I parked on Peterborough St, starting my cordon trek down Manchester St. A NZDF soldiers' checkpoint checked contractors' vehicles entering & leaving the red zone at Manchester St Bridge, by Cambridge Tce. Across the road in the red zone I saw PGC demolition site, where 18 people died in the 22.02.11 Kller Quake.
CERA occupied, red zone CBD was still in transition. Many CBD ghosts I saw that day would still be demolished by CERA.
29.02.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Red zone, NZDF checkpoint, Manchester St Bridge. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel in red zone
Manchester St Bridge: NZDF checkpoint. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon, threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
Cambridge Tce: I trekked past ghosts, red zone CBD looming the other side of Avon River. Red zone was steel mesh fence cordoned, ghosts closed for a year, post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Some ghosts, demolished by CERA contractors, left wastelands. Other ghosts, demolitions in progress.
29.02.12. Canterbury Manufacturers Association, orange digger, demolition in progress, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce. The demolition site became a park
29.02.12. Cambridge Tce view, red zone, demolition in progress, Oxford Tce. The demo site would become a carpark for the Margaret Mahy Family Playground
Across Madras St Bridge at Oxford Tce Baptist Church demolition site, I looked at 185 Empty Chairs, painted white, an act of remembrance by Pete Majendie, placed on a 185 sq m grass patch, commemorating 22.02.11 Killer Quake dead.
On a table tribute book I wrote: "After 10 000 quakes, good on the artist."
Sign:
185 Empty Chairs:
a temporary art installation
reflecting on the loss of lives, livelihood and
living in this city
following the earthquake on 22 February 2011
You are welcome to spend time in this space.
Oxford Terrace
Baptist Church
est 1863
29.02.12. Pete Majendie's 185 Empty Chairs remembrance art, Oxford Tce Baptist Church, demolition site. Oxford Tce Baptist Church would be rebuilt by 2017
Another sign:
Thank you for visiting this
Remembrance Space.
You may sit in any chair -
choose one that speaks to you
of those who died as a result of
the 22 February earthquake.
You are welcome to stay as long
as you wish.
Artist's statement:
185 square metres of grass depicting new growth,
regeneration.
185 white chairs all painted twice by hand as an act
of remembrance.
This installation is temporary - as is life.
Pete Majendie
Oxford Tce Baptist Church would be rebuilt, 2017, incl Pillars Cafe with 5 re-erected Ionic capital pillars in front, attracting Madras St passersby, opp Margaret Mahy Family Playground.
Madras St to Latimer Sq: Steel mesh fence cordoned. Desolate red zone streets. Demolition sites, inside, outside the red zone.
Oxford Tce south down Madras St past Latimer Sq to Hereford St: Most bldgs W side of Madras St / Latimer Sq would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park. Christchurch Club would survive the quakes. Margaret Mahy Family Playground & carpark would be built S of Avon River by Oxford Tce.
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Edmonds Clock Tower, Oxford Tce. The clock stopped at 12.51 pm when the 22.02.11 quake struck. Edmonds Clock Tower would be decapitated for repairs
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Orange digger. Red zone Madras St to Latimer Sq. All bldgs in the pic would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, quake trashed Free Legal Help bldg, Madras St, between Oxford Tce & Armagh St crossings. The bldg would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground carpark
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone demolition site, Madras St / Armagh St. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel beyond would survive the quakes
29.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Madras St, W view, red zone, Armagh St. Forsyth Barr left would become Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral site
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone demolition site, Madras St / Armagh St. All bldgs in the pic would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
29.02.12. Latimer Sq, NE view, demolition sites between Gloucester St & Armagh St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq, W view, red zone, Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel, Gloucester St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger. Latimer Sq, W view, red zone, demolition site & Newstalk ZB, imploded Aug 2012
29.02.12. Red zone, quake trashed, The Bicycle Thief, Latimer Sq / Worcester St. The Bicycle Thief would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq, W view, red zone, Worcester St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow & orange diggers. Latimer Sq, red zone view, demolition sites, Hereford St. Hotel Grand Chancellor demolition right. Calendar Girls right, behind orange digger, would be demolished for Liverpool Terraces apartments, built 2019
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq, red zone view, demolition sites, Hereford St. Hotel Grand Chancellor demolition left. Foreground bldgs would be demolished for Liverpool Terraces apartments, built 2019
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq, S view, red zone demolition sites, incl deadly CTV before abandoned IRD bldg. Bldg right would be demolished for Liverpool Terraces apartments, built 2019
Madras St / Hereford St: By St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, the steel mesh fence cordon constricted past Holden Blackwells ghost haunting CTV demolition site, where 115 people died in the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Holden Blackwells would be demolished. CTV demo site would become a memorial park, Aug 2018.
