01.06.13. Concrete block, steel mesh fence cordon. Cheesemongers left, Montreal St / Worcester Blvd, Christchurch Art Gallery right, closed for repairs
01.06.13. Christchurch Art Gallery, Montreal St / Worcester Blvd, closed for repairs
01.06.13. CERA Cordon Pass Office, Worcester Blvd, opp Council bldg
Jabbering about quakes recently, mayor Parker, CERA boss Sutton, CCDU boss Isaacs flew overseas. Weekends, town clerk Marryatt scurried to his Hamilton nest. SCIRT boss nested in Auckland & scurried to Christchurch for SCIRT dealings.
PM Key grew up in Christchurch, making his wealth in London investment banking before returning to NZ. He often flew overseas & down to Christchurch for photo ops. Quake recovery minister Brownlee bossed CERA. Brownlee's constituency was Ilam, including our Burnside rental. In the years we lived in Burnside, we never saw Brownlee in Ilam. Like PM Key, Brownlee wafted to Christchurch for photo ops, where they ponced in hard hats & Hi-Vis vests.
Zombie CBD: Early mornings I drove Luke to work at Douglas Furniture, Horatio St, off Antigua St, near the new temp, cop shop & Christchurch Hospital. Sometimes I picked Luke up again in the late afternoons, if weather was foul. Otherwise Luke bussed home to Burnside.
I shopped at Moorhouse Ave, Pak 'n Save at least once a week & drove across CBD several times a week: visiting libraries, going to New Brighton, seeing Leah at her London St school. I also trekked CERA's red zone, shrinking cordon, taking pics. Zilch happening: CCDU in terminal stall, 1 000 days post 4 September quake. Using NZDF checkpointed cordons, CERA strangled business out of the CBD. Business was slow to return: Businessman Gough planned to build The Terrace on Oxford Tce near Restart Cashel Mall. Other businessmen squabbled about what to build and where around Restart Cashel Mall. 2015-16: Cashel Mall: BNZ Centre & ANZ Centre would be built, intersected by Colombo St at The Crossing.
Cathedral Sq: Last year amidst NZ National govt fanfare, CERA's CCDU Blueprint was announced on 30.07.12. So far, it was just a plan, few bldg constructions happening. CCDU's anchor projects were found on CCDU's website. CCDU's propaganda boards still hung on the cordon fence at Cathedral Sq, NZDF checkpoint, Colombo St, for tourists to gawk. Trekking around the CBD showed CERA & CCDU doing little: 3 bldg sites surrounded by NZDF checkpoints, steel mesh fence cordons, demolition sites, ghosts. CCDU's propaganda boards at Cathedral Sq NZDF checkpoint:
THE SQUARE. Red zone cordoned, Christ Church Cathedral ruin. Novotel, being repaired. Zilch going on amidst ghosts & demolition sites behind red zone, steel mesh fence cordons. CERA fail.
01.06.13. Giant seat, Gloucester St. Demolition sites behind, Isaac Theatre Royal restoration right
01.06.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Orange crane. Gloucester St view, quake ruined Christ Church Cathedral. Novotel repairs left. Abandoned Camelot Hotel right awaited demolition for Central Library / Turanga rebuild
STADIUM between Barbadoes St & Madras St: Zilch going on behind steel mesh fence cordons. Just Turners & Growers site amidst demolition sites & ghosts. (2021. Council would still be faffing about whether to build a 35 000 seater stadium or a 25 000 seater stadium. Over the years stadium rebuild costs would increase & councillors dithered). CERA fail. Cardboard Cathedral construction by the Anglican diocese, Latimer Sq.
THE FRAME. E Frame between Manchester St & Madras St: Zilch going on behind steel mesh fence cordons, amidst demolition sites & ghosts. Ditto S Frame between Lichfield St & St Asaph St. I drove Tuam St daily & searched in vain for CCDU activity. Quake survivor car dealers, like Archibalds, VW, Renault, Lexus still traded near the hospital. The rest, zilch happening amidst steel mesh fence cordons, demolition sites, ghosts. CERA fail.
