquakes brought to an abrupt halt a process of adaptive reuse and gentrification that was underway in the south eastern corner of the central business district. The retail uses that were a key to the success of this area pre-earthquake could be characterised as small, owner operated, quirky, bohemian, chaotic and relatively low rent. This research reports on the progress of a long term, comprehensive case study that follows the progress of these retailers both before and after the earthquakes. Findings include the immediate post-earthquake intentions to resume business in the same location as soon as possible were thwarted by government imposed cordons of the CBD that were only lifted nearly three years later. But, businesses were resilient and generally reinvented themselves quickly in alternative suburban locations where government “rebuild” restrictions were absent. It remains to be seen if this type of retail will ever return to the CBD as government imposed plans and the rents demanded for retail space in new buildings appear to preclude small owner-operated businesses.
This article reports on research conducted in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. This quake and thousands of subsequent aftershocks have left the city of Christchurch with serious infrastructure damage to roads, sewage supply, housing and commercial buildings. The emergence of a vibrant art and craft movement in the Christchurch region post earthquake has been an unexpected aspect of the recovery process. The article begins with a review of the literature on traditional responses to disaster recovery illustrating how more contemporary approaches are community-focused. We review the links between crafting and well-being, and report on qualitative research conducted with five focus groups and nine individuals who have contributed to this movement in Christchurch. The findings illustrate the role crafting has played post earthquake, in terms of processing key elements of the disaster for healing and recovery, creating opportunities for social support; giving to others; generating learning and meaning making and developing a vision for the future. The data analysis is underpinned by theory related to post-traumatic growth and ecological concerns. The role of social work in promoting low-cost initiatives such as craft groups to foster social resilience and aid in the recovery from disaster trauma is explored. This discussion considers why such approaches are rare in social work.
There are fears that Christchurch secondary students' educations will continue to suffer as their school days are condensed in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Photographic studio on Colombo Street after the earthquake on 4 September 2010".
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
A video of an interview with Andrew Holden, Editor of The Press, about the 4 September 2010 earthquake. Holden talks about the status of the Press Building in Cathedral Square, The Press's temporary offices in the Novotel hotel, and the importance of newspapers in a post-disaster zone.
A PDF copy of pages 282-283 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Co-Location of Secondary Schools in Christchurch Post 22 February 2011 Earthquake'. Photo: Phil Arvidson. With permission: St Bede's, Marian College and the Ministry of Education.
A video capturing an aftershock from the Canterbury earthquake on 26 December, 10:30 am. After a sharp aftershock in the morning, Ben Post set up the camera on a tripod and kept it running during the morning. The windows shown are approximately three metres square and double glazed.
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
Post-graduate students who went on an exchange to Oxford after the February earthquakes talking to Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr at a function with Vice Chancellor Rod Car and Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Andrew Hamilton to sign a Memorandum of Understand between the two Universities.
A house rocks in the night but the occupants are reassured that it is not 'another quake', only an aftershock, which although it causes the walls to crumble is nothing to worry about. Refers to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September and the dozens of aftershocks that cause continuing tension and anxiety. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
With Tom Love - A principal of consulting firm Sapere Research Group, who was commissioned by the Canterbury District Health Board, to examine the population impact of February's earthquake.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Damaged building on Colombo Street in Sydenham after the earthquake on 4 September 2010".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Damaged building on Colombo Street in Sydenham after the earthquake on 4 September 2010".
Most Christchurch firms are back on their feet a month after the devastating earthquake, but it remains a difficult city to do business in.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Justine Price buying water at Chaffers New World supermarket after the 7.1 earthquake in Christchurch".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "David Cullwick buying water at Chaffers New World supermarket after the 7.1 earthquake in Christchurch".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Damaged building on Colombo Street in Sydenham after the earthquake on 4 September 2010".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Damaged building on Colombo Street in Sydenham after the earthquake on 4 September 2010".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "David Cullwick buying water at Chaffers New World supermarket after the 7.1 earthquake in Christchurch".
A video capturing an aftershock from the Canterbury earthquake on 22 February 2011, 1:04pm. After the 6.3 magnitude earthquake at 12:51pm, Ben Post set up his camera on a tripod and left it running. The movement of the water in the fish tank during the quake suggests that the shaking is up and down. The camera also shows this effect; due to the lightweight material of the tripod, the camera is shaken about more than the surroundings.
Natural hazard reviews reveal increases in disaster impacts nowhere more pronounced than in coastal settlements. Despite efforts to enhance hazard resilience, the common trend remains to keep producing disaster prone places. This paper explicitly explores hazard versus multi-hazard concepts to illustrate how different conceptualizations can enhance or reduce settlement resilience. Understandings gained were combined with onthe-ground lessons from earthquake and flooding experiences to develop of a novel ‘first cut’ approach for analyzing key multi-hazard interconnections, and to evaluate resilience enhancing opportunities. Traditional disaster resilience efforts often consider different hazard types discretely. However, recent events in Christchurch, a New Zealand city that is part of the 100 Resilient Cities network, highlight the need to analyze the interrelated nature of different hazards, especially for enhancing lifelines system resilience. Our overview of the Christchurch case study demonstrates that seismic, hydrological, shallow-earth, and coastal hazards can be fundamentally interconnected, with catastrophic results where such interconnections go unrecognized. In response, we have begun to develop a simple approach for use by different stakeholders to support resilience planning, pre and post disaster, by: drawing attention to natural and built environment multi-hazard links in general; illustrating a ‘first cut’ tool for uncovering earthquake-flooding multi-hazard links in particular; and providing a basis for reviewing resilience strategy effectiveness in multi-hazard prone environments. This framework has particular application to tectonically active areas exposed to climate-change issues.
Triple P parenting programmes have provided promising results for children and families in recent years. The aim of the current project was to explore the experiences of families leading up to participating in a Teen Triple P programme three years following the Christchurch earthquakes and their need for assistance in the management of their teenagers. Parents were interviewed prior to the commencement of the Teen Triple P programme and after its completion. Parents were also asked to complete a journal entry or engage in two brief telephone conversations with the researcher outlining their experiences with the Teen Triple P programme. These outlined the perceived fit of the programme to the needs of the family. Parents provided insight into their family’s experiences of the Christchurch 2010 and 2011 series of earthquakes and the perceived impact this had on their lives and the management of their teenagers. The results indicated that parents felt more positively about their parenting behaviours post-programme and were able to identify changes in their teen and/or family that they felt were as a response to participation in Teen Triple P. Parents provided rich descriptions of their earthquake experiences and the immediate and long-term impacts they endured both individually and as a family. Parents did not feel that the earthquakes fed into their decision to do a Teen Triple P Programme. The results helped improve our understanding of the effectiveness of Teen Triple P as a parenting programme as well increased our understanding of the challenges and needs of families in post-earthquake Christchurch.
Christchurch is home to many diverse ethnic groups whose voices have sometimes gone unheard in the aftermath of the earthquakes and the city's rebuild plans. Katy Gosset visits a gathering in Christchurch's battered eastern suburbs to hear their thoughts on post-quake life and the future of their adopted home.
Post analysis of last night's All Black victory over the Wallabies and a look at the challenges ahead against Les Bleus; various looks at the Rena including mitigation of environmental impact and a 'please explain' summons to the lessees by the Transport Minister and; the Canterbury earthquake's Royal Commission hearings begin.
A Christchurch man wants to let his home. He stands in a fissure in the garden and tells a man with a large dog who is interested in renting 'Sorry, no dogs! They dig too many holes!' Context: Post earthquake Christchurch tries to return to normal. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).