Christchurch Cathedral : Marcus Brandt and the People’s Steeple Project

While Bishop Victoria and the Anglican church property trust (CPT) continue to sit on their hands perhaps awaiting devine intervention, who knew, it turns out that a group of stalwart people in New Zealand – with an incredible level of international assistance – are busy planning a very special Cathedral project.

From: Mark Belton
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 11:11 PM
To: [Elizabeth Kerr + RCC Mailing List]
Subject: Introducing The People’s Steeple

Dear Cathedral Restoration supporters

Below is a link to a video clip of the People’s Steeple proposal being demonstrated by its creator Marcus Brandt. Marcus has been in CHCH this last week promoting the People’s Steeple Project.

The People’s Steeple is a mind blowing proposal…audacious, visionary, inspiring. Lifting telescoping timber sections of the spire 60 metres into the sky…powered by about 500 trained people working 16 capstan winches placed around Cathedral Square, watched by up to 50,000 people in the Square.

The US based Timber Framers Guild (TFG), a professional organisation of engineers and timber framers has offered to be the lead contractor to build, assemble, and erect the People’s Steeple. The lead NZ engineers would be renowned CHCH timber engineer – Prof Andy Buchanan whose report on the project is attached.

Skilled TFG members from the US and around the world would gift their time, working in the Square preparing and assembling the timbers, and then helping lead the steeple’s erection. Up to 300 TFG members along with locals could be involved working in the Square over a period of about 6 months.

The TFG have successfully undertaken 75 community building projects over the last 25 years in the US and around the world. They are super keen to offer their services to CHCH. The TFG emphasise their projects are about ‘building communities’.

Marcus says would take only 2-3 hrs to lift and secure the telescoping sections. Flooring and bells would be assembled the same day and in the evening the bells would ring out…proclaiming to the world – ‘Christchurch is back’….and a Hangi feast would be opened…for a crowd of 50,000! International media would broadcast the event around the world…the whole enterprise being about engaging our community in the most positive way…and it would ignite fund raising for the restoration of the cathedral. It is envisaged the construction of the People’s Steeple would lead restoration of the cathedral and the Square.

It is noted huge pro bono contributions from the Guild’s members are being offered, and Blakely Pacific NZ Ltd, a US based forestry company has offered to provide the timbers at no cost from giant 125-year-old Port Orford Cedar from its Pioneer Forest in South Canterbury.

The Restore Christchurch Cathedral Group is strongly supportive of the People’s Steeple.

We hope this inspiring project will help engage and enthuse Christchurch people with recovery of the cathedral, and help get the cathedral restoration programme underway.

Warm regards

Mark Belton
Co-Chair, Restore Christchurch Cathedral

Mark Belton
Managing Director
Permanent Forests NZ Limited
PO Box 34, Lyttelton 8841, New Zealand

See attached reports by Marcus Brandt, Andy Buchanan, and the TFG.
● TFG People’s Steeple Project approach notes-10-2-16
● Steeple 16-8-12
● M Belton report on Timber Framers Guild conf and People’s Steeple 23-9-16
● Engineering the People’s Steeple v9

The People’s Steeple | Whare Films Published on Feb 23, 2017

The People’s Steeple
Rebuilding the Bell Tower at Christchurch Cathedral
Marcus Brandt: An Introduction