By June 2016, Christchurch Hospital would be repaired & a new geriatrics hospital would be built at Burwood.
AVON RIVER PRECINCT, E Frame, Oxford Tce: Zilch. Just steel mesh fence cordons & ghosts: Centennial Pool, ACC, Luneys awaiting demolitions for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Margaret Mahy Family Playground. (Built by 2016).
WATERMARK by Antigua Boatsheds: Council City Care workers dug by Cambridge Tce & Montreal St Bridge, busy work, removing concrete blocks from Avon River, shuffling riverside lamp poles & benches, constructing a riverside boardwalk, revamping paths & making a pavement-side, concrete wall for gawkers & Avon River ducks. But riverside paths were fine before WATERMARK revamp. Council fail.
29.05.13. Oxford Tce view, Watermark by Antigua Boatsheds, Avon River bank revamp, Cambridge Tce
29.05.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Watermark, Avon River bank revamp, Cambridge Tce
More Council fails: Thurs 30.05.13. Quake survivor, Ann Brower, letter to The Press:
Where's our apology?
How dare the Christchurch City Council compensate for "hurt and humiliation" caused to former employees, while the Mayor steadfastly refuses to apologise to those of us who were crushed by the masonry buildings that those self-same employees failed to fence off or reinforce in any way?
I appreciate that 2010-2012 would have been extraordinarily difficult years to work at the council. But council staff knew full well the facade that collapsed onto the No 3 bus, killing 12, was fully detached and leaning out over Colombo St. Yet council staff didn't even put up a fence. The risk was known and the deaths and injuries were entirely preventable.
Now council apologises to and compensates themselves, but not those who were killed and injured by their failure to act. The staff get compensated. Their victims do not.
Why has the council never apologised to the victims of the unreinforced (and sometimes unfenced) brick buildings? What would it hurt for the Mayor to just say he's sorry? The council compensated staff for "hurt and humiliation" during the earthquakes and Royal Commission investigations. Does the Mayor think there's no "hurt and humiliation" in getting crushed by a building?
The mayor apologised to the CTV victims. Why not us?
Ann Brower
Sumner
St Asaph St, Colombo St, Mollett St, Tuam St vicinity: Ann Brower was crushed & trapped in the No 3 bus on Colombo St, nr Mollett St junction. She was injured, the only survivor. Four more people were killed by falling masonry in the vicinity, totalling 16, the third most fatal site after CTV & PGC multi-storey collapses. Those 2 modern bldgs were exceptions to 100s of unreinforced masonry bldgs collapsing in 4 September quake, 26 December quake, 22 February quake. Unsecured parapets, chimneys, gables, brick walls & facades collapsed & crashed through neighbouring bldgs, or onto pavements, alleys, roads, gardens, driveways. Council had more than enough time to cordon dangerous bldgs post 4 September Quake.
More insults: For the last 2 year after demolitions, those Colombo St sites near Mollett St were a weedy mess. Many people passed the sites daily, as the temp, bus exchange was off Colombo St, between Tuam St & Lichfield St.
CCDU fail: JUSTICE & EMERGENCY SERVICES precinct, supposed to be on the block bordered by Durham St Sth, Lichfield St, Tuam St. Zilch happening amidst demolition sites & ghosts. NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Justice & Emergency Services precinct would be built, 2015-16.
Tuam St / Antigua St: Temp cop shop, besieged by SCIRT's orange, plastic, road cones & slow salvage / demolition of Canterbury Brewery. Cop cars battled to get out of Antigua St exit due to SCIRT road obstructions. Yesterday afternoon on my drive to fetch Luke, a cop car, siren blaring, waited for an obstructing truck at Tuam St, Antigua St crossing, blocked by SCIRT road cones. SCIRT fail: obstructing road cones, slow infrastructure repairs.
