
A faded yellow sticker stuck to the window of a house on Avonside Drive. It has been issued by the Christchurch City Council and reads, "Restricted Use. No entry except on essential business. Warning: This building has been damaged and its structural safety is questionable. Enter only at own risk. Subsequent aftershocks or other events may result in increased damage and danger, changing this assessment. Re-inspection may be required. The damage observed from external inspection is as described below." It goes on to set out the conditions for entry to the building and information about the inspector. The sign is so faded that the handwritten information is almost illegible.
A photograph of a map used by emergency management personnel to inspect buildings after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The map is of the block bordered by Barbadoes Street, Worcester Street, Gloucester Street, and Fitzgerald Avenue. Many of the buildings have been highlighted in blue, with some smaller buildings highlighted in orange. Two blocks of buildings have been outlined in dark-blue felt-tip pen. Numbers and messages have been written on the map with biro.
An aerial photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A view looking north-west over the central city towards Hagley Park. Hereford Street can be seen in the foreground, as well as Worcester Street running towards the the Christ Church Cathedral. The empty site of the Press Building and Warners hotel can also be seen".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Carlton Hotel on the corner of Papanui Road and Bealey Avenue. The wall of the top storey of the building has crumbled, and bricks have fallen onto the footpath. Wire fencing, road cones, and cordon tape have been placed around the building as a cordon. Scaffolding and steel bracing can be seen against the front of the building.
Two images of a house, taken before and after the earthquakes. In the after photograph the chimneys are gone, a column supporting the car port has partly collapsed, windows are broken, and the previously neat lawn and driveway are overgrown. The photographer comments, "This was a house that I was selling up to the September 2010 earthquake in Christchurch. It was on Avonside Drive, which was an area that has been badly hit in every earthquake that has hit the area. In the September quake parts of the house moved in different directions and one of the upstairs doors had to be smashed open to release one of the sons from his bedroom. This occurred in the dark with numerous aftershocks shaking the house. Liquefaction poured up through the floor and flowed down the drive. Everyone got out OK, but soon after the house was red stickered meaning it was dangerous to enter. The house was looted many times even though there was constant police patrols. When the most violent earthquake occurred on 22 February 2012 both the tall heavy chimneys came crashing through into the living areas. Subsequent earthquakes and aftershocks have caused one of the brick fence pillars to fall and the front garage pillar to break up and twist. The family's troubles did not end there. They moved into the home of one of their parents and this mansion of a home was so badly affected by the February earthquake that no one could enter to collect any of their or their parents' belongings. They now own a new home, which they are fond of except when the ground shakes yet again. There has been to date 10,712 earthquakes and aftershocks since 4 September 2010".
The damaged clock tower on Victoria Street, wrapped and braced to prevent further damage. The photographer comments, "Diamond Jubilee Clock Tower in Christchurch. Its legs wrapped up for protection. Volcanic stone and limestone clock tower with ornate wrought iron work with coloured glass around part of the tower and four clock faces. Clock Tower built in this location to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Has two white marble plaques and one bronze plaque set on stone work above arches".
An aerial photograph of Hereford Street and Cathedral Square. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Hereford Street running across the foreground of this photograph, with Cathedral Square above. The IBIS Hotel and the ANZ Bank are staying, while the BNZ is currently being soft-stripped. Christ Church Cathedral officially has a status of 'partial demolish'".
A photograph of a sign on a lamp post on Bealey Avenue. The sign reads, "Attention Public, there is a cordon in effect. From the timings of 0600 to 1800 only personal with legitimate reasons and home owners are permitted to enter the cordon. Home owners, please have proof of address and identification ready for inspection. At 1800 to 0600 the cordoned area is under curfew. The only personnel permitted to enter are: health professionals, Canterbury Council staff, contractors, media. No exceptions. If you have any questions, please approach police or NZDF personnel. Thank you for your co-operation".
An audio documentary created by Kris Vavasour about the multitude of challenge the musicians, performers and venue owners in Lyttelton face in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes. All songs are from the 'Harbour Union' album (2011), in alphabetical order: 'Even Keel' (Lindon Puffin); 'Ghost of this Town' (Marlon Williams); 'How Lucky You Are' (Delaney Davidson & Marlon Williams); 'Human Enough' (Lindon Puffin); 'It's So Good' (Delaney Davidson); 'Little Mountain Town' (Marlon Williams); 'Rocking Bell' (Adam McGrath); 'The Waterside' (Adam McGrath).
