In May 2012, The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (“CERA”) released the Canterbury earthquake Recovery Strategy (the “Strategy”).

CERA is responsible for leading and coordinating the Recovery of Canterbury. In the last 21 months, the region has experienced over 10,000 earthquakes.

The Strategy is intended to guide the reconstruction, rebuilding and recovery of greater Christchurch.

Strategy

The Strategy contains six components of recovery. These are:

Leadership and integration – research and information, communication, funding and finance, and the governance, coordination and project management of recovery activities.
Economic recovery – investment, businesses, labour and insurance liaison.
Social recovery – education, health and community support services.
Cultural recovery – the arts, culture, heritage buildings and places, and sports and recreation.
Built environment – land use, housing, buildings, transport, and infrastructure.
Natural environment – air quality, bio-diversity, the coast, land, groundwater and surface water quality, and natural hazards.
Milestones

Recovery milestones for greater Christchurch are:

September 2010 – December 2011 – repair, patch and plan.
2012-2014 – begin to rebuild, replace and reconstruct. Rebuilding of central business district starts. Decisions on land zones and technical issues are completed. Continue repair of infrastructure. Establish residential subdivisions. The Earthquake Commission (EQC) and insurers undertake residential repairs and rebuilds.
2015-2020 and beyond – construct, restore and improve. Continue rebuilding and construction. EQC and insurers complete residential repairs and rebuilds. Major sporting and cultural facilities are under construction.
Influencing factors

The pace of the recovery will be influenced by a number of factors, including:

On-going seismic activity;
The availability of sufficient land for rebuilding and infrastructure services provided to this land (e.g. for greenfields developments);
Whether skilled workers and machinery are available;
The timing and nature of insurance settlements;
The capacity of building industry professionals to design, build and inspect developments;
The preparation of quality consent applications and council processing of resource and building consents; and
Whether there is sufficient funding and insurance cover for recovery activities.
A full copy of the Strategy can be found at www.cera.govt.nz.

Who are we?

New Zealand Skills In Demand is working with the key players involved in the Recovery of Canterbury at both a local and national level, in both the private and public sectors.

As a Kiwi company, we are committed to playing our part in realising the New Zealand Government’s vision for Christchurch as “a place to be proud of – an attractive and vibrant place to live, work, visit and invest, mo tatou, a, mo ka uri a muri ake nei – for us and our children after us”.

If you wish to be involved in the Recovery of Canterbury, visit www.nzskillsindemand.co.nz for contact details.

Acknowledgement: this work is an adaption of the Recovery Strategy for Greater Christchurch Mahere Haumanutanga O Waitaha. Christchurch: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority 2012