After leaving Christchurch for Mackenzie Country, end of 2013, for the next few years, whenever we returned to Christchurch, Leah & I joked we knew we were back in Christchurch due to SCIRT's bumpy roads, road patching, orange, plastic, road cone detours. 2019. Nine years post 4 September quake, orange, plastic, road cones still obstructed Christchurch traffic. Council fail.
29.05.13. Frosty morning, Avon River, Riccarton Ave
HEALTH PRECINCT, Riccarton Ave: Zilch new construction sites. New, 2 storey, Hagley Outpatients bldg, looked like a glorified prefab, on old Nurses Hostel site by Christchurch Hospital.
29.05.13. Christchurch Hospital entrance, Riccarton Ave
29.05.13. Hagley Outpatients, on demolished Nurses Hostel site, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
29.05.13. Christchurch Women's Hospital, Riccarton Ave
29.05.13. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave. 8 green, plastic, sewage tanks, in situ since the 22.02.11 quake
METRO SPORTS FACILITY including pool, massive area between Moorhouse Ave & Tuam St: bits of Moorhouse Ave, Antigua St, Stewart St, Horatio St, Balfour Tce, St Asaph St, Tuam St. Luke's work, Douglas Furniture was between Balfour Tce & Horatio St. Luke's boss said it would be a year before their new Hornby factory was completed. How long would it take for CCDU to pay for 47 properties for the Metro Sports Facility. (CERA Notice of intention to take land for the Metro Sports Facility). All those bldgs would have to be demolished, including Canterbury Brewery established 1854, before construction of the Metro Sports Facility.
Like neighbouring bldgs, Douglas Furniture & Canterbury Brewery would be demolished for the Metro Sports Facility, to be build on swampland near Avon River. Only in 2018 would concrete, foundation piles be driven into swampy ground for the Metro Sports Facility. (See Coda below). 2023. Ongoing construction. But ground subsidence S side of the Facility would need new underground concrete columns injected. CERA fail.
29.05.13. Canterbury Brewery est 1854, awaited demolition for NZ govt's / CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility, Antigua St / Tuam St
29.05.13. Post quake, relocated, Central Police carpark, Antigua St
29.05.13. Corys, quake braced window, Antigua St
29.05.13. Metro The Art Of Floors, Antigua St / Balfour Tce
29.05.13. Mico, Antigua St / Balfour Tce
29.05.13. Hazard boards on back fence, Canterbury Brewery, Balfour Tce
29.05.13. Abandoned business, USAR / TF graffiti, Balfour Tce
29.05.13. Douglas Furniture Ltd, Balfour Tce
29.05.13. Showbiz, Balfour Tce
29.05.13. Balfour Tce, E view
29.05.13. Post quake demolition site between Balfour Tce & Horatio St
29.05.13. Demolition site junk, USAR / TF graffiti, Balfour Tce end
29.05.13. Car dealer, Stewart St / Moorhouse Ave
Antigua St, Balfour Tce, Horatio St: Bldgs I passed daily became dilapidated. Pointless doing post-quake repairs, as they were slated for CCDUs' Blueprint takings. Montreux, trashed 1 storey bldg down the road from Luke's work, horizontally bent like an archer's bow.
29.05.13. Tectra, Stewart St / Horatio St
29.05.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Demolition site, abandoned business, Horatio St
29.05.13. Graffito, USAR / TF graffiti, abandoned business, Horatio St
29.05.13. Relocation notice, abandoned business, Horatio St
29.05.13. Orix Vehicle Sales, Horatio St
29.05.13. Douglas Furniture Ltd, Horatio St
29.05.13. Quake tilted power pole. Horatio St demolition sites to Moorhouse Ave. USAR / TF graffiti
29.05.13. Horatio St, W view
29.05.13. Horatio St demolition sites / carpark to Moorhouse Ave. Snowy Port Hills beyond
29.05.13. Montreux, Horatio St / Antigua St
29.05.13. Mico, Horatio St / Antigua St
PERFORMING ARTS PRECINCT, Gloucester St: Zilch. Just red zone, steel mesh fence cordons, demolition sites, ghosts. CERA fail. (2016. The Piano, music theatre would open, Armagh St. 2021. Planter boxes on empty demo sites. A demo site board would state Court Theatre would open on site in 2023). Turanga, new Central Library loomed across the road. Convention Centre / Te Pae was being completed across Colombo St. Media puffery about new hotels going up by Te Pae, but nothing happening yet.