A photograph of an earthquake-damaged house on Marine Parade in North Brighton. The front section of the house has collapsed, the rest buckled. The wall of the gable has also collapsed as well as part of the lower front wall. A red sticker in the window indicates that the building is unsafe to enter. A message has been spray painted on the front window, reading, "Roof tiles, $3 each". Police tape has been used to cordon off the house. Public notices can be seen on the fence, on the roof of the collapsed section and the section behind.
Damage to River Road in Richmond. The road is badly cracked and slumped, and is closed off with a row of road cones tied with warning tape. The word "closed" has been spray painted on the road surface. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd and recovery work around Richmond and St Albans. River Rd was again subject to severe lateral spreading. The river is still grey with silt, the road is ripped and sunken, and power poles lean at random angles. The red car belonged to a postie, who had to come back with a tow truck to extricate the car from the hole that had opened underneath it. Looking along River Road to the north-east. Taken outside 79 Medway St".
Detail of damage to a house in Richmond. A double-brick wall has collapsed, and a gap is visible between the house and its foundation. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd and recovery work around Richmond and St Albans. The house and the concrete patio are now 15cm apart. The house took half the dining room's remaining bricks with it as it jumped off the foundations. It gives a good visual indication of the displacement".
Damage to a residential property in Richmond. The brick wall of the garage has collapse inward, and the roof fallen in on top of it. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd and recovery work around Richmond and St Albans. The neighbours behind us used the kayak to get in to their house - it's flooded by Dudley Creek which runs behind the block, plus major liquefaction. Our old garage provides a good spot to park it".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Avonmore House on the corner of Hereford Street and Latimer Square. Large cracks have formed in the building, causing sections of the masonry to crumble. The windows on the Hereford Street side of the building have bent out of shape and many of the glass panes have shattered. USAR codes have been spray painted on the column next to the door. In the distance wire fencing has been placed across the street as a cordon.
A woman takes a photograph over the top of the cordon fence at the east end of Re:Start mall. The photographer comments, "The new temporary city mall has been open in Christchurch now for a week. Buildings damaged in the earthquake have been demolished and replaced with cargo containers to create a new, temporary, Cashel Mall. I visited the mall yesterday and was quite impressed with what they have done. The cargo containers have been nicely converted, brightly painted and smartly branded to create some good looking stores ... You'd think it would be strange to stand where my old office used to be and view these cargo-container-stores, but the reality was that it was so far removed from what used to be there that it was actually quite difficult to make the connection. It was only when straying to the attractive wooden boundary fences and peering over that you're suddenly taken back to the time running right up to, and shortly after, the earthquake".
Student leaders, including UCSA President Kohan McNab and Sam Johnston, head of the Student Volunteer Army, leading students from the University of Canterbury in a two minute silence to remember those who died in the 22 February 2011 earthquake. They have stood on top of the ENSOC fire engine to address the crowd, and the event has been filmed from that vantage point. The students have been enjoying a barbeque lunch break in Burwood Park after volunteering to dig up liquefaction as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
Detail of damage to the former Princess Cinema in New Brighton. Bricks have fallen from the wall, exposing the interior. The photographer comments, "This is the side view of the back of the old Princess Cinema in New Brighton after the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand on 22 February. The bricks seem to be just about to fall, but stayed in place after several big aftershocks. This building has now been knocked down as it was so dangerous".
A car on Rowses Road has its entire front half embedded in liquefaction after falling into a sink hole. The photographer comments, "Perhaps the most impressively stuck car was this small silver hatchback that went head first into a large hole in a street just off Shortland Street (between Shortland and Breezes Road) in Aranui. The rear hatch was open when we came across it. Apparently there had been one person and a dog inside but they managed to escape. The silt has now settled around and inside the car, making the vehicle an intimidating monument to the earthquake".
Detail of damage to a house in Richmond. A double-brick wall has collapsed. A wire loop which formerly tied the two layers of bricks together has pulled out from one of the layers, showing how the two parts of the wall moved apart during the shaking. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd and recovery work around Richmond and St Albans. The remaining double brick by the back door has been further smashed and twisted".
A photograph of the earthquake-damaged buildings and rubble on Colombo Street near the intersection of St Asaph Street. The walls of the top storey of the buildings to the left have crumbled, and bricks and other rubble have fallen onto the footpath and road below. Wire fencing and police tape have been placed across the street as a cordon. An excavator from Daniel Smith Industries Ltd is parked in front of the fence.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Montgomery's Building on the corner of Colombo and Tuam Streets. Large sections of the façade have collapsed, exposing the inside of the building. The bricks and other rubble have mostly been cleared from the footpath and street in front. Wire fences have been placed around the building as a cordon. In the distance there is a large pile of bricks on a property where another building has collapsed.
