Brownlee to reveal abandoned neighbourhoods

The government has bowed to intense pressure to reveal which Christchurch neighbourhoods will be abandoned and will hold a lock up media conference at midday tomorrow before telling all at 1.30pm. A related website will go live at the same time.

The exact reasons for the delay in the announcements have not been explained except in general terms by Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee, who has spoken about "complexities".

However Prime Minister John Key was busy in Australia and the timetable may have been determined by his travel movements.
The briefing with Mr Brownlee will include information from Tonkin & Taylor representatives who have carried out geo technical reports.

Meanwhile, head of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, Roger Sutton and his team met with residents’ groups last night to talk about the imminent announcements that will reveal which earthquake-hit neighbourhoods will be abandoned.

Mr Sutton said he was uncertain exactly when the announcements would be made.

Cabinet met again late yesterday to discuss the matter as pressure continues to mount. Expectations are high that it will be revealed tomorrow but it may not be accompanied by individual letters to householders.

Affected householders are likely to be given a phone number and/or website via media broadcasts where they can register addresses and will be provided with a map. The map will indicate areas of retreat from land down to household level. There will also be an invitation to a community meeting which is planned to be held within 48 hours of the announcement.

Cera is also planning to use databases to make phone contact with identified vulnerable people. This will include elderly, disabled and those with existing health conditions and will involve social services. There will be a pastoral care programme put in place where 100 volunteers have been trained and will serve as door-knockers to check residents.

Areas of retreat will have “community hubs” set up. These will include social support services, engineers with local land knowledge, insurance, EQC and housing.

Mr Sutton told the meeting that due to community demand, the announcements will come out earlier than was expected so not all issues will have been resolved. He was unaware how much of a financial package would be announced, if there are any time-frames regarding how long people could stay on retreated land and whether temporary infrastructure would be put into communities which will eventually have to retreat.

Rockfalls on the hills are unlikely to be addressed in this first round of land announcements because it is being led by EQC and Christchurch City Council. There may be grades of land damage where some retreat land may be questionable and require further assessment.

Discussion at the residents’ meeting also highlighted how 20 Christchurch Council social housing tenants and 51 Housing NZ tenants have been forced to leave properties at short notice as a result of fire walls collapsing on June 13.