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger. St Johns demolition site view, red zone demolition sites, Madras St / Latimer Sq. Arrow House demolition site in foreground. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel right. The demolished bldgs would enable Liverpool Terraces apartments, built 2019
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Johns demolition site view, red zone CTV demolition site, Madras St / Cashel St. Les Mills gym behind. The demolition sites would enable Liverpool Terraces apartments, built 2019, going past Les Mills gym
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Madras St view, red zone, abandoned IRD bldg left & CTV bldg demolition site, Cashel St. The CTV demo site would become a memorial park, Aug 2018
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Tributes & yellow diggers. Madras St / Cashel St, red zone, CTV demolition site & demolition sites view to Hereford St. Torrens House behind would be demolished, 2013
29.02.12. Red zone, Madras St / Cashel St, steel mesh fence cordon tributes to 115 dead at CTV bldg, 22.02.11 quake
Madras St / Cashel St: As it was soon post Feb 22 Killer Quake anniversary, fresh flowers, tribute pics, art works adorned the steel mesh fence cordon by CTV demolition site. Red zone, fence cordon sign:
Please respect this site
In recognition of the special significance this site holds for the people of our
city and all those affected by the earthquakes, the Christchurch City Council
is working with Canterbury Museum to preserve aspects of our remembering.
Tributes may be left at this sight. Older tributes will be removed for archiving by
the Canterbury Museum to become part of the city's memory of the Canterbury
Earthquakes. Organic material will be composted and used in the city's gardens.
Canterbury Christchurch
Museum City Council
St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church demolition site, diagonally opp CTV demolition site, also had floral tributes. Steel mesh fence cordon signs:
Art For Canterbury!
With love from us at
St Pauls Trinity Pacific
Presbyterian Church
Christchurch
Lives
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St / Cashel St, demolished St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church, tribute to 115 dead at CTV bldg across the road, 22.02.11 quake
For Grief
When you lose somebody you love
Your life becomes strange
The ground beneath you becomes
fragile
Your thoughts make your eyes
unsure
Steel mesh fence cordon, St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church pic:
Our Building's Gone!
BUT...
We're STILL HERE!
White, yellow & green paper weaved the words FAITH HOPE LOVE into the steel mesh fence cordon.
Another St Pauls sign, church services details:
Welcome
Home
We are
now
back
on site
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon.Yellow digger. Cashel St / Madras St, St Pauls Trinity Pacific demolition site, NW view, red zone CBD. All bldgs in the pic would be demolished, except Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel left. Foreground bldgs demolitions would enable CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
Why was only the CTV site commemorated? PGC, Cambridge Tce & Colombo St, between St Asaph St & Tuam St crossings, were also lethal. 18 people died at PGC collapse, Cambridge Tce. 16 people died on Colombo St, under collapsed bldgs, during the Feb 22 Killer Quake.
Madras St / Bedford Row: Behind abandoned, multi-storey IRD, an old ad on a brick wall was seen, after decades hidden by the demolished brick stable:
McCORMICK
REAPERS &
BINDERS
2021. IRD would survive the quakes, but would still be abandoned 10 years later. Apartments would be built behind IRD & Bedford Row would be halfway closed, making way for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park. The apartments had no garages, hence a fence sign:
RESIDENTS ONLY
Non-authorised
vehicles will
be towed
Why did Council consent new CBD apartments without garages?