Paul Nicholls, a member of the University of Canterbury's E-Learning team, in their temporary office in KB02 in Kirkwood Village, the complex of prefabs set up after the earthquakes to provide temporary office and classroom space for the university. The photographer comments, "The e-learning group and the video conferencing team are now located in the Kirkwood Village at the University of Canterbury. It's a very impressive project, about 60 buildings arranged in various configurations with some used for teaching or computer labs, and others as staff offices. We will probably stay here for several years now. Closer view of our corner of the building. We will have some cubicle partitions soon, but I don't know how we'll configure the space then. It's quite nice being so open, but it may be too noisy".
Paul Nicholls, a member of the University of Canterbury's E-Learning team, in their temporary office in KB02 in Kirkwood Village, the complex of prefabs set up after the earthquakes to provide temporary office and classroom space for the university. The photographer comments, "The e-learning group and the video conferencing team are now located in the Kirkwood Village at the University of Canterbury. It's a very impressive project, about 60 buildings arranged in various configurations with some used for teaching or computer labs, and others as staff offices. We will probably stay here for several years now. Our "techy corner", with Paul waiting for the desk-assembler to come back and put his desk together. My desk is in the corner, and Jess is on the right of the window".
Members of the University of Canterbury's Digital Media Group in their temporary office in KB02 in Kirkwood Village, the complex of prefabs set up after the earthquakes to provide temporary office and classroom space for the university. The photographer comments, "The e-learning group and the video conferencing team are now located in the Kirkwood Village at the University of Canterbury. It's a very impressive project, about 60 buildings arranged in various configurations with some used for teaching or computer labs, and others as staff offices. We will probably stay here for several years now. Looking back along the centre area from the doors. The e-learning advisers and Herbert Thomas, our team leader, sit along the south wall".
Members of the University of Canterbury's Digital Media Group in their temporary office in KB02 in Kirkwood Village, the complex of prefabs set up after the earthquakes to provide temporary office and classroom space for the university. The photographer comments, "The e-learning group and the video conferencing team are now located in the Kirkwood Village at the University of Canterbury. It's a very impressive project, about 60 buildings arranged in various configurations with some used for teaching or computer labs, and others as staff offices. We will probably stay here for several years now. Looking along the south wall, Herbert Thomas and Susan Tull already settled in and working".
Members of the University of Canterbury's Digital Media Group in their temporary office in KB02 in Kirkwood Village, the complex of prefabs set up after the earthquakes to provide temporary office and classroom space for the university. The photographer comments, "The e-learning group and the video conferencing team are now located in the Kirkwood Village at the University of Canterbury. It's a very impressive project, about 60 buildings arranged in various configurations with some used for teaching or computer labs, and others as staff offices. We will probably stay here for several years now. Nikki Saunders, Lei Zhang (on the far wall), Nathan Gardiner and Blair - unpacking and settling in".
Damage to a house in Richmond. The foundation is all that remains of one room, and the exposed interior wall has been covered with builders' paper for protection. Weeds grow between cracks in the concrete patio. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Cracked patio. The wooden floor is all that remains of a sunny living space with bifold doors, opening the house to the garden. This was so broken on 4/9/10 that it was immediately demolished".
A video of an interview with Mayor Bob Parker, recorded at the Civil Defence Headquarters in the Christchurch Art Gallery on the evening of the 22 February 2011. Parker talks about the fatalities and damage caused by the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
The cartoon shows God sitting at his computer with an image of a devastated Christchurch on the screen. He is about to hit the 'smite' key. Text above reads 'God at his computer'. Context - Two more earthquakes rocked Christchurch on 13th June, following those of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. The first magnitude 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometres east of Christchurch at Taylor's Mistake beach, at a depth of 11 kilometres, and sent people scrambling for cover. It was followed at 2.20pm by a more powerful magnitude 6 quake, centred 10 kilometres southeast of the city and 9km underground. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man representing New Zealand reads a newspaper whose headline is ''Quake may cost insurance co's up to $16B'. Above him is an enormous mosquito that represents 'increased premiums' and that is about to suck the blood out of him; it casts a huge menacing shadow in which the man stands. Context - Insurance companies have experienced massive losses after the Canterbury earthquake. This may ultimately result in higher premiums as insurance companies try to recoup from their loss. According to Chris Ryan, Insurance Council chief executive, "The quake would probably result in foreign reinsurance companies increasing the premiums they charged local insurers." (Stuff 9 Sep 2010) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).