For the last thirty years or so, I’ve been restoring historic stone and timber buildings, mostly in Southeastern Pennsylvania. I’m a working master carpenter and stone mason. Most of the historic buildings I am called to work on are 150 to 300 years old. Solid and well crafted, these old buildings tend to age well, but neglect and damage can take a toll. Much of my effort is spent in repairing and strengthening the timber frames of barns, bridges, houses, gristmills and churches. I’ve had several commissions to build new structures in the old style. I have organized and led many barn raisings, in which hundreds of volunteers gather to raise a barn’s frame in a day. A good crew will have the sides and roof on too.
Straightening, plumbing and repairing damaged stone walls is often called for. It is not uncommon to straighten a wall 10 meters high that is out of plumb by 400 or 500 mm. Having studied and worked with several Scots masons, I’m a strong believer in lime based mortars and good masonry practice. The interface between stone and timber is of particular interest to me.
Since 1989, I’ve been a professional member of the Timber Framers Guild (TFG) and a member of the Traditional Timberframe Research and Advisory Group (TTRAG). That part of the Guild focuses on understanding the past practice of the craft with a view that the past might help inform future practice. I have advised many historical and preservation societies and sat on many review boards.
As a result of my participation in Guild efforts and projects, I was invited to go to both Scotland and China to investigate “lost” technologies for the Public Broadcast Service series NOVA. We built working siege weapons in Scotland and in China we built a bridge design that hadn’t been built since the Mongol invasion.
I teach Traditional building skills at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. I’m particularly interested in ways that the pre-industrial past practice can inform building in the greener, sustainable post-industrial world of the future.
I serve as a sailor, boson and ship’s carpenter aboard the tall ship Gazela (www.Gazela.org). That experience has taught me much about rigging and raising heavy loads in confined spaces. It’s taught me about erecting tall, secure, flexible, stable structures that get tossed about and shaken mercilessly. A sea captain in her own right, my wife serves as First Mate aboard Gazela. She out-ranks me, and helps keep me humble.
Since 22 February, I have been working as much as possible to develop a method to rebuild the Bell tower at Christchurch. With the help of friends and students, and the forbearance of my wife, I developed a plan that is beautiful, solid, strong, flexible, earthquake resistant, buildable, durable, and familiar. But more than anything, I want to use the rebuilding of the steeple as a vehicle for rebuilding and strengthening the community. And, once built, serve as an outward witness to the inward love we have for each other as fellow humans.
I look forward to doing this project with the able help of my best friends in the world…many of whom I haven’t yet met.

█ More information about the People’s Steeple Project and participants at http://thepeoplessteeple.org/

Related Posts and Comments:
23.12.15 Christ Church Cathedral: practical news from govt mediator…
14.7.12 Rival newspaper on historic heritage #cathedral
2.3.12 Christ Church, Cathedral Square

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

*Images: Christchurch Cathedral – (from top) colour render by whatifdunedin [photo source: Country Farm Garden Photos at cfgphoto.com]; black white render by whatifdunedin [photo source: Tony H Photography at tonyhphotography.co.nz]; colour photo of steeple detail [mygola.com]; cathedral with chalice by Sisson Photography [via photoshelter.com]; black white photo by Mudbird Ceramics [mudbirdceramics.blogspot.co.nz]; colour photo by Cindy taken on 5 Aug 2003 [via staticflickr.com]

Quake tremors felt at Pitt St, Dunedin

Updated post
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 at 12:20 a.m.

█ Civil Defence Information
The first port of call is the otagocdem.govt.nz website.

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[screenshot] GeoNet NZ

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Earthquake tremors Pitt St Central Dunedin

— What if Dunedin (@whatifdunedin) November 13, 2016

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Severe M6.6 Earthquake
15 km SE of Hanmer Springs
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred 15 km SE of Hanmer Springs, New Zealand at Mon Nov 14 2016 12:02 AM (NZDT) …

What to do after an earthquake
Expect aftershocks for hours, days, or weeks after the main quake. Aftershocks can cause building damage and falling debris that could injure you.

9 mins ago · Sources: GNS Science (GeoNet), getthru.govt.nz Google Link

[screenshot – click to enlarge] GeoNet NZ

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Cheviot earthquake – expect aftershocks. Each time one is felt, drop, cover and hold. #eqnz pic.twitter.com/ppkXMEtFGb

— MCDEM (@NZcivildefence) November 13, 2016

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█ Check out other Canterbury quakes felt after midnight at this page:
https://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/canterbury

█ Christchurch Quake Map [go to Monday 14/11/16 (3) – last 3 hours]
http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/all

[screenshots – click to enlarge]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

WHO says ‘heritage rules are too restrictive’ —What’s their agenda in the Heritage City

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS

St Joseph’s and the Dominican Priory, Smith St [cardcow.com]

