Fletcher Building's chief executive infrastructure, Mark Binns, flew into Christchurch this week just in time to experience the shaky city that he will help rebuild.He arrived from Auckland to address a media conference to outline how Fletcher Building wo
Fletcher Building’s chief executive infrastructure, Mark Binns, flew into Christchurch this week just in time to experience the shaky city that he will help rebuild.
He arrived from Auckland to address a media conference to outline how Fletcher Building would carry out its role as the Earthquake Commission’s earthquake project manager.
About an hour after the briefing, the city was hit by another aftershock of 5.01 but it felt much bigger than other shakes of the same magnitude because it was shallow and just 10km south of Christchurch. Experts have warned that the aftershocks will continue for weeks and months of similar size but less frequency.
Meanwhile, Mr Binns outlined in general terms how the company is setting up systems, including 20 work hubs that would also be staffed by local public relations firms to provide information to the 50,000-odd homeowners affected to some degree (the first most affected 1500 homeowners were due to be personally contacted today/
The first job would be to sort out priorities of which homes would be dealt with first.
The Fletcher Challenge share price moved up strongly last week in expectation of winning the tender before falling back this week.
Local tradespeople will be able to bid for work but Mr Binns said they must be accredited, which may rule out many workers.
Mr Binns was accompanied by PR man Barry Akers who told NBR afterward that the company would move as fast as possible and have an idea of priorities by the end of the week.
Contractors today prepared to begin the demolition of what has become one of the city’s most controversial buildings – Manchester Courts, one of the New Zealand’s first high rise buildings.
Heritage extremists refused to accept the reports of engineers even when they were shown through the building and they protested outside the civic offices. However, a documentary maker told NBR that he had taken a tour through the building and he was convinced it was damaged beyond repair just by looking at the daylight through the massive cracks in the brick walls.
This afternoon they also had to accept that the Deans historic homestead in inland Canterbury is beyond repair (ironically it was initially earmarked by the Central Plains Water irrigation scheme to be flooded in a storage lake, a plan that was subsequently scrapped).
But the majority of heritage buildings remain standing and are being repaired.
One of the hangovers of the earthquake has been the impression that the city in on its knees, not helped by some alarmist reports. This week, mayor Bob Parker called on everyone to spread the word via Facebook and Twitter that it’s business as usual in the Garden City. But he put the noses of some people out of joint who highlighted the fact he had posed in his flak jacket against a backdrop of damaged buildings for the best part of four weeks when it suited his purpose.
The post-earthquake phase is almost a tale of two cities. A majority of residents were largely unaffected and some of them are a little bewildered at the reports of continued effects. But the “toughen up” school of thought is insensitive to the several thousand homeowners still awaiting news from Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and the Earthquake Commission. Most are in Avonside, Kaiapoi and Bexley.
One of the untold stories is the damage to the homes of several of the city’s biggest business movers and shakers in Fendalton in places like Glandovey Rd, Garden Rd and Desmond St.