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St view, Bedford Row
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, old stable demolition site, Madras St / Bedford Row
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, demolition sites, Madras St / Lichfield St
Madras St: S Snapped desolate, red zone, Lichfield St. Red zone, Poplar Ln, where Jake had flatted pre quakes, gone, demolished.
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St / Lichfield St, N view, IRD bldg left & demolition sites
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St, W view, Lichfield St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, S view, Madras St / Lichfield St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, part demolished bldg, Lichfield St / Madras St
Madras St / Tuam St crossing: Another NZDF soldier checkpoint checked contractor access / egress in the red zone. Red zone, checkpoint fence, threat sign:
WARNING
NO PUBLIC ACCESS
BEYOND THIS POINT
29.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, NZDF checkpoint, Madras St / Tuam St. Westpac, Holiday Inn, Hotel Grand Chancellor beyond, would all be demolished
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Madras St, W view, red zone, Tuam St. Strongly built, old, PO bldg right would survive the quakes
29.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Madras St / Tuam St S view, red zone, Tech Music School, Madras St / High St. Tech Music School would survive the quakes
Madras St / High St / St Asaph St crossing: Red zone, cordon fence, threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Tech Music School, Madras St / High St / St Asaph St crossing. Tech Music School would survive the quakes
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Asaph St view, red zone, High St
St Asaph St: Demolition progressed at McKenzie Willis. Red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, threat sign:
DANGER
KEEP OUT
29.02.12. Red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, quake trashed, brick bldg, St Asaph St
29.02.12. DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, demolition site, St Asaph St. 2019. The area would be called Salt District
29.02.12. Orange skip, yellow digger. St Asaph St view, red zone, demolition sites towards Tuam St. Holiday Inn left, old Post Office right. Holiday Inn would be demolished, Nov-Dec 2012
St Asaph St / Manchester St crossing: Another NZDF soldier checkpoint. From the checkpoint, more demolitions were seen by Tuam St / High St crossing in the red zone.
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Daisies. Theme Basic demolition site, St Asaph St / Manchester St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St, NZDF checkpoint view, steel braced, McKenzie Willis, red zone, demolition sites
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, N view, Manchester St, NZDF checkpoint
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger. Red zone, Odeon Theatre, Manchester St, NZDF checkpoint. Odeon Theatre would be demolished, Tuam St facade preserved
I shopped weekly at Moorhouse Ave, Pak 'n Save & passed Manchester St, NZDF checkpoint. It had hand-written, threat signs on the cordon fence:
NO
PUBLIC
ACCESS
CERA PASSES ONLY
NO PUBLIC
PAST THIS
POINT!!
KEEP ROAD
CLEAR
A 30 km/h speed limit sign showed the speed limit for contractors working in the red zone CBD. CERA & NZDF banning signs banned citizens, who'd endured 10 000 quakes, from Christchurch red zone CBD for 28 months. Meanwhile NZ National govt, in the guise of CERA, cherry-picked private, CBD land for NZ National govt's rebuild projects, like future terrace apartments E side of CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park.
29.02.12. NO PUBLIC ACCESS. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Asaph St view, red zone signs, NZDF checkpoint, Manchester St
EXTREME DANGER & WARNING signs galore by NZ National govt's lackeys, CERA & NZDF!
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Asaph St, N view, red zone, Odeon Theatre, later demolished
29.02.12. St Asaph St, S view, demolition site, St Asaph St / Manchester St. Quake damaged, old station, clock tower & Port Hills beyond. The old station would be demolished, Oct-Nov 2012
29.02.12. St Asaph St view, red zone, old Council, boarded bldg, Tuam St. The old Council bldg would be demolished in 2013-2014 for the Bus Interchange
29.02.12. Yellow digger. St Asaph St view, demolition sites both sides of Colombo St
With all the demolitions going on over the last 18 quake months, I could see across demolition sites from one street to another, sometimes across several blocks of demolition wasteland. e.g. From St Asaph St, I looked across a demolition site to Colombo St & beyond to new carparks made from demolition sites by Colombo St.
