CERA Legacy focus. Sat 02.04.16. The Weekend Press published a full page CERA notice. The CERA notice avoided mentioning CERA's hydra legacy:
*CERA's 28 month occupation of Christchurch CBD, while demolishing quake stricken bldgs & buying CBD properties for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint wish list.
*CERA's 5 years' post quake meddling in Christchurch City Council affairs, like putting a stooge observer into Council meetings & trying to get Council to speed up consents processing.
*CERA trying to force Council to sell its lucrative assets like Lyttelton Port & Christchurch Airport to pay for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint precincts. Council's City Care maintenance company pertained.
*CERA doing nothing about ECAN stooges, NZ National govt appointed commissioners usurping former elected ECAN, causing Canterbury water affairs to go down the gurgler, dairy farmers intensifying on Canterbury Plains, unsuitable for such farming.
*CERA doing nothing about MOE's closures & mergers of post quake Canterbury schools.
*CERA doing nothing about EQC's ineptitude, EQC still fobbing off over cap $100 000 house repairs to insurers, more than 5 years post quakes.
*EQC's ineptitude, 1 000s of faulty undercap $100 000 house repairs, especially house foundation repairs needing to be remedied by EQC's contractors.
*CERA's slow beginning of CERA's Blueprint anchor projects, like Convention Centre / Te Pae, 35 000 seater roofed Stadium, Metro Sports Facility, all of which to date were vast demolition sites, leaving the CERA occupied CBD a steel mesh fence cordoned mess.
*CERA's red zone walks to Christ Church Cathedral ghost, red zone bus tours, Restart Cashel Mall, revamped Hagley Cricket Oval, Margaret Mahy Family Playground, Bus Interchange on Council land.
*CERA's Blueprint, Justice & Emergency Services bldg between Lichfield St & Tuam St, stuffing cops, courts, corrections, fire & ambulance services & Civil Defence in one precinct.
*Christ Church Cathedral ghost, still fence cordoned in Cathedral Sq. CERA did nothing to stop ex politicians Burdon, Anderton & Heritage hailers from delaying the Anglican diocese rebuild of Christ Church Cathedral.
*Cathedral Sq: Central Library / Turanga rebuild not done yet. (Completed 2018). Rydges Hotel ghost & Millennium Hotel / Distinction Hotel still closed. (2023. Rydges Hotel, associated shops, multi-storey carpark ghosts, still eyesores). Part demolished, asbestos riddled BNZ ghost, graffiti messed. (Sept 2018. Spark bldg was going up on BNZ demolition site). Novotel for sale. Ibis Hotel, Hereford St, for sale, as CERA's Cathedral Sq was inactive. (Sept 2018. Novotel OK. Ibis Hotel OK, but pestered by vagrants sleeping nearby & harassing Hereford St passersby).
*Insurers' slow claims settlements.
*SCIRT's incomplete, shoddy road repairs.
*CERA's acquisition or taking of 7 000+ red zone, residential properties & scores of CBD commercial properties for CERA's 20 odd Blueprint projects like the E Frame. To date NZ National govt / CERA had not said what it would do with all the red zone, residential property & red zone, commercial property it had taken. (2020. The Labour govt would hand back the "parkland" residential red zone to Council for safe keeping / maintenance, including the Avon River to Pacific corridor).
Five years post quakes, CERA's legacy not only incl the above mess, but its hydra buds formed more bureaucracy, interfering in Council affairs. The Weekend Press, CERA notice:
"CERA
CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE
RECOVERY AUTHORITY
Te Mana Haumanu ki Waitaha
THE CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE
RECOVERY AUTHORITY COMES TO AN
END ON MONDAY 18 APRIL 2016
CERA was established by the Government to lead and coordinate the region's recovery in the wake of the devastating earthquakes of September 2010 and February 2011.
This short-term organisation was given a five-year lifespan and will be formally disestablished on Monday 18 April 2016.
In October last year the Transition Recovery Plan was publically released which explained where some of CERA's functions would move to and which ones would be wound down. That transition started in December last year when the first of CERA's functions were taken over by other Government agencies.
The Transition Recovery Plan is published here www.cera.govt.nz/transition [CERA Disestablishment website] and physical copies are available to read at Christchurch Libraries.
What you need to know
The agencies that inherit CERA's functions will be the contact points of information once CERA office is closed.
Regenerate Christchurch
Regenerate Christchurch is a new joint Crown-Council entity which will oversee the long term development and enhancement of the central city, Christchurch's residential red zone and New Brighton. It will do this by engaging with communities, stakeholders and decision makers. [After NZ Labour govt took over, it would wind up Regenerate Christchurch earlier than former National govt had planned].
Otakaro Limited
Otakaro Limited is a new Crown company established to deliver key anchor projects and precincts in Christchurch and manage any potential future sale of Crown owned land in the central city. [Dispose of NZ National govt's / CERA's land takings]. www.otakaroltd.co.nz
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
On 1 December 2015 LINZ inherited the remaining responsibility for:
*Demolitions and clearing of Crown Owned property in the residential red zone.
*Maintenance of Crown owned land in the residential red zone.
LINZ will not be making decisions about the longer-term use of the residential red zone.
www.linz.govt.nz
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
On 1 December 2015 MBIE took over responsibility for:
*The remaining residential rebuild work, including finding solutions for emerging residential rebuild issues and monitoring the pace and rate of insurance settlements.
*Analysing progress of the rebuild, providing procurement advice, and informing and engaging with the construction market.
www.mbie.govt.nz
Ministry of Health / Canterbury District Health Board
On 1 December 2015 the Ministry of Health, working closely with the Canterbury DBH, took on some additional leadership responsibilities for coordinating psychosocial health work.
On 1 March 2015 they took responsibility for monitoring and reporting on community well being.
www.health.govt.nz www.cdhb.govt.nz
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
On 1 March 2015 the Greater Christchurch Group, a business unit within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) was established. The Group's responsibilities include:
*Providing policy advice to Ministers and Government on the regeneration of greater Christchurch, including the future uses of the Christchurch residential red zone.
*Monitoring and reporting on the overall progress of regeneration.
*Part funding and jointly governing repairs to horizontal infrastructure such as roads and
underground pipes.
*Administering the new Greater Christchurch Regeneration Bill.
www.dpmc.govt.nz
CERA's website www.cera.govt.nz will be archived for general reference and can be found through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's website www.dpmc.govt.nz from 18 April 2016.
However, for all inquiries and up-to-date information please phone the appropriate inheriting agency.
John Ombler
Acting Chief Executive
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority"
Ombler had taken over CERA after former CERA boss Sutton had resigned.
CERA didn't say that most of the CBD rebuild after 5 years & rebuild elsewhere after 5 years (new residential developments, shops & offices) was done by the private sector, not CERA.
After CERA was disestablished on 18.04.16 into the above NZ govt tentacles, CERA documents, websites, internet connections were absorbed into a CERA Document Archive, ceraarchive.dpmc.govt.nz managed by the Dept of the Prime Minister & Cabinet. So all my CERA links on my blog received a "CERA has been disestablished" link, referring readers to the Dept of the Prime Minister & Cabinet. CERA links, like media releases, CERA reports, demolition lists, zoning info... which had been available on the CERA website, could henceforth be found on the CERA Document Archive website.
Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Regenerate Christchurch Early End (Stuff Co).
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