‘A new roof for Dunedin’s Dominican Priory, considered one of New Zealand’s most important and at-risk historic buildings, is a big step closer following a $100,000 grant. [The] Dunedin Heritage Fund had committed the money from its 2016-17 budget. The 139-year old priory was built to house the city’s Dominican nuns and provide teaching space for girls. Despite its vast scale and elaborate construction – its floating concrete staircase and double-glazed music room were cutting edge designs in their day – the building received little maintenance over its working life.’ –Gerald Scanlan, Catholic Diocese of Dunedin (ODT)

19.2.16 ODT: Boost for restoration of priory (+ video)
12.5.16 ODT: DCC commits $100,000 to priory restoration
27.6.16 ODT: Priory future gets clean slate

*The Dunedin Heritage Fund is administered by representatives of Dunedin City Council and Heritage New Zealand.

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MORE GOOD NEWS

Dunedin Prison “big-picture project” [dunedinprisontrust.co.nz]

‘The Dunedin Prison Trust has raised about $500,000 to start the first stage of its development programme to return the [old prison] building to its original appearance. […] Last year, the trust lodged a planning application with the Dunedin City Council detailing about $250,000 of restorative work which would return the prison’s exterior to its original 1896 condition. The application included work on the building’s roof and walls, as well as seismic strengthening, work expected to cost another $250,000.’ (ODT)

24.8.16 ODT: Restoration begins on historic prison
2.9.16 ODT: Captive audience for prison project
17.9.16 ODT: Old prison roof being restored

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GOOD NEWS CONTINUES

Dunedin Courthouse [panoramio.com]

‘Refurbishing and strengthening Dunedin’s historic courthouse is expected to cost more than $18 million, according to a building consent approved by the Dunedin City Council. The consent includes detailed designs that council building services manager Neil McLeod says involve some of the most extensive earthquake-strengthening ever undertaken in the city. The plans also show the extent to which the Ministry of Justice plans on returning the building to its former glory.’ (ODT)

10.9.16 ODT: $18m to be spent on court upgrade
29.9.16 ODT: Courthouse restoration set to begin
30.9.16 ODT: Dunedin firm wins courthouse contract

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BAD NEWS

‘The Physio Pool is one of the largest warm water swimming pools in New Zealand and Dunedin’s only therapeutic swimming pool. The temperature is always kept around 35 degrees. We feature wheelchair accessibility, hoist and private changing rooms. The benefits of warm water exercise are tremendous and have an extremely positive impact on the quality of life for all ages. We are open to the public and offer a non-threatening environment for swimming, aqua jogging, individual exercise programmes, or warm water relaxation.’ —physiopool.org.nz

### ODT Online Sat, 1 Oct 2016
Pool heritage status opposed
By Vaughan Elder
The Southern District Health Board is fighting a proposal to classify  Dunedin’s already endangered physio pool site as a heritage building, saying it may have to be demolished as part of a hospital redevelopment. This comes as the Property Council and the University of Otago are set to argue at next week’s  Second Generation Dunedin City District Plan (2GP) hearings that proposed rules aimed at protecting the city’s heritage buildings are too restrictive.
Read more

█ Heritage New Zealand | Otago Therapeutic Pool List No. 7581
Historical information and Heritage significance at http://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details?id=7581

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FURTHER BAD NEWS AND PILLOCKS

Criticism of the [second generation district] plan comes after praise in recent times for the council for its proactive approach towards saving the city’s heritage buildings.

### ODT Online Sun, 2 Oct 2016
Heritage rules deemed too restrictive
By Vaughan Elder
The Dunedin City Council’s proposed new heritage rules are too restrictive and property owners should have more freedom to demolish uneconomic heritage buildings, the Property Council says. This comes as Second Generation Dunedin City District Plan (2GP) commissioners are set to hear arguments next week about a new set of rules aimed at protecting the city’s heritage buildings. The University of Otago is also among submitters to have expressed concern about rules,  planner and policy adviser Murray Brass saying they had the potential to  reduce protection by making it more difficult to maintain and use heritage buildings.
A summary on the 2GP website said the changes included addressing the threat of “demolition by neglect” by making it easier to put old buildings to new uses and requiring resource consent for most changes to identified heritage buildings and “character-contributing” buildings within defined heritage precincts.
The new rules have prompted a strong response.
Read more