That was the pattern of demolitions in the red zone CBD: quaked wasteland, ready for rebuild. Council already had a plan for CBD rebuild, (zilch plan for suburban housing rebuild) but CBD rebuild depended on insurers & land owners. In Sept 2012, CERA would produce a hasty CBD Blueprint based on the Council plan.
The Press 05.03.12 reported rebuild of BNZ House, Cathedral Sq. Old BNZ House was being demolished. The architect ignored Council's post quakes, 7 storey height limit, wanting to erect a new 13 storey BNZ on quake prone land. (BNZ would stay part demolished by Cathedral Sq for years, due to asbestos hazard). By 2019, Spark multi-storey would be built on the old BNZ site.
Problem with the Royal Commission: it only investigated a few failed high-rises, like Forsyth Barr. CERA was demolishing many more CBD high- rises, which could've been investigated by the Royal Commission, like Westpac, Clarendon Tower, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Copthorne Hotel, Riverlands House, Police Central, PWC, Harcourts, Securities House & more. But CERA's CBD red zone, apartheid stopped public scrutiny of failed bldgs & their demolitions. Architect design & engineering mistakes would be buried. Delays by insurers & reinsurers & blame-shifting about pre-quake, death-trap bldgs by owners & engineer inspectors at the Royal Commission, would caused CBD rebuild to take many years.
Suburban housing rebuild, nothing happening 18 month post Sept 4 Darfield Quake. Roads, bridges, still crap!
St Asaph St / Colombo St to Colombo St / Tuam St: 16 people died there due to falling masonry in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake. As there was no "Please respect this site..." signage, just dirty demolition sites turned into carparks, people killed there were ignored by Council & Canterbury Museum. Tourists trampling that deadly demolition area to the new, temporary, Bus Exchange & Restart Cashel Mall hadn't a clue.
29.02.12. St Asaph St, N view, demolition sites, Colombo St to Mollet St & Tuam St crossings. 16 people were killed by falling masonry, 22.02.11 quake, Colombo St
29.02.12. Colombo St view, red zone demolition sites & serial quake damaged bldgs. The high rises would all be demolished: Westpac, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Holiday Inn, old Council bldg
29.02.12. Greening The Rubble, plants & rubble seats, demolition site carpark, Colombo St
29.02.12. CROSSING CLOSED. Colombo St, E view, red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, Lichfield St. All bldgs on the left would be demolished
Colombo St: Red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone Colombo St, abandoned airbridge nr The Crossing, Cashel St
29.02.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, pre quake, abandoned, Bus Exchange bldg, Colombo St, nr The Crossing, Cashel St
By The Crossing, at Cashel Mall, red zone fence, I saw KFC demolition in the red zone. McDonald's & Burger King across Colombo St in the red zone were still intact, but would be demolished.
29.02.12. Cashel Mall, E view, red zone, The Crossing, Cashel St / Colombo St crossing. Most bldgs in the pic would be demolished, except The Crossing right
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cashel Mall view, red zone, KFC demolition, Colombo St
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cashel Mall view, red zone McDonald's. Glimpse of serial quake ruined Christ Church Cathedral beyond. McDonald's would be demolished
Restart Cashel Mall: Since I'd last passed shipping container shops, the retail area included takeaway food stalls, which used to frequent the pre-quakes, Arts Centre precinct.
29.02.12. Restart Cashel Mall, shipping container shops
Trekked past Remembrance Arch, where 4 surveyors in orange, Hi-Vis vests rubbernecked like tourists, while tourists stood at nearby Hereford St, steel mesh fence cordon, staring into the red zone. Cordon fence, threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordoned, post quakes, Bridge of Remembrance, Cashel Mall
Oxford Tce:At a restaurant demolition site, a German firm touted "liquefaction" drill rigs in two glass-walled, shipping containers by Avon River. Quake closed, Arts Centre market stalls would soon trade there.
