Time off - revisiting Christchurch

A visit south and many thanks

Seemorerocks

I took my first trip away down to my native Christchurch for two years and my first (this time, entirely enforced) break from the keyboard in five years (if you leave two brief periods in hospital).

What it means of course is that if I felt overwhelmed by cascading events I now feel quite overwhelmed with the Brexit vote taking place 24 hours after my return and a preponderance of terrible climate news.

Firstly I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to those that generously gave to me – amounts ranging from $10 to $500.

I cannot thank everybody individually so I would like to say many thanks to:

Robin, William G, Steve VS, David L, I.P.C. Gaut, Pour Vous, Harry L, Goran S, Judith K, Irina P, Gordon M, Robert T, Jean-Pierre L, Sean W, Edward K, Elizabeth C

I am quite overwhelmed by people’s generosity and it gives me the strength to continue to do the best that I can.

THE TRIP TO CHRISTCHURCH

Overall the reason for my trip was to catch up with a very dear childhood friend and with another cousin.  These, along with a revisit to my beloved Sumner where I grew up were the highlights of my visit.

Whitewash Head,Sumner as I remember it..

And in a recent quake

But here are a few other observations.

Once you know you cannot unknow

And there were reminders everywhere of what is happening to our society and planet with incredible rapidity.

No getting way from it.

Taking off in the plane both Pam and I agreed that it looked “strange” - as if we climbed through a roof of water vapor covering the land to a space between that and another layer of high cloud.

When I go to Christchurch I always pack my winter woolies as it is almost invarably cold. I have never been so cold in my life as in peoples’ houses in Christchurch,

Not this time.

Even though I packed sandals almost as an afterthought I felt overheated the entire time I was there. 

The temperatures reached 18 degrees Centigrade (64F) on the shortest day of the year.

This was made worse by the heating still being on in cafes and in the hostel where we stayed despite the heat.

People I spoke to seemed to have no idea that this was at all unusual although temperatures were 8-10 degrees higher than normal.

What happened to Christchurch frosts?

The other impression coming in to land was just how flat and close to sea level the whole place and the total lack of domestic animals (and I really mean sheep) in the paddocks.

Despite the devastating earthquake and destruction by corporate vandals Christchurch has its unequaled beauty - its harbour and its trees. This is Governors Bay in Lyttelton Harbour

Socially, the situation is of course depressing.

Everyone Is having a hard time and is overwrought from the experience of the last 5 years. Examples were of people giving up drinking coffee because their nervous systems couldn’t take it, or of the cyclist who shouted out obscenities when we stopped our car backing out of a parking area to let him pass.

Pam was on a walk and was about to have a look at an area of garden but was warned off because this was a tent city inhabited by the homeless. These people are looked after by the local Beat St cafe which provides free cups of coffee paid for by those who can afford to buy an extra cup. Every Sunday the homeless line on the denuded Latimer Square up for a free meal provided a Chinese tax driver.

I enjoyed coffee on the restored New Regent Street

We did a tour on the restored tram which took us into what had been the Red Zone. There were signs of things coming to life – such as cafes being set up in the gaps between buildings on the devastated High St. These are all wonderful initiatives coming from the ‘bottom-up’ - signs of creativity and innovation by the People.

 This is how I remember High Street prior to the quake

And after the February, 2011 quake

And the new look - sorry,no photos of my own

The official rebuild is not so impressive and there are many ugly examples of brutalist architecture replacing the historical buildings. An initiative by former mayor Garry Moore to provide affordable housing to the working poor is frustrateed by official red tape and bureaucracy while a Novotel hotel is being build right next to the disgusting new airport terminal – putting local hotels out of business -all this without a hitch.

There is corruption and backhanders that were never there before. 

The behemoth, Fletchers Construction is refusing to provide insulation for houses it is building as replacement for people.

I was reminded that Christchurch used to be called the People’s Republic because of the care it gave to social housing and public needs.

As the city struggles to recover and the local Council under pressure from Central Government which has taken away democratic choice from the people of Canterbury the People’s Republic is being replaced by the Fascist Republic.

This was reinforced for me on my departure.

Instead of restoring the eastern suburbs or providing affordobale housing for people we have a new airport (with corporate hotel being built right next to the terminal building) and a convention centre. This is an airport built without human beings in mind - except for those who can PAY for luxury treatment.

In this huge new airport with false marble floor (no carpet) there was no seating for people like myself reliant on a walking stick to get around. When I finally hobbled up to security I was given ‘extra treatment ‘ by the security goon who gave me a specially-thorough frisking and made me take my boots off while he looked for a bomb in my ankle and boots (actually a steel plate) and frisked me all over.

Then off to the departure lounge where the overwhelming majority had the choice of sitting on a cold floor or standing in line.

Old or cripple? Then f...k off!

A great farewell from the Brave New World of Christchurch, test case for Disaster Capitalism

Reflecting on John Key's position in the latest poll

John Key’s down in the latest poll

Seemorerocks

Saw this headline come out this afternoon - 

Newshub poll: Key's popularity plummets to lowest level

John Key's popularity as Prime Minister has dropped to its lowest point since he took office in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll.