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FOR HISTORIC HERITAGE

Second Generation District Plan (2GP) – Heritage
Read all Heritage topic documents including reports, evidence and submissions to date at: https://2gp.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp/hearings-schedule/heritage.html

Documents
● Notice of Hearing
● Agenda
● Speaking Schedule – updated 29 September

Council Evidence
● Section 42A report
● Section 42A report addendum

DCC expert evidence
● Statement of evidence of Glen Hazelton [Policy planner – heritage]

█ Download: s42a Heritage Report with appendices (PDF, 5 MB)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Carisbrook turnstile building, Neville St | HNZ Category 1 historic place
[filmcameraworkshop.com]

Quake felt strongly at Dunedin 24.3.16 #eqnz

2:06 a.m.
My Pitt Street apartment went CRACK at its northeast corner as I watched TV. Nothing in the room moved except a miniature pohutukawa potplant, its long branches were swaying. Heard not felt, was it a quake ? Opened up GeoNet on my smartphone, confirmed. Completed GeoNet (felt) report.

[click to enlarge]
█ http://quakemap.co.nz/

New Zealand Earthquake Report
Magnitude 4.3, Thu, Mar 24 2016, 2:06:11 am (NZDT)
25 km west of Oamaru, Depth 15 km, Moderate
█ http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/2016p223097

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[click to enlarge]

[Felt Reports]

GeoNet maps – screenshots by whatifdunedin

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█ David Seymour is wrong –Dunedin gets quakes reasonably frequently.

ODT 23.3.16 (page 9)

Image: Paul Le Comte (via Twitpic). Source: ODT
[original tweet]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Christ Church Cathedral: practical news from govt mediator Miriam Dean QC

Updated post
Sat, 26 Dec 2015 at 3:25 a.m.

### beehive.govt.nz 23 December, 2015
Gerry Brownlee Media Release
Report confirms ChristChurch Cathedral can be reinstated

Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee says the decision by the Anglican Church to progress investigations into reinstating the ChristChurch Cathedral will be greatly appreciated by the wider community.
The Church Property Trust, which owns the Anglican Cathedral in Cathedral Square, has received an independent report from a Government-appointed consultant, who has reviewed the engineering options for the iconic city building.
“All of the parties’ engineers agree that the reinstatement of the Cathedral would require a combination of repair, restoration and reconstruction,” Mr Brownlee says. “The issue then comes back to cost and that is something the Church Property Trust will need absolute certainty of before it can commit to any work going ahead.”
Mr Brownlee says CPT is keen to enter further discussions with the Government in regard to progressing towards a reinstatement plan for the ChristChurch Cathedral, and that will happen in the New Year.
“And that is why we need to gain certainty about the affordability of this project and be able to work through the options. The positive outcome here is that there are now options to work through and that CPT is willing to do so.”
Link

███ Report on facilitated discussions with engineers on engineering options for repair, restoration or replacement of ChristChurch Cathedral. (PDF, 11.22 MB)

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Photos: Don Scott – The Press

Most of the building is intact – the scaremongering re the safety and cost of a rebuild is just that.

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The Anglican Church has agreed to consider “reinstating” the Christ Church Cathedral at a press conference today.

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 18:14, December 23 2015
The Press
Anglican Church to consider reinstating Christ Church Cathedral video
By Michael Wright
[…] A report by Government-appointed mediator Miriam Dean QC found the cathedral could be either reconstructed to be “indistinguishable” from its pre-quake self or replaced.
[…] Restoration campaigner Philip Burdon, co-chair of the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust, said he was “delighted and relieved” to learn the cathedral could be repaired, and was certain the necessary funds could be raised. “It had been the argument of the church that the building was unrepairable. The question of whether restoration was possible or not has been answered – I think that will be a considerable relief to the community.”
Read more

Yes, the Bishop is dragging her heels but MONEY might change her mind. Watch the Press video for her public statement and body language.