29.02.12. German drill rigs, "liquefaction" ad display in shipping container, restaurant demolition site, Oxford Tce
29.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Rubberneckers staring E into red zone, Hereford St, nr Restart Cashel Mall. Most bldgs in the pic would be demolished
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Hereford St / Oxford Tce view, red zone, serial quake trashed, metal braced, Our City, old, brick bldg, nr Worcester St Bridge. Restoration would begin on Our City bldg, May 2021
29.02.12. Hereford St, W view, Central Police, quake damaged high rise. Central Police would be imploded, 31.05.15
Oxford Tce / Hereford St: An orange, Hi-Vis vested workman abseiled down the new Council multi-storey, opp Central Police multi-storey. Four cop cars were parked, several cops hovered on Cambridge Tce near Gloucester St, as the Australian Governor General was visiting Christchurch.
29.02.12. Cambridge Tce view, abseiler, quake damaged, new Council bldg
29.02.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Weedy, Worcester St Bridge view, red zone, Clarendon Tower right, demolition in progress
Worcester St Bridge: Weedy. The Town Crier in his red coat & black, tricorn hat chatted to tourists. Bridge, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
Pre-quakes anachronisms, Christchurch Town Crier & The Wizard were useless post quakes, as their CBD beats were red zone, cordoned by CERA & NZDF soldiers. The Wizard vanished to his Timaru house & vowed never to return to Christchurch. (False: Months later, The Wizard would rant again in Christchurch, paid NZ$ 16 000 p.a. by Council).
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cambridge Tce view, Avon River, red zone, Gloucester St Bridge & Oxford Tce
Cambridge Tce/ Gloucester St / Durham St Nth: Another NZDF checkpoint. Town Crier chatted to a cop directing traffic past the red zone. Checkpoint fence, threat sign:
WARNING
NO PUBLIC ACCESS
BEYOND THIS POINT
29.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF checkpoint, red zone, Cambridge Tce / Gloucester St / Durham St Nth crossing. Old Central Library & Farmers left, would be demolished. Brannigans demolition right
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Town Crier & cop directing traffic, red zone, Cambridge Tce / Gloucester St / Durham St Nth crossing. Quake trashed, tarped, Provincial Council behind
29.02.12. Gloucester St view, red zone, Amuri Courts demolition in progress, Durham St Nth, opp quake trashed Provincial Council.
Oxford Tce / Gloucester St, red zone: As Brannigans was being demolished & Amuri Courts, cordoned demolition progressed in Durham St Nth, opp Provincial Council ghost, I detoured away from the red zone along Gloucester St & Montreal St to Cranmer Sq.
29.02.12. Demolition in progress, high rise behind Art Gallery, Gloucester St
29.02.12. Cranmer Sq view, red zone PWC & Forsyth Barr high rises, Armagh St. PWC left would be soon demolished, the demo site vacant for a decade before becoming the new RC Cathedral precinct. Forsyth Barr's owner & insurer dithered for years, then Forsyth Barr morphed into Crowne Plaza Hotel
29.02.12. Cranmer Sq view, red zone, Crowne Plaza Hotel, demolition in progress
29.02.12. Yellow digger & suit. Cranmer Sq view, Chateau Blanc Suites, part demolition almost complete, Kilmore St / Montreal St. Chateau Blanc Suites would be revamped as Hotel Montreal
29.02.12. Cranmer Sq view, serial quake damaged, boarded, Cranmer Court, Kilmore St / Montreal St. Cranmer Court would be demolished, Oct-Nov 2012 after heritage protests
Kilmore St: Trekked past Cranmer Court ghost, which would be demolished Oct-Nov 2012, after heritage protests. Returned to the red zone, steel mesh fence cordon & looked at Crowne Plaza Hotel ghost, demolition in progress. Steel mesh fence cordon, hand-written sign:
Cafe
decadence
Victoria St
open
now!