Just 36.7 percent of those polled listed the current Prime Minister as their preferred option -- down 1.6 percent -- from a Newshub poll in November.

National though is steady on 47 percent on the poll -- a drop of just 0.3 percent -- and similar to the Election night result.

Well, I'll drink to that!

Hopefully it will take the smugness off his face for a while- 

My friend Stephen and I had a bit of a discussion and agreed that it’s good news to the extent that you can believe these things – polls and the like.

Is it really good news?

Shonkey has done untold damage since coming to power in 2008.

We may well not recover!

We had a brief spontaneous discussion on Shonkey’s legacy and these are some of the things we threw up - in no particular order of importance.

DONKEY'S LEGACY

• An army of homeless
  

  

  
  

  Also see John Key's advice to the Homeless

  
  
• Hungry Homeless children

"Can't have this!"

• And sensitive treatment of beneficiaries

• Destroyed lakes and rivers
  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  New Zealand's pristine lakes - "no problem"
  
  
• The Christchurch rebuild! 

"Don't forget tourism"

• A city building a convention centre instead of rebuilding a liveable city

Donkey: "Now, this is what I call a liveable city"

• Fiddling while the planet burns
  
  

  

  "More on our fabulous achievements below"

  
  
• Many species on their way to extinction thanks to DoC cutbacks
  

  

  
  
• Damp homes
  
  
  

  

  
  
• Rampant corruption
  
  
  

  

  
  
• Crony  capitalism
  

  

  
  
• Armies of orange soldiers watching the city crumble further
  
  
  
  
  
• Lying has become a way of life. We even hand out university degrees in lying). 
  
  But Donkey sets the standard
  
  
  

  

  
  
• Bankrupt dairy farmers and farmer suicides.
  
  All this from a dairy industry that was thriving. 
  
  What an achievement!
  
  
  
  
  
• Donkey's "rockstar economy" falls by the wayside – coal, dairy 
  
  What can we add to the list? What else is there?

Oh, yeah, finally.

Wow! I can point to one real achievement.

New Zealand's really punching above its weight and make its contribution towards the destruction life on the planet with its wonderful contribution to the Paris climate talks and its coal-powered stations.

Now Paula's continuing Tim the Grocer's legacy

Our wonderful minister of treaty negotiations who has a plan to make a plan on reducing carbon emissions and has disabused us of the illusion that we have a housing and homelessness crisis.

The New Zealand dream

Thank God for trickle down!

That leaves us with tourism and the CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD - Yeah! 

"Thank God for disasters. Perhaps we can organise another one (a terrorist attack perhaps?) before the next election, especially if things are looking a bit doubtful."

My response? Seriously?

But don't worry! 

At the end of the day John's comfortable 

In the end.

Poverty in post-quake Christchurch

This in a country that a generation ago was one of the most egalitarian in the world and which topped the OECD for living standards. Christchurch was a fine place to grow up.

Poverty 'rampant' in quake hit Christchurch

Horror stories of Christchurch families living in garages and tents continue to surface almost two years on from the February 2011 earthquake.

TVNZ,

29 January, 2013

Some families are still stranded in sheds or illegally overcrowding friends' and relatives' houses.

Meanwhile, rental housing prices show no sign of abating and welfare agencies believe this year could be worse than the last.

Demand on Christchurch's social services continues to increase: people who have never needed help before are queuing up at food banks and many families still face impoverished living conditions.

City Missioner Michael Gorman said the unprecedented demand on the mission's alcohol and drug services, foodbank and night shelters "has not eased at all".

"There is a lot more money going into rent and a lot less money going into living."

The number of people approaching the mission suffering from poverty or mental health issues was rampant, he said.

One of his social workers had a week-long waiting list of families needing assistance with school uniform grants. Another had recently been supporting a young family living in a tent, and a couple renting a washhouse.

A desperate woman with a newborn baby emailed Gorman last week asking for any free food because she said she was "paying so much rent, I can't afford to live".

"We are seeing many, many new people. Some who may actually own property but are so stretched by having to be out of their houses and pay horrific rents," he said.

Pacific Island Evaluation social worker To'alepai Louella Thomsen-Inder said she was growing tired of "fighting day and night" for her clients.

Before Christmas she dropped food parcels off to 10 struggling families and said she could "smell the poverty as I walked in the door".

"I saw the reality. Some people had just a twig in a corner for a Christmas tree," she said.

"Some homes have no curtains, babies are crawling around on rotting carpet, it's damp and the children are running around with no shoes on and with visible skin conditions."

Tenants Protection Association manager Helen Gatonyi believes this year is "shaping up to be the worst".

"When winter strikes this year, we predict it's going to be very difficult for a large number of people."

Some owners had been renting out cramped, damp three-bedroom homes for more than $500 a week, she said.

"The behaviour of some landlords is totally unacceptable. They are renting homes for an arm and a leg, knowing there will be a queue of people lining up to view the place."

Gatonyi is calling for a warrant of fitness and code of practice to be placed on Christchurch rental properties and said the association was about to launch an in-depth inquiry into the living conditions of tenants in the city.