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Earlier documents commissioned by Great Christchurch Building Trust (GCBT), documents received 10 July 2012 via Mark Belton at Restore Christchurch Cathedral:

█ Christchurch Cathedral Structural engineering Review Final 27June2012
(PDF, 94.8 KB)

█ Christchurch Cathedral MRO prelim sketches (F)
(PDF, 3.9 MB)

Related Posts and Comments:
14.7.12 Rival newspaper on historic heritage #cathedral
2.3.12 Christ Church, Cathedral Square

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Courthouse —Cabinet backs #restoration for courts use

A considerable weight lifted….

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 17:44, December 7 2015
Dunedin’s historic courthouse to be saved
Dunedin’s historic courthouse will be strengthened and restored at a cost of $15 million […] Strengthening work was expected to take two years, and the city’s temporary court in High St would continue to be used in the interim. It was hoped a main contractor would be appointed later in 2016, following a tendering process, [Ms] Adams said.
Read more

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“The Dunedin courthouse is one of New Zealand’s most notable historic buildings and Cabinet’s decision reflects its significance, both as a part of the city’s rich cultural heritage and its importance to the region’s legal fraternity.” –Minister Amy Adams

### ODT Online Mon, 7 Dec 2015
Full restoration for Dunedin courthouse
By Craig Borley
Dunedin’s historic courthouse will be saved, strengthened, restored and have all its court service returned to it. The decision was made in today’s final Cabinet meeting of the year. Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams announced the outcome just after 4pm. […] The decision means a “more than $15 million” overhaul of the Stuart St complex, bringing it up to between 60% and 70% of new building standard, as well as “provision the buildings to operate as modern court facilities”.
Read more

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Full Statement —Minister

Amy Adams

7 December, 2015

Dunedin’s historic courthouse to be restored

Courts Minister Amy Adams today announced that Cabinet has agreed to the strengthening and restoration of Dunedin’s historic courthouse.

“The Dunedin courthouse is one of New Zealand’s most notable historic buildings and Cabinet’s decision reflects its significance, both as a part of the city’s rich cultural heritage and its importance to the region’s legal fraternity,” Ms Adams says.

“From the beginning, I’ve maintained that it’s been my intention, expectation and desire to see court services returned to Dunedin’s historic courthouse and this decision delivers on that commitment.”

The project includes earthquake strengthening and restoration, as well as the cost of provision the buildings to operate as modern court facilities. The project is estimated to cost more than $15 million and this will include seeing the building strengthened to between 60 and 70 per cent of the National Building Standard.

“The strengthening project is anticipated to take two years to complete and the Ministry of Justice will continue to deliver quality services from the temporary court in High St in the interim,” Ms Adams says.

Ministry of Justice will call for tenders in the first half of next year and it was hoped a main contractor would be appointed later in 2016.

Ms Adams says the costings in the business case had been comprehensively investigated and peer reviewed by a number of independent specialist engineers, and costed by quantity surveyors, before being subjected to a robust review by The Treasury.

“The investigations showed that as a category one heritage building, strengthening the court house is a complex project and requires a significant capital investment.

“I acknowledge the deep support locals have shown for the historic courthouse throughout this process.”

The facility in Stuart St was closed in 2011 after engineers found that parts of the building fell well short of the minimum 34 percent rating required under the National Building Standard. A temporary facility has been established at High St to ensure court services could continue to be delivered to the people of Dunedin and Otago in the interim.

With Cabinet’s decision, managing the restoration process now becomes an operational matter for the Ministry of Justice.

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/dunedin%E2%80%99s-historic-courthouse-be-restored

Related Posts and Comments:
22.9.125 Dunedin Law Courts | ODT editorial
7.9.15 Public petition to save Courthouse for courts use
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (top) Justice, Dunedin Law Courts (detail) by Elizabeth Kerr; radionz.co.nz – Amy Adams, tweaked by whatifdunedin

Dunedin Heritage Fund: Latest funding round | recipient building projects

### ODT Online Tue, 20 Oct 2015
Heritage fund contributes to renaissance
By Craig Borley
Another collection of old Dunedin buildings is to get a council cash injection as the city continues its renaissance. The 10 buildings received a combined $113,500 at this month’s meeting of the Dunedin City Council’s heritage fund committee.
Read more + Images

