Woza Wanderer: Year 3 CERA. Fendalton Quake Damages. Council's Parker, Marryatt Reckoning

Fendalton, Council Bosses focus. Tuesday 10.09.13. After my belated birthday dinner, while driving Luke & his girlfriend to his Ashgrove Tce flat, our trek was interrupted by a fallen oak across Guildford St. Fallen power lines swung above my car while I reversed away.

I flicked my headlights warning 2 cars, entering Guildford St from Grahams Rd, about the fallen oak. It was NW gale damage. While I drove across town, we saw many fallen branches on roadsides & on roads. Rubbish bins & roads cones were scattered. Gale whipped dust caused murky vision. The dry, NW gale caused so much static over Canterbury Plains, I saw yellow sheet-lightning strikes in the sky. Rare for Canterbury.

On my return to Burnside, close to home, I saw 2 more trees blown over by the NW gale: a birch on Clyde Rd pavement, a birch across Greers Rd which had crushed a red Volvo. By that time 2 cop cars with flashing lights blocked Greers Rd access, so I drove the long way round to our Heath St rental. Four fallen, ornamental, apple tree boughs lay on Heath St pavements.

The NW gale had whipped open our locked garage doors. To stop them banging all night I secured them with bricks, a barrow, a ladder, a folding table, a metal pole & concrete block. "Only a quake will open those doors," I said.

Heath St: Wed 11.09.13. Post gale, next morn the garage was still secure, but a bough from our plum tree had fallen behind the garage. Morning news TV did a piece on the squashed Volvo.

The Press front page:

MORE THEN 28 000 CANTABRIANS WITHOUT POWER LAST NIGHT.

HURRICANE-FORCE GUSTS OF UP TO 252 KMH RECORDED, GUSTS TO MORE THAN 133 KMH IN CHRISTCHURCH LAST NIGHT...

During my recent Fendalton treks, while spring magnolias, azaleas & rhododendrons bloomed, I saw many post quake constructions & repairs, like newly concreted driveways, fixed chimneys, fixed roofs, electrical jobs, plastering jobs, paint jobs, tree trimmings, new house constructions & Harcourts SALE boards: people cashing in on on land subdivisions, with the artificial shortage of land created by NZ National govt / CERA land zonings.

There were many different contractor vehicles parked by construction & repair sites. Not a Fletcher repair vehicle in sight, although Fletcher subcontracted EQC repairs. Had W property owners received insurance payouts & were they doing repairs / rebuilds themselves? Were their insurers doing repairs / rebuilds?

There were also FOR SALE or AUCTION signs, people cashing in on high demand for properties on safe TC1 or TC2 land, whereby those selling properties would incl geotech reports extolling quake safe land. I saw a drill rig & also sucker trucks sucking sewage muck after rains.

Post gale, I snapped gale damages on my circular Burnside - Bryndwr - Fendalton trek, together with construction activity & contractors' boards hanging on fences. One of my favourite walks, it gave the lie to E suburb whingers, as Fendalton & environs had quake & gale damages too.

Heath St: Boughs fallen off ornamental, apple trees. White blossoms bloomed, despite the gale.

10.09.13. Post quake / NW gale, Heath St

Guildford St: FOOTPATH CLOSED: Asphalt & concrete trucks did driveway repairs. A fallen oak pointed to Wadhurst Pl, where a few years before, AOS cops had shot a wheelchair bound gun nut. A Council trailer parked by the fallen oak had a black plastic EMERGENCY WATER tank on top, where locals poured water into containers. We weren't affected, as Heath St water pipes had survived the gale. City Care workmen stood around in orange, Hi-Vis vests.

10.09.13. Post quake, asphalt contractor, Guildford St

10.09.13. FOOTPATH CLOSED. NW gale, felled oak, Guildford St

10.09.13. EMERGENCY WATER SUPPLY. Tank, trailer, Guildford St

Greers Rd: FOOTPATH CLOSED: Fallen birch tree, already sawn into logs. The bus stop pole was tilted, the crushed, red Volvo parked nearby. An orange digger was parked by the logs & City Care workmen stood around in orange, Hi-Vis vests. A Traffic Control van stood in the middle of the road directing traffic around orange, plastic, road cones, by means of a digital arrow. Later when driving round town, I saw several digital arrow trucks directing traffic around fallen trees.