The Government's investigation into overcrowding, homelessness and unsuitable living conditions in Christchurch was kick-started in June last year, but the results are yet to be released.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment had hoped to have the report finalised by the end of last year.

A spokeswoman said the release had been pushed back to ensure the information was correct and the report "robust".

According to recent ministry figures, rents rose between 7 and 21 per cent in Christchurch last year, depending on suburb.

SOLO MUM JUST WANTS A CHANCE

You don't have to look far to find a Christchurch family living in poverty.

Amber Breiter and her 1-year-old daughter inhabit a standalone garage in Linwood.

There is no heating. There is no carpet. And the windows do not open.

The 22-year-old mother was renting a two-bedroom house in Waltham last month with her daughter, Bella, and 4-year-old son, Jesse, but said she had to give it up because she could not afford the rent, power and food bills.

A week before she moved out, she rang Housing New Zealand and asked to be put on the waiting list.

Breiter moved into her mother's shed with her daughter, and her son now sleeps inside the four-bedroom house - with seven other relatives.

She pays $300 a week for food, power and rent for the one-car garage and said she looked on Trade Me every day for an affordable rental property.

She has been to 15 flat viewings in the past two weeks but has had to compete with more than 60 prospective tenants every time. With two young children and a bad credit rating, she said there was little hope.

Breiter's message to landlords was: "Give the little person a chance."

"I am down on my hands and knees, saying 'Please'."

Raising her children in impoverished conditions was soul-destroying, Breiter said.

"Jesse asks why I don't love him any more. He thinks I am trying to punish him by doing this."

Breiter went on the domestic purposes benefit after she was injured at work in the June earthquakes in 2011 and has sought help on budgeting advice and finding employment from welfare agencies.

Christchurch quake

Christchurch rattled by 11,000th aftershock, following 2010 earthquake

A magnitude-3.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch this afternoon could be the 11,000th tremor since September 4, 2010.

Stuff,

17 January, 2013

The quake hit at 12.55pm, 15 kilometres east of Christchurch at a depth of 6km.

Over 163 people reported feeling the "moderate" shake on the GeoNet website.

Press reporter Charlie Gates tweeted: "Ooh. Bit of a rumble. First for a while."

Twitter user Kev Mair said: "Wibble wobble in Chch CBD."

According to Christchurch Quake Map, the quake was the 11,000th the region has experienced since the magnitude-7.1 struck early on September 4 2010.

GNS Science geological hazard modeller Matt Gerstenberger said 11,000 quakes was a significant but expected number for the region to have experienced.

"Anyone living there knows what it has been like. However, it is in the range of what we would have expected for a region which has had a large earthquake. "

Many of those quakes would not have been felt, he said.

"Many would have been so small they wouldn't have been noticed. Also, I'm not sure what the minimum magnitude for a quake is that is mapped on that website, but that [11,000] figure would be in the range, I suspect".

He did not expect the number of quakes mapped to go up greatly.

"According to the aftershock sequence, the aftershocks will now be further apart and so the number will go up slowly over time,'' he said.

"There won't be a huge or sudden increase."

Second anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake

Today is the second anniversary of the first. September earthquake in Christchurch.

The views exressed by former mayor Garry Moore would reflect the sentiments of many affected by the earthquake, even if the media would like to give prominence to the officials involved.

Radio NZ, I have noticed, has a habit of giving some coverage to the critics, but usually eclipses this with the official or government response.

I have expressed the view that Christchurch will never be rebuilt in any meaningful way.  Although this largely remains to be seen the government is pushing for projects like a covered stadium and a huge convention centre over rehousing the many that still suffer from damaged houses.

Former mayor critical of Christchurch rebuild

A former mayor of Christchurch has criticised the management of the city's rebuild following recent earthquakes.

The Press,

4 September, 2012

Garry Moore says Cabinet minister Gerry Brownlee dominates the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority - and that needs to change.

He made the comments on the second anniversary of the September quake. The magnitude 7.1 quake occurred at 4.36am, causing widespread damage but no fatalities, unlike the February 2011 quake which devastated much of central Christchurch and killed 185 people.

Mr Moore told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme on Tuesday that responsibility for the central business district has been moved from the council to the Government, which he says is imposing unwanted and expensive plans such as a roof for the new sports stadium.

He said the Government is also imposing conditions which will stall any rebuild, with fees alone for the central city set to be $100 million.

But Earthquake Recovery Authority chief executive Roger Sutton says Mr Moore has got it wrong.

Mr Sutton said Mr Brownlee is the Earthquake Recovery Minister and, therefore, has overall accountability, but his own team has strong management also.

With the key decisions, such as land rezoning, he said you can't have a democracy as those sorts of hard decisions can't be made by a vote

Mr Sutton said there 1200 landowners in the CBD whose land the Government needs to buy in order to rebuild the city. He also rejected the idea that it is an old boys network, saying half of his team are women.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said no council would enjoy the way it has had to share responsibilities with the Government, or even be subordinate to it since then, and if he could wave a magic wand he would sort out people's finances, the Earthquake Commission and insurance companies.

Mr Parker said the tangle between households, EQC and insurance companies needs to be fixed.