Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aftermath of the earthquake in Christchurch where the cleanup has begun. The old Sumner Borough Council building is cordoned because of cracks".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The early morning earthquake caused damage to the Royal Hotel. Pictured inspecting the damage is Derek Neill of The Timaru District Council".
Territorial authorities in New Zealand are responding to regulatory and market forces in the wake of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake to assess and retrofit buildings determined to be particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. Pending legislation may shorten the permissible timeframes on such seismic improvement programmes, but Auckland Council’s Property Department is already engaging in a proactive effort to assess its portfolio of approximately 3500 buildings, prioritise these assets for retrofit, and forecast construction costs for improvements. Within the programme structure, the following varied and often competing factors must be accommodated: * The council’s legal, fiscal, and ethical obligations to the people of Auckland per building regulations, health and safety protocols, and economic growth and urban development planning strategies; * The council’s functional priorities for service delivery; * Varied and numerous stakeholders across the largest territorial region in New Zealand in both population and landmass; * Heritage preservation and community and cultural values; and * Auckland’s prominent economic role in New Zealand’s economy which requires Auckland’s continued economic production post-disaster. Identifying those buildings most at risk to an earthquake in such a large and varied portfolio has warranted a rapid field assessment programme supplemented by strategically chosen detailed assessments. Furthermore, Auckland Council will benefit greatly in time and resources by choosing retrofit solutions, techniques, and technologies applicable to a large number of buildings with similar configurations and materials. From a research perspective, the number and variety of buildings within the council’s property portfolio will provide valuable data for risk modellers on building typologies in Auckland, which are expected to be fairly representative of the New Zealand building stock as a whole.
Cartoon shows a mechanic asking his boss for a pay rise. Text reads 'Like the Christchurch Council CEO - I've also been working hard. Would I be cheeky to ask for a $68,000 pay rise?'. Context: Christchurch City Council Chief Executive Officer Tony Marryatt ended up turning down a pay rise of $68,000 following the outcry when the fact was made public. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Two years after the Christchurch earthquakes, the city council has only finished detailed assessments of about half its community facilities, and nasty surprises are still cropping up.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Waimakariri District Council puts on a dinner at the Kaiapoi Rugby Club to thank all the volunteers that helped after the earthquake".
The Odeon Theatre and next to it is the Pink Pussy Cat Building formerly Lawrie & Wilson Auctioneers and used by the Parking Unit of Christchurch City Council.
Topics - Hundreds of people have lost their lives in Egypt overnight, and it's expected the death toll will continue to rise. This comes after the military over threw the democratically elected leader last month, and has now forcibly closed down protester camps. Power company Orion - owned by Christchurch City Council and Selwyn District Council - is looking to hike its prices until 2019, to help recover revenue lost because of the Canterbury earthquakes.
A Christchurch woman whose mother died in the 2011 earthquake says an apology from the Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel does not lessen her grief. Yesterday - nine years and one day since the quake killed 185 people - Dalziel invited their families for a private apology. She acknowledged errors made by engineers and the city council in regards to the CTV building. Julie Hibbs lost her mother in the collapse of the building. She speaks to Susie Ferguson.
A video about the South Brighton Motor Camp which has been given a month by the Christchurch City Council to close down. The video includes an interview with campsite leaseholder Dominic Brownin, and residents Malcolm Farrell, Ngaire Fyffe, and Deidre McGowan. The residents talk about the lifestyles and community that will be lost if the camp is closed.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister has given the Christchurch City Council until this morning to approve a development plan, or else he says he'll do it for them.
A Christchurch City Councillor is worried the wishes of local residents and the council could be by-passed once the Earthquake Recovery Authority takes over rebuilding the city.
The Christchurch Mayor says the city council will meet with GNS scientists to get some answers about the current sequence of earthquakes, which have sparked anxiety among residents.
The Government has already put in place ten orders-in-council under emergency powers rushed through Parliament this month to deal with the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquake.
The Earthquake Commission and the Insurance Council are going to the High Court for a ruling on who's responsible for 10-thousand claims from the earlier Canterbury earthquakes.
A section of street around the damaged Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings has been cordoned off. Remediation work is being carried out on parts while other section remain covered.
Offers of assistance to quake-ravaged Christchurch are flooding in from around the country.
Leanne Curtis is a Canterbury Communities' Earthquake Recovery Network board member and Peter Townsend is the chief executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce.
Experts trying to restore Christchurch's busted sewerage system have faced up to concerned residents about what happened when raw sewage was allowed to flow directly into the sea in the months after the February earthquake.
A woman crushed to within milimetres of her life in the Christchurch earthquake says it is murderously cavalier for Wellington's council not to cordon off weak or prone buildings.
The man who lead the US search and rescue in the aftermath of February's earthquake is back in Christchurch to accept a plaque of appreciation from the City Council.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Scaffold under a stairwell which is only slightly damaged".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Construction workers are kept busy moving scaffolding and fixtures".
A Christchurch businessman has told the Earthquake Royal Commission the city council was a nightmare to deal with when he was trying to strengthen his building before the September quake.
Business owners have told the Christchurch City Council they are haemorrhaging thousands of dollars a week, while it decides whether or not to demolish their buildings following last month's earthquake.
Jessie Garland and Luke Tremlett References and acknowledgements Christchurch City Council. Garvin, J., 2001. A Building History of Northern New England. University Press of New England, New Hampshire. Insight Unlimited.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Ngai Tahu Property development manager Gordon Craig inspects the damage".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Ngai Tahu Property development manager Gordon Craig inspects the damage".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Ngai Tahu Property development manager Gordon Craig inspects the damage".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Ngai Tahu Property development manager Gordon Craig inspects the damage".