10.09.13. Orange digger, orange, Hi-Vis vested workmen. NW gale felled birch, Greers Rd

Habituated to quake damages, seeing so many crushed cars, another was "normal." The NW gale, another disaster absorbed.

10.09.13. Car crushed by NW gale, felled birch, Greers Rd

Clyde Rd / Truman Rd: Fallen birch tree on pavement. The fallen birch was later cordoned with white, plastic, DANGER tape. None of the 3 fallen trees had caused damage to housing. There was NW gale damage to several blown over wooden fences. A man fixed one of the fences.

10.09.13. Post NW gale, Traffic Control vehicle, Greers Rd / Clyde Rd

10.09.13. Quake tilted power pole. NW gale, felled birch, Clyde Rd / Truman Rd

10.09.13. NW gale, trashed fencing, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. Post NW gale, low hanging power line, local govt election board, Clyde Rd

Clyde Rd / Ilam Rd traffic circle: A new Dental Clinic was built on a quake demolition site. Opp cnr, a demolition site & quake repairs to a neighbouring bldg, wall covered in black plastic. At Fendalton Village, a heap of metal lay in the carpark, where supermarket roof panels were being repaired.

10.09.13. Post quake shop repairs, Clyde Rd / Ilam Rd

10.09.13. Metal heap. Post quake refurbishment, super value, Fendalton Village, Clyde Rd / Ilam Rd

Ilam Rd: A scaffolded house paint job. A new house construction site.

10.09.13. Post quake house repair, Ilam Rd

10.09.13. Post quake house rebuild, Ilam Rd

Although CERA minister Brownlee said there was no post quake, housing crisis, in his own Ilam constituency, on Ilam Rd, a Harcourts sign:

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

LOOKING4RENTALS...

Bryndwr Rd: A quake damaged, chimney hole on a roof was covered with a new metal sheet. A new house construction. A wooden fence was blown over by the gale at a house demolition site. A Harcourts real estate board was blown over too. St Johns Moraia Church ghost, steel mesh fence cordoned.

10.09.13. Post quake house repair, Bryndwr Rd

10.09.13. NW gale felled fence, quake demolition site, Bryndwr Rd

10.09.13. Quake damaged house, Bryndwr Rd

10.09.13. Post quake house repair, Bryndwr Rd

10.09.13. NW gale felled Harcourts real estate board, Bryndwr Rd

10.09.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, abandoned, St Johns Moraia Church, Bryndwr Rd / Jeffreys Rd

Glandovey Rd: DANGER CONSTRUCTION SITE: A new house being built. Several quake repair sites & paint jobs, some houses scaffolded. Two Harcourts sub-division boards, sold vacant land, one for $1 400 000. Although CERA had made offers to red zoners, there was no cheap land for sale elsewhere. WASTEWATER RECONSTRUCTION: Glendovey Rd & surrounding areas.

10.09.13. Contractor sign. Post quake house rebuild, Glandovey Rd / Garreg Rd

10.09.13. Green tarp, scaffolding, blue portaloo. Post quake housing rebuild, Bryndwr Rd / Glandovey Rd

10.09.13. Post quake land for sale, Harcourts board, Glandovey Rd

10.09.13. House awaiting post quake repair, Glandovey Rd

10.09.13. Post quake house demolition site, Glandovey Rd

10.09.13. Post quake land for sale, Bayleys board, Glandovey Rd

10.09.13. Post quake house repair, Glandovey Rd

10.09.13. Post quake sewage infrastructure rebuild, SCIRT board, Glandovey Rd

Thornycroft St off Glandovey Rd: Two trucks laid concrete on a driveway. Gale trashed phebalium shrubbery lay by another driveway. Behind stood a 2 storey, wooden house with a board covering quake chimney damage.

