Richmond focus. Mon 28.01.19. While Leah attended a teacher-training meeting at Seabrook McKenzie Centre, I did a half-hour, circular-trek along red-zone, Avon River bank: London St, Fitzgerald Ave, River Rd, Stanmore Rd, London St.
Fitzgerald Ave Bridge: Bridge-rail, torn sign:
DEMO
IN PRO
NO E
Bridge was continuously used since 2010-13 quakes, spans anti-clockwise rotated, NE abutment skewed by quakes, bridge roadworthy over Avon River.
Fitzgerald Ave & Harvey Tce: Red-Zone, vacant-land, where CERA took houses along River Rd forming a bit of residential red-zone on liquefactioned-land. CERA proclaimed red-zone on damaged-land, paid out owners, demolished 7500+ houses, cordoned & fenced red-zone-land & after 5 years handed-over taken-land to LINZ (Land Information NZ). A vast taking by NZ National govt, trampling citizens' private land-rights, taking vast areas of Christchurch private-land, using quakes & a reluctance by NZ National govt to rebuild infrastructure as excuses to take red-zone-land, about 4x the size of Hagley Park.
I read a Council info-board extolling Victorian virtues on that section of River Rd between Fitzgerald Ave & Stanmore Rd, Daisy Fields, where Victorians picnicked & watched rowing-regattas by Avon River boat-houses. Victorians got that right: riverbank sloping, enabling views of Avon River boating & regattas. Since quakes, there'd been suggestions for residential-red-zone land-use. Presently a river-walk from city-to-sea went along Avon River banks: white footprints painted on abandoned, cordoned, red-zone roads, like River Road.
Council riverside sign:
TE ARA
OTAKARO
AVON TRAIL
10 KM
ROAD
CLOSED
AUTHORISED
VEHICLES ONLY
PEDESTRIANS CYCLISTS
AND AUTHORISED
VEHICLE ACCESS ONLY
FOR INFORMATION
CALL LINZ...
FOR
AUTHORISED VEHICLE
ACCESS
LAND INFORMATION
NEW ZEALAND
TOITU TE WHENUA
PH...
River Rd: Red-zone cordon-signs were on fences since NZ National govt / CERA took the red-zone. Citizens walked cordons ever since, banned from driving residential-red-zone 8 years post-quakes. All houses along River Rd were demolished by CERA, just grass, flowers, shrubs left, yellow Daisy Fields blooming again, parkland, fence-cordon threat-signs:
NO UNAUTHORISED
ACCESS
NO DUMPING
LAND INFORMATION
NEW ZEALAND
TOITU TE WHENUA
Alongside River Rd, AVONSIDE TENNIS CLUB courts was the only structure not demolished by CERA, amidst yellow Daisy Fields. A peaceful spot, despite busy Avonside Dr on the opp riverbank. When will red-zone cordons completely open for citizens?
Reckoning: 23.02.19. The Press reported ever since Lange's 1980s Labour govt, succeeding NZ governments pillaged EQC's National Disaster Fund to balance government books. That included Treasury oversight, Bolger's & Shipley's National govts & Clerk's Labour govt. During Key's National govt, soon post 22 February quake, EQC was insolvent. None of those governments ever exposed their pillage. So NZ govts pillaged EQC for more than 3 decades!
Key's National govt enabled 2 States-of-Emergencies, military-cordoned, red-zoned CBD checkpoints for 28 months, CERA delays in demolitions / rebuilds, residential-red-zone takings & overseeing slow EQC payments. Never mind anguish caused to 1000s of citizens. PM Key jabbered about "a Rock Star Economy," wasted megabucks on a flag-referendum, restructured Christchurch schools by mergers & closures, while EQC officials delayed assessments, payments & repairs for over 470 000 claimants (2010-2018). Key was awarded a knighthood. CERA minister Brownlee condoned EQC's insolvency & Fletcher's botched repairs. Brownlee denied a housing-crisis in Christchurch & hailed MBIE bldg-code guidelines, enabling shoddy repairs. EQC boss Simpson enabled EQC's slow assessments, payments & repairs, protected whining insurers by slow overcap assessments, then became GNS Science boss in January 2017.
Meanwhile, 8 years post-quakes, despite 2 Royal Commissions of Inquiry, Coroners' Reports & a 3 years police investigation into CTV multi-storey collapse, no one was held accountable for CTV collapse & the dead. (Ditto 2023).
October 2020: Covid19 election. PM Jacinda Ardern's Labour party, landslide victory over National & other parties, got enough Labour MPs to govern NZ for another 3 years without coalition parties, but Labour would include Green party MPs in a Coalition govt. National deputy leader, Brownlee lost Ilam constituency to Labour. Brownlee hogged Ilam since 1996. Brownlee lost his National deputy-leader position, but would continue in parliament as a list MP. (Jan 2023. PM Ardern would announce her resignation. Chris Hipkins would briefly become Labour PM. 2023. PM Hipkins would lose the election to National Party's new PM Chris Luxon).
A decade post Darfield Quake, Brownlee's CERA Blueprint projects were slow: Riverine, residential-red-zones, no progress, just swampy, LINZ fenced-paddocks; Cathedral Sq, Christ Church Cathedral, many years' reintstatement still to go; Barbadoes St, Christchurch Basilica demolished for a manana rebuild; Metro Sports Facility slow progress; Te Pae Convention Centre opened 2021; Barbadoes St Stadium, slow progress, 2023.
See Christchurch youth trust keen to build adventure school on abandoned land (The Press / Stuff Co).
See LINZ
See Plunder - How the bill for the Canterbury earthquakes was passed on (The Press / Stuff Co).
See GNS Science.
