An All Right? infographic illustrating research carried out by All Right? about wellbeing in post-quake Canterbury.
An entry from Roz Johnson's blog for 5 November 2011 entitled, "Spaces left in Lyttelton Post Earthquake".
During the 21st century, New Zealand has experienced increasing public concern over the quality of the design and appearance of new developments, and their effects on the urban environment. In response to this, a number of local authorities developed a range of tools to address this issue, including urban design panels to review proposals and provide independent advice. Following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, the commitment to achieve high quality urban design within Christchurch was given further importance, with the city facing the unprecedented challenge of rebuilding a ‘vibrant and successful city’. The rebuild and regeneration reinforced the need for independent design review, putting more focus and emphasis on the role and use of the urban design panel; first through collaboratively assisting applicants in achieving a better design outcome for their development by providing an independent set of eyes on their design; and secondly in assisting Council officers in forming their recommendations on resource consent decisions. However, there is a perception that urban design and the role of the urban design panel is not fully understood, with some stakeholders arguing that Council’s urban design requirements are adding cost and complexity to their developments. The purpose of this research was to develop a better understanding on the role of the Christchurch urban design panel post-earthquake in the central city; its direct and indirect influence on the built environment; and the deficiencies in the broader planning framework and institutional settings that it might be addressing. Ultimately, the perceived role of the Panel is understood, and there is agreement that urban design is having a positive influence on the built environment, albeit viewed differently amongst the varying groups involved. What has become clear throughout this research is that the perceived tension between the development community and urban design well and truly exists, with the urban design panel contributing towards this. This tension is exacerbated further through the cost of urban design to developers, and the drive for financial return from their investments. The panel, albeit promoting a positive experience, is simply a ‘tick box’ exercise for some, and as the research suggests, groups or professional are determining themselves what constitutes good urban design, based on their attitude, the context in which they sit and the financial constraints to incorporate good design elements. It is perhaps a bleak time for urban design, and more about building homes.
This research investigates creativity in a post-disaster setting. The data explore creativity at the intersection of the affected community of Christchurch, New Zealand and the social processes that followed the earthquakes of 2010 - 2012. Personal and contextual influences on creative ideas implemented for community or commercial benefit are also examined. Viewed as creative, unique approaches to post-disaster problem solving were celebrated locally, nationally and internationally (Bergman, 2014; Wesener, 2015; Cloke & Conradson, 2018). Much has been written about creativity, particularly creativity in organisations and in business. However, little is known with regards to who creates after a disaster, why individuals choose to do so and what impact the post-disaster context has on their creative activity. This exploratory study draws on the literature from the fields of creativity, disasters, psychology, sociology and entrepreneurship to interpret first-hand accounts of people who acted on creative ideas in a physically and socially altered environment. A mixed method - albeit predominantly qualitative - approach to data gathering was adopted that included interviews (n=45) with participants who had been the primary drivers of creative ideas implemented in Christchurch after September 2010 – the first major (7.1 magnitude) earthquake in a prolonged sequence of thousands of aftershocks. Key findings include that a specific type of creativity results from the ‘collision’ between individuals and social processes activated by a disaster situation. This type of creativity could be best categorised as ‘little c’ or socially adaptive and emerges through a prosocial filter. There is wide consensus amongst creativity researchers - principally social psychologists - that for output to be considered creative it must be both novel and useful (Runco & Jaegar, 2012). There is greater tolerance for the novelty component after a disaster as novelty itself has greater utility, either as a distraction or because alternatives are few. Existing creativity models show context as input – an additional component of the creative process – but after a disaster the event itself becomes the catalyst for social processes that result in the creativity seen. Most participants demonstrated characteristics commonly associated with creativity and could be categorised as either a ‘free thinker’ and/or an ‘opportunist’. Some appear preadapted to create and thrive in unstable circumstances. Findings from participants’ completion of a Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) showed an apparent reduced need for extraversion in relation to implementing creative ventures in society. This factor, along with higher levels of agreeableness may indicate a potentially detrimental effect on the success of creative ideas established after a disaster, despite earnest intentions. Three new models are presented to illustrate the key findings of this study. The models imply that disasters enhance both the perceived value of creativity and the desire to act creatively for prosocial ends. The models also indicate that these disaster influenced changes are likely to be temporary.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Telecom building, the Old Exchange Building and the Old Post Office are all in this photo as well as the Millennium Hotel and a few cranes".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The old Post Office, Cathedral Square. Note the clocks have been covered or removed".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Earthquake damage to the former post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Street in Sydenham".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Earthquake damage to the former post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Street in Sydenham".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Earthquake damage to the former post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Street in Sydenham".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Earthquake damage to the former post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Street in Sydenham".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Earthquake damage to the former post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Street in Sydenham".