29.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Crowne Plaza Hotel, demolition in progress, Kilmore St / Durham St Nth
29.02.12. Durham St Nth, S view to Cranmer Sq. Red zone demolitions, Crowne Plaza Hotel left, Copthorne Hotel right, demolitions in progress
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Copthorne Hotel, demolition almost complete, Kilmore St / Durham St Nth
29.02.12. Kilmore St red zone view, NW up Victoria St. Casino right
Durham St Nth / Peterborough St: Opp Christchurch Casino, while I snapped Guardian Trust multi-storey, an officious, little man, thinning, grey hair, crumpled sports jacket, parked his car in the carpark. He objected to me snapping "his" bldg.
29.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Red zone, Kilmore St, northwards view, Durham St Nth. Casino left, Guardian Trust right
29.02.12. Serial quake damaged, Guardian Trust, Peterborough St / Durham St Nth. Copthorne Hotel demolition right
Guardian Trust bldg wasn't steel mesh fence cordoned & one side was next to the pavement, so it was impossible not to see ghost offices through weedy, ground floor windows. One office had a 1m excavation through the concrete floor down to foundations. What was the obnoxious little man hiding?
I told him it wasn't illegal to photograph bldgs & where was his sign saying it was private property? He scuttled off to the Maori Land Court next door. (Nov 2013, Guardian Trust would still be abandoned. Guardian Trust bldg would survive the quakes).
Peterborough St, back to my car: Snapped ghost houses & more demolition sites both sides of the CBD red zone, steel mesh fence cordon. En route, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, threat signs:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
29.02.12. Post quakes Central Library, Peterborough St, where wife & I were shaken, first 8 minutes, 4 quakes, during the 23.12.11 Xmas Quake Swarm.
Considering CERA's slow demolitions in the CBD red zone, it would be months before Christchurch CBD reopened. Ghost high-rises still stood in the CBD red zone, like Westpac, Holiday Inn, Clarendon Tower, PWC & demolitions hadn't begun on them yet.
29.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Peterborough St S view, red zone, Colombo St. Abandoned Forsyth Barr middle; Christ Church Cathedral ghost beyond; Town Hall ghost right. Copthorne Hotel ghost, middle left, would be demolished
Some CBD businesses had re-established in the suburbs, like at Addington, Riccarton, Hornby. I doubted they would return to the trashed CBD. Never mind 10 000 quakes, demolitions could've gone faster. The CERA / NZDF occupied red zone, steel mesh fence cordon strangled life out of the CBD. Behind CERA's garotte fencing, CBD ghosts haunted.
29.02.12. Faux pissoir. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, demolition site, Peterborough St / Colombo St. Quake smashed, high rise windows behind
Properties near the CBD red zone were doomed too, as their value & customers were reduced. Who wanted to live or do business near red zone ghosts & asbestos dust, copper, chromium, arsenic dust, brick & cement dust flying from demolitions?
Pre-quakes, Jake did a tertiary, graphic design course at Natcoll House multi-storey, between Peterborough St & Kilmore St, so we knew the area. Natcoll would be demolished.
29.02.12. EXTREME DANGER. Steel mesh fence cordon. Peterborough St view, red zone, abandoned, CBD high rises. Medlab left, PWC middle, Forsyth Barr right. Medlab & PWC would be demolished. Forsyth Barr would resurrect as Crowne Plaza Hotel
29.02.12. EXTREME DANGER. Steel mesh fence cordon. Peterborough St view, red zone, abandoned Natcoll House & PWC. Both would be demolished
29.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, demolition junk between abandoned bldgs, Peterborough St
In the suburbs, especially along Avon River banks, there were 1 000s of ghost houses, yet little new housing was being built. House owners were annoyed, as little affordable land was available for rebuilding, so people were leaving Christchurch. Never mind CERA's broken promise that orange & white zoners would hear about their land zoning by the end of February.
