This report focuses on the Waimakariri District Council's approach to earthquake recovery which was developed as an Integrated, Community-based Recovery Framework. This approach has been held up as exemplary in a number of fora and has received a great deal of interest and support both nationally and internationally. It has evolved as a result of the September earthquake and the thousands of aftershocks that have followed, along with the regulatory changes that have impacted on building safety and land availability since, but it builds on a set of pre-existing competencies and a well-established organisational culture that focusses on: * Working with communities and each other; * Keeping people informed; * Doing better everyday; * Taking responsibility; * Acting with integrity, honesty and trust. The report identifies, and speaks to, three themes or tensions drawn from either the disaster/emergency management literature or actual cases of recovery practice observed here in Canterbury over the last 2 years. These themes are the: 1. unique position of local government to undertake integrated or ‘holistic’ recovery work with community at the centre, versus the lack of clarity around both community and local government’s role in disaster recovery; 2. general consensus that good local government-community relationships are crucial to recovery processes, versus the lack of practical advice on how best to engage, and engage with, communities post-disaster; and 3. balancing Business as Usual (BaU) with recovery issues.Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
The company that has the main contract for repairing houses in Christchurch, Fletcher Earthquake Recovery, is assuring taxpayers it's doing everything it can to avoid any fraudulent behaviour.
At the start of an archaeological investigation we often consult historical documents to learn as much as we can about a site’s past. Such research can identify the buildings that were once present, the people associated with the site through … Continue reading →
Bedlam. That’s how most people think of 19th century hospitals for the mentally unwell. The phrase ‘lunatic asylums’ – which was how such institutions were known at the time – doesn’t conjure up much better images. But what if the … Continue reading →
Members of the UC CEISMIC team, Han Li and Lucy-Jane Walsh, find the correct position to view Mike Hewson's installation "Deconstruction" from. This artwork gives the illusion that the walkway has been removed.
Members of the UC CEISMIC team, Han Li and Lucy-Jane Walsh, find the correct position to view Mike Hewson's installation "Deconstruction" from. This artwork gives the illusion that the walkway has been removed.
The Christchurch City councillor in charge of council housing says he accepts trenchant criticism from the Earthquake Recovery Minister that the council has been woeful in fixing its quake-damaged housing stock.
Topics - Katy Perry opened the ceremony in Los Angeles with a Japanese-themed performance of Unconditionally, dressed as a Geisha. Within minutes, fans and viewers were accusing her of racism. A citizens initiated referendum on the sale of state assets is in full swing. The referendum isn't binding on the Government, in fact the Government has already promised to ignore it. Newly published research shows that the Canterbury earthquakes were even more unusual than first thought, with such a sequence unlikely to occur anywhere else in the world. The research, published this week in Nature Geoscience, challenges the common assumption that the strength of the Earth's crust is constant.
A empty site in Bexley where a house once stood. The foundations for the house can still be seen. A sign reading, 'Danger construction site' hangs on the security fence that surrounds the area.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, says he is confident that Fletchers is vigilant about fraud and is doing what it can to prevent it in the Christchurch rebuild after accusations from New Zealand First.
It now seems unlikely that engineers involved in the most serious building collapse of the Christchurch earthquake will face any external action, with the profession's administrators telling the Government there's nothing more they can do.
It's emerged that engineers involved in the most serious building collapse of the Christchurch earthquake are unlikely to face any external action, with the profession's two top bodies telling the Government their hands are tied.
Historical archaeology has many facets, it includes recording buildings and features, artefact analysis, names and dates, but if you take a moment, collaborate all that data, you have a powerful tool for telling someone’s story. Some call this type of … Continue reading →
A photograph of the house at 58 Bangor Street. A green sticker on the door indicates that it has been inspected and is safe to enter.
A photograph of the house at 58 Bangor Street. A green sticker on the door indicates that it has been inspected and is safe to enter.
People walk down the newly re-opened Colombo Street. In the distance, Mike Hewson's installation "Deconstruction" can be seen on the walkway between Ballantynes and The Crossing. This artwork gives the illusion that the walkway has been removed.
People walk down the newly re-opened Colombo Street. In the distance, Mike Hewson's installation "Deconstruction" can be seen on the walkway between Ballantynes and The Crossing. This artwork gives the illusion that the walkway has been removed.
People walk down the newly re-opened Colombo Street. In the distance, Mike Hewson's installation "Deconstruction" can be seen on the walkway between Ballantynes and The Crossing. This artwork gives the illusion that the walkway has been removed.
A photograph of loudspeakers on a free-standing frame that will be used during Canterbury Tales. Canterbury Tales was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, and was the main event of FESTA 2013.
An abandoned residential property at 20 Seabreeze Close in Bexley. The roof is warped and the backyard is overgrown with weeds. A sticker has been placed on the power box to indicate that the power has been turned off.
A photograph of people from Free Theatre Christchurch operating a large-scale puppet that was created for Canterbury Tales. Canterbury Tales was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, and was the main event of FESTA 2013.
USAR codes and a yellow sticker can be seen on the doors of a damaged building. The yellow sticker was part of a building assessment system used following the February earthquake and indicates that this building has limited access and needs further evaluation.
This week we’re delving into the seedier side of the life in early Christchurch with the story of the Standard Hotel, an establishment that found itself on the fringes of Victorian respectability during its short existence in the 1860s. At … Continue reading →
One of the most commonly assumed facts about archaeologists (aside from our ability to have adventures, look good in a fedora and be surprisingly skilful with a whip), is that we can look at an object and know how old … Continue reading →
A photograph of people gathered on Cashel Street around the large-scale puppets that are part of Canterbury Tales. Canterbury Tales was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, and was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A photograph of the house at 432 Oxford Terrace. Much of the garden has overgrown. A yellow sticker on the front door indicates that access is restricted.
A photograph of the house at 432 Oxford Terrace. Much of the garden has overgrown. A yellow sticker on the front door indicates that access is restricted.
A car park on the corner of Tuam and Colombo Streets replaces the building that was demolished there. On the wall of an adjoining building, a chalkboard mural encourages people to leave their thoughts, with the prompt "I hope Christchurch will...".
A photograph of the overgrown garden of Siobhan Murphy's house at 436 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "That empty clothesline reflects the emptiness of the house and surrounding properties".
It's been revealed earthquake damage was only one factor considered by the Ministry of Education when it decided to close schools in Christchurch and that it was just as much to do with reducing the overall number of schools in the city.