10.09.13. Quake damaged house, Thornycroft St

10.09.13. Quake damaged, boarded house, NW gale felled vegetation, Thornycroft St

10.09.13. Post quake, concrete driveway contractor, Thornycroft St

Fendalton Rd: Scaffolded ghosts underwent quake repairs. St Barnabus Anglican Church ghost was steel mesh fence cordoned, boarded, steel braced at nave ends, $500 000 raised for quake repairs, $500 000 still to go. 2 storey, wooden ghost opp church, junk mailed letter box, chained gate, overgrown garden, roof in two places covered in black plastic.

10.09.13. Post quake house repair, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Quake damaged house, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Local govt election boards, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Orange skip, scaffolding. Post quake house repair, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Quake broken garden wall, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Post quake, abandoned, steel mesh fence cordoned, steel braced, boarded, St Barnabus Anglican Church, awaited repairs, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Junk mail, chained gate. Quake damaged, abandoned house, Fendalton Rd

Fendalton Rd: Fallen tree by Fendalton Park. Chimney damaged wall, covered by black plastic, on a 2 storey, wooden house. Brick garden wall, wood braced, wood already grey weathered due to slow EQC / insurers. Steel mesh fence cordoned ghost. Evidence from all the contractors' vehicles & contractors' boards was that Fendalton quake repairs were only now taking place, more than 2 years post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. That was due to slow EQC & insurers.

10.09.13. NW gale felled tree, Fendalton Park, Fendalton Rd

Fendalton Park rock, bronze plaque:

IN THIS PARK ARE OAK TREES
SOURCED BY L.T.K. AND OLIVE ALLISON
WHICH ORIGINATE FROM
QUERCUS ROBUR ACORNS
BROUGHT TO NEW ZEALAND IN 1850 ON THE
'CHARLOTTE JANE' FROM THE FOREST OF
DEAN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND
BY THE BISHOP FAMILY...

10.09.13. Oak leaf sculpture, Fendalton Park, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Black plastic covered chimney. Quake damaged house awaited repairs, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Quake damaged, wood braced, garden wall, next to steel mesh fence cordoned, abandoned house, Fendalton Rd

10.09.13. Quake damaged, boarded, black plastic patched, Fendalton House

10.09.13. Post quake rebuilt shops, Fendalton Rd / Clyde Rd

10.09.13. The Four Winds sculpture, Fendalton Rd / Clyde Rd

Clyde Rd: Several fallen boughs on properties, including sawn logs on Fendalton School playground & fallen boughs by redwood trees further on. At another property a surveyor did measurements by a gum tree bough fallen across a driveway. A fallen tree lay by a lawyers' office opp Fendalton Village. Scaffolding was on a 2 storey, wooden house: a quake damaged chimney was being fixed.

10.09.13. NW gale, felled tree, Fendalton School, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. NW gale, felled redwood boughs, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. NW gale, felled gum tree bough, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. Post quake house repair, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. Quake damaged house behind tree, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. NW gale, felled branches, Clyde Rd

10.09.13. Heritage oak, protected tree, Clyde Rd

Heath St: Back home, when I texted Leah about all the NW gale damage, she text replied that Christchurch airport area had no power due to the gale. I replied: "I dodged dangling power lines on my trek."

Media had already made divisions in readers' & viewers' minds about tough times in post quake E suburbs & easy times in post quake W suburbs. Leafy W suburbs had to get on with quake repairs, while media created survivor guilt. We'd all suffered the quakes, but it made good copy for lazy journalists insinuating there were different sufferings between E & W Christchurch. Red zoning & TC3 zoning was a NZ National govt / CERA disaster & W & E citizens had all endured zonings with EQC's & insurers' shocking delays.

What media didn't say was that zoning of residential red zone areas & TC3 green zone residential areas involved rich people, like Baby Boomers who'd bought their properties when properties were cheaper. Media didn't cover poorer people like ourselves, immigrants, & others who didn't own homes, like tenants, who also endured quakes and whining by red zoners & TC3 green zoners.