29.02.12. Serial quake trashed house & house demolition site, Peterborough St
Thurs 01.03.12. M4.3 quake, 8.02am, depth 15km, 20km W of Christchurch (GeoNet). I didn't feel it in Burnside. Luke did.
*Trekked Manchester St, Madras St, Latimer Sq, St Asaph St, Colombo St, Cashel Mall, Oxford Tce, Hereford St, Cambridge Tce, Gloucester St, Durham St Nth, Cranmer Sq, Kilmore St, Peterborough St. 152 images.
Silly season: The Speaker excluded MP Winston Peters from parliament for calling CERA minister Brownlee "an illiterate woodwork teacher." (Old Boy of St Bedes College, Brownlee had taught woodwork there until MP work lured him in 1996).
Fri 02.03.12. Anglican bishop, Victoria Matthews announced that Christ Church Cathedral would be demolished. (One News). Church authorities had dithered for months about the death-trap cathedral.
TV Close up: Councillor Aaron Keown, sporting a SAVE THE CATHEDRAL sign, debated with Matthews, why the deconsecrated, death-trap cathedral should be saved. Keown threatened to chain himself to the ghost cathedral, over his dead body. Keown had also recently voted for town clerk Marryatt's salary increase. Keown never carried out his silly threat. (In the 2013 Council elections Keown would lose his Council seat & Marryatt would later "retire." Keown would became a councillor again at a later election). While Keown showed off, Christchurch infrastructure & Council properties needed fixing.
Sat 03.03.12 (The Press). Mayor Parker suggested bishop Matthews "put damaged Christ Church Cathedral into public ownership so it can be restored." Matthews declined that silliness.
As Christ Church Cathedral & land was owned by the Anglican diocese, Parker was delusional, expecting ratepayers to pay for Christ Church Cathedral restoration. Bishop Matthews' Cathedral demolition announcement was wishful thinking, as Heritage hailers would protest & court cases would delay Christ Church Cathedral restoration for years.
Meanwhile property owners round Cathedral Sq wanted to put an artificial beach with tons of beach sand in Cathedral Sq. Matthews approved that silly idea. As 510 000 tons of silt had already been removed from Christchurch by CERA, those property owners were bonkers. Christchurch had real beaches nearby. (See CERA Update below).
After those silly diversions, Brownlee quietly announced a March-end deadline for orange zoners to know the fate of their land. Brownlee had formerly said February-end was the deadline. Also, the red zone CBD would not open in April as planned, due to slow demolition progress. Brownlee bullshit, CBD would only open again in more than a year's time.
Over the next couple of years Brownlee would wriggle out of CERA deadline announcements, apologizing for CERA delays & blaming others for CERA delays. Council would become the butt of Brownlee's blamings, councillors & mayor Parker too weak to rebut.
Over the next year, CERA would expect citizens to heed CERA zoning deadlines & Crown offer deadlines, yet CERA rarely stuck to its own deadlines, repeatedly extending them.
Counter to the above, Brownlee's & CERA boss Sutton's Earthquake Recovery Update, Issue 7 / February 2012, read:
"26 significant new commercial buildings within the CBD 4 avenues have had foundations laid. [Weasel words, as CERA didn't specify within, or without CERA's NZDF occupied, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon].
1 023 earthquake damaged buildings within the four avenues now demolished. [1 500 scheduled, last count]...
5 957 consent forms returned out of 6 805 residential red-zoned properties. [More to come as orange zoning & white zoning wasn't complete].
206 major infrastructure projects underway in greater Christchurch at a cost of $422 million...
510 000 tonnes of silt removed, mainly from liquefaction...
27 km of water mains replaced.
4 km of large city sewer gravity pipes replaced...
13 500 attend CERA-sponsored picnics, outdoor movies and other events in local parks."
CERA spun meaningless statistics, but didn't say how CERA's & Council's functions differed & what were joint projects, if any.