CONVENTION CENTRE / Te Pae, between Victoria Sq & Cathedral Sq: Zilch. Just red zone, steel mesh fence cordons, demolition sites, ghosts. Central Library ghost & Chancery Arcade ghost awaited demolitions for NZ Govt's / CCDU's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae. CERA fail.
2018-21. Convention Centre / Te Pae would be built.
CENTRAL LIBRARY, Gloucester St. Zilch. Camelot Hotel ghost awaited demolition for Central Library / Turanga rebuild. CERA / Council fail.
2018. Central Library / Turanga rebuild, nearly completed, 3 storey, glassy rectangle, E cnr obscuring Novotel. Taking a break from hospitality work, Jake did gib-stopping work in the Central Library rebuild. He then got work at a Cumnor Tce caterer, near The Tannery, Woolston.
NGAI TAHU CULTURAL CENTRE, Kilmore St / Durham St Nth: Crowne Plaza Hotel demolition site, where makeshift Pallet Pavilion stood, next to steel mesh fence cordoned, Town Hall ghost. Zilch. Never mind other cultures in Christchurch. CERA fail.
BUS INTERCHANGE, Tuam St: Zilch. Council ghost behind red zone, steel mesh fence cordons, awaited demolition for the new Bus Interchange. Temporary Bus Exchange worked for over a year near Tuam St / Colombo St crossing.
2015. New Bus Interchange would open.
Reckoning: Brownlee's CBD "rebuild" was hype, precincts / anchor projects rebuild would take years to happen. So far, as no CCDU Blueprint precincts / anchor projects were anywhere near happening, CERA / CCDU had just perpetrated a taking in the CBD using taxpayers' money to buy CBD properties for anchor projects. 2012. Brownlee said there was no housing crisis in Christchurch, but now Housing NZ minister Smith boasted about building a new state house in Christchurch every working day over the next 2 years. Ha! CCDU offered peanuts for CBD properties, while threatening compulsory taking for anchor projects. CCDU / CERA fail.
*Trekked Worcester Blvd, Gloucester St, Cambridge Tce, Riccarton Ave, Antigua St, Balfour Tce, Horatio St. 64 images.
MoE Fails: 29.05.13, MoE minister Parata announced closures & mergers of several Christchurch schools. MoE's announcements last year, a fail, causing public protests & anguish for school communities. Of the many affected schools, the following were dear to us:
Manning Intermediate would merge with Hillmorton HS: 11 year olds merging with 18 year olds in the same school. MOE fail, despite close proximity of both schools. Why not carry on as before in separate schools?
Branston Intermediate & Phillipstown School, both closed, the latter merging with Woolston School. Branston Intermediate was undamaged by quakes. From Oaklands School, once a week our sons bussed to Branston Intermediate, where their subsequent technology careers were stimulated. MoE fail, both schools served many other schools with technology teaching. As Leah's school kids bussed to Phillipstown School for technology, Leah wondered where her kids would do technology, if at all?
Richmond School, near Leah's school & Kendal School near our Burnside rental, both closed. Expected, low rolls.
No merging of South New Brighton School with Central New Brighton School. Instead, MoE would triple merge Central New Brighton School with Freeville School & North New Brighton School in new North New Brighton School premises, 2015-16. Thus MoE would close 2 New Brighton schools. 2021. I would trek past Central New Brighton School ghost. An ad board solicited community ideas for the ghost school. 2022. CNB School would be demolished, new townhouses would be built, Seaview Rd.