Some people who couldn't buy properties in Christchurch, pre or post quakes, due to NZ's low wage economy, endured complaints from red zoners & TC3 green zoners & increases in rents, due to post quake, low supply of rentals, property insurance increases & rates increases, making it impossible to save for their own homes.

Red zoners & TC3 green zoners were squeaky wheels getting the most attention & funding from authorities. It was galling seeing complaints in the media from red zoners & TC3 green zoners, then EQC, insurers & CERA doing quick resolutions. Those who didn't complain long & loud waited for years.

Reckoning: Weekend Press 14-15.09.13, front page headline: MARRYATT POCKETS BIG CASH PAYOUT. Town clerk Marryatt resigned yesterday, Friday 13. Ctizens had protested his venality since early 2012. According to The Press, Marryatt's exit package would be $492,932 when he left Council employment 30.11.13. Hopefully the new town clerk & mayor would be better than Marryatt & Parker. On their watch, pre quakes, they'd overseen the following:

*Shonky deal, buying bankrupt Henderson's CBD properties, most of which were demolished post quakes.

*Purchase of the loss-maker Ellerslie Flower Show.

*Under insurance of Council assets. (Like NZ National govt had under insured EQC). Marryatt was mainly responsible for that. Marryatt was also chairman of the Civic Assurance board dealing with Council insurances, a conflict of interest. Like other insurers, Civic Assurance was slow to settle.

Post quakes they'd overseen:

*Bad bldg inspections, inspections stickering & cordoning of quake prone bldgs, during the complacent, she'll-be-right, business-as-usual period, post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, Boxing Day Quake, to the lethal 22.02.11 Killer Quake. If Council bldg inspectors had done their jobs properly in the almost 6 months warning period, pre 22.02.11 Killer Quake, there would've been fewer deaths & injuries in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, seismologists had warned more quakes would come.

*185 dead & 1 000s injured in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake, mostly in the CBD, where there were many dilapidated bldgs, which Council had allowed to exist, under code, for decades & which were poorly inspected pre & post quakes.

Nearly 3 years post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, there wasn't a cheep from cops about corporate manslaughter charges for the 185 quake deaths. Cops' excuse was that the Royal Commission of Inquiry & Coroners Inquest were insufficient evidence. Why didn't cops find more evidence? CTV rubble evidence had been left for precious cops to find in the Bottle Lake Forest Exclusion Zone behind protective fences!

Never mind slack supervision of subordinate design engineer Harding by CTV design engineer Reay. Never mind convicted fraudster & CTV construction manager Shirtcliff, who'd stolen a Pom engineer's ID & was the construction manager of CTV in 1986. Latest: Reay tried to wriggle out of an investigation by IPENZ, engineering institute (The Press).

*Kept up basic services during the quakes, like rubbish removal.

*Fractious Council with A & B team councillors, the former for Marryatt, the latter against.

*Slow repairs & rebuilds of quake damaged Council housing (like NZ National govt's slow repairs & rebuilds of state housing). Council just followed slack NZ National govt's lack of leadership regarding post quake housing repairs, then minister Brownlee farcically blamed Councillor Johanson for slow maintenance of Council housing.

*Several anti-Council public protests, some in the Council bldg, some outside & elsewhere.

*Bullying CERA interfered in the running of Council, with some Council functions & some Council staff seconded by CERA, making Parker & Marryatt more overpaid for doing little.

*Allowed CERA to usurp citizens' post quake, Share an Idea, City in a Garden suggestions for CERA's Blueprint Frame idea.

*Squabbling & lack of communication with CERA, like Council forming its Insurer Advocacy Service versus CERA's Insurer Advisory Service for property affected by quakes. Another example: Council unanimously voted to spend $127.5 million repairing / restoring the quake trashed Town Hall in opposition to CERA's Performing Arts Precinct. Again a lack of communication between Council & CERA by Blueprint duplication of theatre facilities.