CERA didn't say why it wasn't releasing Tonkin & Taylor land reports, so citizens could ascertain why / how their private land was zoned?
CERA didn't say why CERA was punting red zone residential payouts, with deadlines for red zoner departures?
It was galling for some red zoners, forced from their homes by NZ National govt / CERA, as their homes had no damages. Red zone Brooklands pertained.
Disaster Capitalism: CERA / NZ National govt would take red zoners' private insurances, after bullying red zoners to accept CERA's Crown offer. Thus CERA got homes & land cheaply, at 2007 Rateable Value, rather than Market Value, leaving displaced people, either caught with reduced equity in a NZ National govt caused, inflated housing market, or leaving Christchurch to look for cheaper dwellings.
People with CERA payouts would battle to buy new houses / similar replacement houses in Christchurch in the current inflated market. CERA, insurers, EQC had lots to answer for.
While land-grabbing CERA started demolishing red zone houses, rental landlords rubbed their greedy hands in glee. CERA reduced housing & commercial bldg stocks by demolitions, but did little to produce affordable housing for displaced people. A housing crisis loomed for quake / CERA displaced citizens.
Weeks later media would discover the housing crisis, greedy landlords expecting tenants to bid for rentals. Brownlee said the housing market should not be interfered with, but said some more temporary housing was being built in Christchurch. Brownlee was a bit late, as inadequate Kaiapoi & Linwood temporary villages were completed months before & there was not enough housing for displaced people to rent. Never mind builders & contractors swarming Christchurch & swilling CERA's largesse.
Meanwhile people forced from their red zone homes had few options: Expensive rentals while waiting for EQC & / or insurance payouts, or Fletcher repairs. And competing with hordes of contractors expected to find their own accommodation during rebuild. NZ National govt had more than a year to sort out the housing mess.
See The Press editorial: Shelter in a storm.
A year post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, CERA emphasized CBD demolitions & kick-starting CBD rebuild, with the Council plan to rebuild on ravaged swampland, with masses of underground water & Heathcote River / Avon River connected underground streams, aquifers, springs: liquefaction sources.
Never mind Christchurch Fault running W-E under Christchurch CBD, causing the Boxing Bay Quake, 26.12.10. Was Christchurch Fault connected to Pegasus Bay Fault lines? Leah & I had a nasty shaking in Peterborough St, Central Library, 8 minutes start of the 23.12.11 Xmas Quake Swarm, 4 serial quakes, before we left. And that was before the M6.0 quake, caused by the Pegasus Bay Fault.
Sat 03.03.12. M4.0 quake, 3.47pm, 11km depth, 20km E of Christchurch (GeoNet). Didn't feel it, driving my car near the red zone CBD.
Wed 28.03.12. Example of authoritarian buck-passing in post quake Christchurch: After evidence of squatting in red zone, Natcoll House was found, cop Derek Erasmus, Central area commander inspector said: "Property owners have responsibility for their buildings in the red zone... They need to make sure their buildings are secure, and if they are quake damaged, then it is their responsibility to plywood or secure the building so people can't get into it." (The Press 28.03.12).
That took the prize for crazy statement of the year, especially after USAR / TF destroyed doors & locks to check locked properties post quake. What was the point of the red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, as Natcoll House seen from Peterborough St WAS ply-boarded?
Cops & NZDF soldiers occupied red zone, Christchurch CBD, with an apartheid cordon for more than a year, so far, around abandoned CBD, with varying NZDF checkpoints. By means of passes, CERA obstructed bldg owners accessing their red zone, ghost buildings. Any halfwit squatter or tagger could climb over, or squeeze through steel mesh fence cordons on Peterborough St & elsewhere. And Erasmus blamed victims of CERA's strangling cordon, the bldg owners!
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Time to fast-track rebuild (The Press / Stuff Co).
See 7000 owners part of safety stocktake (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Brownlee overruled green zone go ahead (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Christ Church Cathedral condemned (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Demolition about to start in northern areas (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Liverpool Terraces (Fletcher Living).
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