SCIRT fail: Why did SCIRT continue digging up Estuary Rd outside South New Brighton School for so many months?
Merging meant closing schools. Grand total of schools closed after all the mergings & closures, including the Aranui super school: 15 closed schools! Never mind sacked school staff & 1 000s of kids' & parents' lives disrupted. Parata's statements published in The Press 30.05.13 were sententious fails. Examples:
"We have a chance to build brighter, more modern schools in better locations, which will ensure all children have access to good, quality education within a close distance to where they live." BS & insulting to teachers & parents who'd have to transport or walk kids longer distances to merged schools.
"Investing in the future
The government is investing $1 billion into restoring and renewing the education sector in greater Christchurch over 10 years, including building or rebuilding 16 schools. This will provide greater Christchurch with one of the best most modern networks in the country, which will serve communities for many years to come. It will help each child to get a great education."
Buildings didn't make quality education. Teachers did. Zilch about what the new schools would be, nor where? (July 2021. New Brighton Rd, I would bus past a new, 2020 opened, co-located school: Shirley Boys High / Avonside Girls High, built on liquefactioned, swampy ground, part of old QE11 Park).
EQC fail: EQC Truths blogger Marc Krieger outed himself while overseas, after EQC found out who he was, a 9 month's wonder at EQC's Wellington office. EQC Truths blogger threatened to fight whatever legal action EQC presented. He also challenged EQC boss Simpson & CERA minister Brownlee to a debate. Like his previous debate challenges, no takers.
On his alleged return to NZ, EQC Truths blogger wanted to set up a business helping EQC claimants. Another taker!
CERA was smug about its slow "recovery" but house repairs & rebuilds & CBD rebuild projects & SCIRT pipe, road, bridge repairs would take many years. Meanwhile, citizens endured slum conditions in trashed houses, during their third post-quake winter, while EQC & insurers delayed...
Coda:
Thursday, 11.06.15, two years later. Very little change in CERA's CBD: More demolition sites, a new Bus Interchange between Lichfield St & Tuam St & the steel skeleton of Justice & Emergency Services precinct. No progress on other Blueprint anchor project. CERA Fail.
Today the newly elected Council under new mayor Dalziel confirmed restoration of the old Town Hall, Kilmore St. New Council fail, as the former maligned Council, most of whom left at the last election, made exactly the same Town Hall restoration decision two years before in 2013. Council would mark time, waiting for meddlesome CERA to leave Christchurch in 2016, before more Blueprint CBD rebuild could happen.
Sat 08.09.18. Trekked Antigua St, past the Metro Sports Facility. Bare demolition site, steel mesh fence cordoned, swamp reeds growing on site. Ex Horatio St & ex Balfour Tce shingle covered. A crane machine drove a steel tube deep underground, loading shingle down the tube, forming an underground column, to remediate swampy soil for the Metro Sports Facility. But 7 500 columns would be needed before building of the Metro Sports Facility could commence. Given seismic waves & accelerations of the 22 February quake, another such quake would shatter those underground columns & mess top build. 2024. Metro Sports Facility PariKiore incompleted.
St Asaph St / Tuam St: Near Avon River, new Health Precinct bldgs had been built. Oxford Tce was being revamped with new concrete curbs & tarseal going past medical bldgs to the Quake Memorial by Montreal St Bridge. A small traffic circle replaced old traffic lights at the bottom of Antigua St, in the Health Precinct. All that rebuild would happen after CERA disbanded, after 5 years' meddling in Christchurch affairs.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See No fear in taking on officialdom (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Landowner says take the money (The Press / Stuff Co).
See $231m on land for anchor projects (The Press / Stuff Co).
See 700 new state homes for Christchurch (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Marryatt heading for showdown on pay rise (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Marryatt wants insurance briefing closed (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Live stream Christchurch City Council decide on Town Hall (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Groundworks to start for Christchurch's Metro Sports Facility (The Press / Stuff Co).
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