*Marryatt's staff loyalty bribing: Without consulting ratepayers, Marryatt gave one day's extra paid leave per month for hard working Council workers. Ha! Post quakes, anyone watching road workers could see them shirking: Most shirked around holes for long periods, resulting in roads worse than pre quake roads: Pothole City.

*Secret negotiations with CERA about who paid for what regarding CERA's Blueprint anchor projects in the CBD. Without consulting ratepayers, Marryatt & Parker hoped Council's poorly insured payouts for quake damaged Council assets would cover costs for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint projects. Ratepayers would be landed with huge debt for NZ National govt follies for decades to come.

*Not a squeak from Marryatt nor Parker about NZ National govt's / CERA's takings in residential red zone riverside & Port Hills areas (over 7 000 houses plus land) & CERA's takings in the CBD regarding Blueprint anchor projects, like the loss-maker Convention Centre / Te Pae & Frame lands.

*Latest: CCDU promoted high density housing for 20 000 residents in Frame lands (The Press). The only schools in the CBD vicinity were low decile Christchurch East School & expensive private schools. Yet MOE had recently closed low decile Richmond School & low decile Phillipstown School on the CBD fringes!

*Not a squeak from Marryatt nor Parker about NZ National govt's / CERA's 28 months NZDF occupation of Christchurch CBD.

*Not a squeak from Marryatt nor Parker when minister Brownlee announced CERA's formation in March 2011, nor later CCDU's formation to be controlled by former Timaru town clerk Isaacs, demolisher of Christchurch CBD. Minister Brownlee had formed an apartheid Christchurch with 2 town clerks: Isaacs, favoured boss of CCDU's core CBD; Marryatt, maligned boss of the leftovers, separated by NZDF cordons.

*From April 2012, CCDU came up with a Blueprint CBD within 100 days. Never mind Council's Share an Idea scheme, already completed with input from 1 000s of Cantabrians. CERA's idea of rebuilding Christchurch was wasting money, apartheid duplicating & separating civic structures. Where were all the boastful, 1981 Springbok Rugby Tour protesters, while apartheid maligned post quake Christchurch?

*Marryatt & Parker had penchants for air travel paid by ratepayers. Although Parker posed as a great communicator post quakes, he wasn't. Parker was secretive, making Council decisions behind closed doors. Marryatt was secretive, leaving Christchurch Council with a golden handshake and the disputed pay increase of $68 000, which Marryatt after public protests said he would repay. Early 2012, citizens had been enraged by Marryatt's huge pay rise, condoned by some councillors, while citizens slummed post quakes.

*In 2012, for a couple of months after Parker couldn't control his A & B teams, Crown observer Marshall dozed though Council meetings, checking Council communications. After Marryatt's exorbitant pay increase & public protests, Council underwent an $80 000 communications review, spurned by Marryatt, a poor public communicator, behind closed doors. The Crown observer & communications review was NZ National govt's intimidation of Council & a waste of taxpayers' money. Why didn't CERA minister Brownlee or CERA boss Sutton attend Council meetings?

*Marryatt's idea of communications was taking his employer Council to court, for B team councillors protesting at the February 2012 protest about Marryat's salary increase, approved by A team councillors. Marryatt ensured gagging orders against B team councillors who'd protested with ratepayers about Marryatt's salary increase. The Press pics of Marryatt's bloodshot eyes, droopy, lower lip & chins said it all.

*While that travesty happened, red zoners & TC3 green zoners suffered misery with NZ National govt's / CERA's land zonings. NZ National govt laughed all the way to the bank at Council's ineptitude.

*There was the incident in 2012 when Marryatt squeaked at a public protestor, Lynch, in the Council bldg & Parker formally banned Lynch from observing public meetings. (Lynch's banning was later rescinded). That was the sorry state of affairs between Marryatt / Parker & ratepayers.

*Parker had crackpot, money-wasting ideas, like covering ruined Christ Church Cathedral in a glass box for tourist gawkers, or constructing a light rail for University of Canterbury students to travel between varsity & the CBD.

