Aotearoa remains stuck in disaster response mode, 10 years after the Christchurch quake, write risk and resilience experts Ursula Cochran, Kelvin Berryman and Hugh Cowan. How’s progress, New Zealand? Do we still have buildings that could kill 115 people in one go? Yes. Are we still building on liquefiable land? Yes. Do we have essential … Read more
Why did some old buildings collapse in 2011 and others didn’t? Structural engineer Dmytro Dizhur has spent the last decade figuring that out, and planning how to stop it happening in future. It’s 12.50pm on February 22, 2011. In just one minute, the lives of Christchurch locals are going to change drastically. At the next … Read more
Not many cities have endured what Christchurch has over the past decade. But as Steven Moe writes, the tragic legacy has inspired a new, impact-minded business community to emerge from the rubble. It’s quite difficult to put in words just how difficult the earthquakes were for the people of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Alongside the tragic loss … Read more
As the city today marks the anniversary of the Canterbury earthquake, and in a few weeks that of the Christchurch terror attacks, Susan Wardell looks at how and why we choose to remember, and the complexities of collective public grief. “Christchurch has suffered more than any community should have to endure,” the prime minister said … Read more
The follow-up to When A City Falls celebrates the people of Christchurch and the wins of the rebuild, but loses some nuance in the edit, writes Erin Harrington. I’ve lived in Ōtautahi Christchurch all my life, but it took me until this week to watch Gerard Smyth’s 2011 film When A City Falls. This award-winning, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Infratil fends off first takeover bid but another run likely, Otago graduation ceremonies cancelled after threat, and port processing backlogs strain supply chains For today’s main story, there’s a really interesting bit of high stakes business brinkmanship going on at the moment that’s worth unpacking. Massive … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Family support looms as election policy battleground, warm winter heralds climate change fears, and warnings of insolvency cliff looming for government supported businesses. National has launched a policy package around support for new parents, reports Stuff. The headline announcement in it is a package of $3000 to … Read more
Having already faced a devastating earthquake, Christchurch knows the value of community in times of crisis. Now in the wake of Covid-19, a popular creative hub is expanding its mission to bring more people together. Whether it’s a beautifully restored building or a brand new office block, the reminders of the earthquake take many forms … Read more
The journey fleeing home in search of safety and settling in Christchurch has led former refugee Masood Chakari to be an advocate for New Zealanders in need. While most New Zealanders stayed at home during the level four lockdown, a few essential people were allowed to carry on with their front-facing work to ensure the … Read more
Business after Covid: In the second of a series featuring business leaders assessing the world that will rise after Covid-19, consultant Roger Dennis looks at the lessons that can be learned from the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake. Never waste a crisis. This should be the mantra that guides political decisions for the foreseeable future. … Read more
It is critical to ensure our houses are in order with skilled staff and strong procedures, but the valuable ‘lessons learned’ from true-life emergency events are never that cut and dried, writes former public health worker Richard Simpson. There are different breeds of emergency manager. At one extreme there are the Abraham Lincoln types who, … Read more
At a recent wedding I was asked how Christchurch is doing now. It turns out that question is more difficult to answer than I thought. On a warm autumn night in Melbourne, a nice man wearing a nice suit has two questions. The first is easy: Where do you live? “Christchurch,” I tell him. As … Read more
A poem by Christchurch scholar Paul Millar. Thx for the memories for the people of the Avon Loop At first we didn’t see we were sinking, or that over our heads ice was hardening. How could so many be all, and all end? By the time someone noticed, we were on the … Read more
David Eggleton considers the remarkable radiance and Canterbury swamp fog of Tony de Lautour’s paintings, in this mid-career survey at Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Resembling a giant blackboard covered in graffiti, ‘Underworld 2’ (2006) by Tony de Lautour is spectacular. This painting is a phantasmagoria of signs and markings, intended to bring to mind Christchurch … Read more
In response to a tough decade for the people of Christchurch, Mike Rehu proposes a name change. Headlines scream around the world: The Christchurch earthquakes. The Christchurch shooting massacre. The largest city in the South Island has had a rough decade. It has been a literal rocky road that has scoured the emotions of residents. … Read more
A day that began with the hope of the climate march ended with the despair of a massacre, writes James Dann from Christchurch. I want to say it started like an other day, but it didn’t. It was grey and wet. By the time school climate strike kicked off, the rain had stopped, and the … Read more
Eight years to the day since the earthquake that tore Christchurch apart, James Dann takes stock of the city rebuild. For most of the country, it’s just another Friday. For an increasing number of people in Christchurch, it’s just another Friday too. For many of us though, it is the 22nd of February, quake day. … Read more
In her ceremonial inaugural lecture ‘Whakawhanaketanga toitū: A tale of tū cities’, University of Otago Professor Michelle Thompson-Fawcett (Ngāti Whātua) examined the concepts of “identity in place” and mapped how these ideas have shaped her career. The concept of ‘whakawhanaketanga toitū’ is the notion of developing and improving our activities and lives in a way that is sustainable. ‘Sustainable development’ … Read more
When Lianne Dalziel first ran for Christchurch mayor, she said it would be one time only. Then she said she hadn’t finished the job, and would serve a second term. And now she’s announced she wants a third. But has she achieved enough to warrant it, asks James Dann. This week, Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel … Read more
Add a new central library and a cinema complex to the Margaret Mahy playground and you’ll see a template for how the rest of the rebuild should work, writes James Dann. Christchurch in the rebuild is a city of extreme moods. There are bursts of energy, followed by long periods of frustration and stagnation. The … Read more
Social scientist Lucy Carter says people’s resilience and generosity during the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes spurred her to look at how Māori and indigenous communities respond to disaster. When I tell people I’m a disaster researcher, I tend to get a range of reactions. Some take the opportunity to share with me their personal … Read more
In this powerful extract from her new book, Chessie Henry interviews her father – a Kaikōura doctor who was caught up in the terrible drama of the Christchurch earthquakes. Dad recounted this story to me on February 14, 2017, nearly six years after the Canterbury earthquake which claimed 185 lives. For some reason we were … Read more
Gatherings’ Alex Davies is leading a quiet revolution with quirky, delicious food that happens to be plant-based. In just over a year since it first opened, Christchurch’s Gatherings restaurant has made a name for itself not simply for its innovative menu, but for asking us to rethink our whole attitude to food. Owner and head … Read more
Praised for its ability to deal with “human anxiety in times of great distress”, the winners of the Most Innovative Hi-Tech Service award for 2018 is using technology and engineering to help businesses make informed decisions after an earthquake hits (and it only takes two minutes). From Kaikoura to Canterbury, New Zealand has had its … Read more
Amid all the controversy over EQC re-repairs cost overruns, little attention has been paid to the huge amounts we’re paying to bail out Southern Response, the agency formed to take over private insurer AMI’s earthquake claims. This column first appeared on interest.co.nz. There has been much focus in the media recently on the extent of … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government transport proposals prove to be incredibly divisive, EQC re-repair bill climbs, and an extraordinary warning about funding for Auckland addiction services. The government’s transport plans have proven to be the most important policy announcement of the year so far, and have provoked a storm of response. It’s become … Read more