A photograph of a digger demolishing a building. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The old Sydenham post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Streets".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Earthquake damage to the former post office on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Street in Sydenham".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Cathedral and its salvaged rocks under snow".
An entry from Deb Robertson's blog for 26 August 2014 entitled, "Election time".The entry was downloaded on 2 November 2016.
The impact of the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-12 and its aftermath has been enormous. This inventory lists some of the thousands of community-led groups and initiatives across the region that have developed or evolved as a result of the quake. This inventory is the third such inventory to have been produced. The Christchurch Earthquake Activity Inventory was released by Landcare Research in May 2011, three months after the devastating 22 February 2011 earthquake. The second inventory, entitled An Inventory of Community-led Recovery Initiatives in Canterbury, was collated by Bailey Peryman and Dr Suzanne Vallance (Lincoln University) approximately one year after the February earthquake. The research for this third inventory was undertaken over a four month period from June to September 2013, and was conducted primarily through online searches.This research was undertaken with funding support from the Natural Hazards Platform and GNS, New Zealand.
Akaroa is a small township situated within Akaroa Harbour, on the southern side of Banks Peninsula. It is approximately 75 kilometres, or 90 minutes by car, from Christchurch City. At the 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings, the ‘usually resident’ population of the township was 510 people. In addition to the usually resident population, Akaroa has a large number of non-resident property owners/ratepayers, many of whom own holiday homes. Many of these holiday homes are available as casual rentals (i.e., they may be occupied by people other than the property owners). The township acts as a service centre for the scattered population of the outer bays area of Akaroa Harbour, many of whom work in Akaroa. Akaroa is a popular day trip or short stay destination for Christchurch residents. Akaroa is also known as a destination which draws upon the French heritage of its pioneer settlers and the associated village charm derived from this heritage. Not unexpectedly, given the size and village character of Akaroa, the increase in cruise ship arrivals and passenger numbers has had an impact upon the town’s community.This research was commissioned and funded by Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism (CCT).
This paper identifies and analyses the networks of support for tangata whaiora (mental health clients) utilising a kaupapa Mäori health service following the Ötautahi/Christchurch earthquakes in Aotearoa New Zealand from 2010 to 2012. Semi- structured interviews were undertaken with 39 participants, comprising clients (Mäori and Päkehä), staff, managers and board members of a kaupapa Mäori provider in the city. Selected quotes are presented alongside a social network analysis of the support accessed by all participants. Results show the signifi cant isolation of both Mäori and Päkehä mental health clients post- disaster and the complexity of individuals and collectives dealing with temporally and spatially overlapping hazards and disasters at personal, whänau and community level.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Band Together in Christchurch's Hagley Park as a post-earthquake party. Sharing the love".
A blog post from US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, David Huebner, titled, "2011 Top Ten, Continued".
A blog post from US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, David Huebner, titled, "Two Years in Pictures".
A blog post from US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, David Huebner, titled, "Aloha Nui Loa, Christchurch".
A blog post from US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, David Huebner, titled, "Independence Day in Christchurch".
Arts Voice Chrischurch is planning to create a 'river of arts' as part of Christchurch's post-earthquake rebuild.
A series of aftershocks on Boxing Day has rocked Christchurch, hitting businesses hard over the post-Christmas sales.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Band Together in Christchurch's Hagley Park as a post-earthquake party. Dinah Lee performing".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Old post office building with demolition site of Regent Theatre, Cathedral Square".
A photograph of a painted piano. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Gap Fillers, post earthquake. Woolston".
A photograph of a painted piano. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Gap Fillers, post earthquake. Woolston".
A photograph of a painted piano. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Gap Fillers, post earthquake. Woolston".