*Marryatt & Parker wouldn't communicate essential info to the public & lost accreditation for Council consents processing. That caused another Crown Manager to be expensively employed to sort out the consents mess. Minister Brownlee gloated & blamed Council for rebuild delays.

*Road potholes citizens endured post quakes, were an example of the bad communication & disconnect between local govt, represented by Council, Marryatt & Parker & NZ National govt, represented by CERA / SCIRT, minister Brownlee & Sutton. Although Council was responsible for road repairs at the best of times, at the worst of times, Council workers were also part of SCIRT road repair teams, responsible for infrastructure repairs below roads: water, sewage, drain pipes, etc.

*Although Marryatt's Council had given no directives to citizens regarding post quake' pothole repairs, SCIRT messages a year before said it all about NZ National govt buck passing & the huge disconnect between CERA / SCIRT & Council. Citizens were left guessing who was responsible for pothole repairs: Council or SCIRT?

SCIRT media message 15.10.12:

WHO WILL REPAIR MY POT HOLE?

If there is a phole in the road surface, please contact the Christchurch City Council to ensure the pot hole is fixed, unless the pot hole is with a SCIRT work site. If SCIRT has established a work site, pot holes within the work area and the signed detour are SCIRT's responsibility. Once the SCIRT site is disestablished, the responsibility for pot holes and maintenance goes back to Council.

SCIRT media message 17.10.12:

WHO YOU GONNA CALL POT HOLE BUSTERS?

Sometimes informal detour routes develop as a result of road works. These will not be signposted as detour routes by the construction company. They can become heavily trafficked and deteriorate particularly in wet weather. The SCIRT delivery (construction) team will keep an eye out for these unofficial detours [along footpaths & pavements] and keep the Council's maintenance team informed. Members of the public should also report any pot holes on these routes direct to the City Council.

There is no difference between repair of pot holes in the red zone and the green zone. If people are still living in an area and using the roads they need to be driveable. Phone the Council Call Centre to request a repair...

*Not a squeak from Marryatt nor Parker about pothole gobbledegook & usurpation of Council functions by SCIRT & CERA. NZ National govt, CERA & SCIRT had stomped all over cowering Council. The pothole disconnect symbolized daily irritations Cantabrians endured, due to poor communication between central & local govt.

Regarding current Council elections, long suffering citizens endured some councillors wanting re-election, like Button, Keown, Gough, Reid, Broughton, as venal as Parker & Marryatt.

The only 2 councillors worth re-election were Livingstone & Johanson. I'd seen them both active in 2012 public protests. Johanson also took flack from bullying minister Brownlee over Council's slow repairs of post quake Council housing. (Marryatt again). NZ National govt made the post quake housing crisis in the first place, by red zoning quake trashed areas, with little release of affordable land nor affordable redevelopment elsewhere, residential nor CBD. CERA was only now building temporary housing in Rangers Park for red zoners / TC3 green zoners to rent, while their housing repairs or rebuilds took place.

Condell Ave: Thursday 26.09.13. School demo site, threat sign:

GEOTECH
WORK SITE
NO ENTRY
UNLESS SIGNED IN

I snapped school bldgs being demolished near home. Two diggers chomped the part demolished school hall, loading rubble & roofing into skips. A school bldg alongside was roofless. Laidlaw College next door endured seismic thumps while diggers worked. Leah also endured seismic thumps on London St & environs for months while Richmond Working Mens Club was part demolished & SCIRT continued diggings & detours. Luke's girlfriend's parents' Selwyn St, picture framing business had been red stickered post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Post quakes, they still ran their business from their Southshore home. At the Condell Ave school demolition site, they salvaged good wood for their business. Better than demolishers dumping it at Burwood dump.

During quake years, after completing 2 years' full-time tech studies, then 2 years' private sector joinery work, Luke would work for his picture-framing / quake-salvage boss for the next 8 years. 2022. Luke would be sacked after his boss had a heart attack, early 60s. Would other quake-surviving bosses' productive lives be affected by quake stresses?