The grants
• Kelsey Yaralla Kindergarten, Trent Ave, North Dunedin: $5000 (earthquake strengthening)
• Golden Leaf International, 16 Manse St: $10,000 (earthquake strengthening)
• Empire Hotel, 395 Princes St: $5500 (earthquake strengthening report, prior to facade restoration)
• Gresham Hotel, 42 Queens Gardens: $20,000 (exterior restoration)
• Former stables, 218 Crawford St – $20,000 (reuse)
• Stafford House, 2 Stafford St – $5000 (fire upgrade)
• Loan and Mercantile Building, 33 Thomas Burns St – $20,000 (facade cleaning and restoration)
• Married quarters, Quarantine Island: $3000 (strengthening)
• Glenfalloch: $5000 (conservation plan update)
• Carpet Court, 115 Cumberland St: $20,000 (reuse)

TOTAL: $113,500

DUNEDIN HERITAGE FUND

The Dunedin City Council and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) jointly administer the Dunedin Heritage Fund to support the protection and conservation of Dunedin’s built heritage, as well as the continued use and appreciation of these places by the community.

The Heritage Fund Committee has the ability to make grants or loans to the owner or occupier of any historic place within Dunedin for the purpose of assisting that owner or occupier to manage, maintain or preserve that historic place.

The Dunedin Heritage Fund can provide incentive funding for a wide range of works. These include:

i. Essential repairs, stabilisation or core structural works.
ii. Restoration projects.
iii. Upgrades to code/regulation standards to enable contemporary use of heritage places, eg fire, earthquake, access provisions.
iv. Specific “like with like” material replacement/maintenance projects that protect the integrity of heritage buildings (eg slate or timber shingle roofing; copper gutters/downpipes; wooden joinery; stained glass; stonework; pressed tin ceilings; etc)
v. Preparation of heritage conservation plans.
vi. Emergency or protective works to protect heritage fabric.

Note: Routine maintenance will not normally be a high priority for assistance.

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█ For more information and guidelines for how to apply, go to:
Dunedin Heritage Funding Application (DCC website)

Contacts:
Glen Hazelton, DCC Policy Planner (Heritage) 03 477 4000
Jonathan Howard, HNZ Otago Southland Area Manager 03 477 9871

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Law Courts | ODT editorial

The Dunedin courthouse is one of the city’s finest historic buildings, and part of a heritage cluster impossible to match anywhere in this country.

We await an “unequivocal commitment” from the Government to return court services to their Dunedin home.

### ODT Online Tue, 22 Sep 2015
Editorial: ‘Nonsense’ courthouse costs
OPINION Really? Would earthquake strengthening of Dunedin’s courthouse really cost more than $15million as officials claim? Or is this another example where supposed post-earthquake costs are used as an excuse? Or can the Government simply not design and commission building work for reasonable prices? There is probably a bit of both.
Read more

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Dunedin structural engineer Stephen Macknight called the Government’s $15million strengthening figure “absolutely ridiculous”.

Director of Dunedin construction company Lund South, Russell Lund, said his experience suggested the $15million figure was “just not even credible”.

### ODT Online Sat, 19 Sep 2015
$15m bill for court rejected
By Craig Borley
Dunedin engineers and construction experts have rubbished the Government’s claims the city’s historic courthouse needs earthquake strengthening work worth more than $15 million. […] Lou Robinson, director of Hadley Robinson Engineering, said he knew the courthouse intimately after being involved in the 2002 work on the complex. He estimated an “upper limit on strengthening of perhaps $3 million”.
Read more

█ Website:
http://www.saveourcourthouse.nz

█ Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/SaveOurCourthouse

█ Petition to Justice Minister Amy Adams:
http://bit.ly/1FlZIWy (via Avaaz platform)

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Related Posts and Comments:
7.9.15 Public petition to save Courthouse for courts use
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

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Post and image (2015) by Elizabeth Kerr

Public petition to save Courthouse for courts use

### ODT Online Mon, 7 Sep 2015
Using online petition to save courthouse
By Eileen Goodwin
An online petition is the latest strategy of the Dunedin City Council backed group trying to pressure the Government to restore the historic Dunedin courthouse. Set up by Dunedin city councillor Aaron Hawkins, a member of the Dunedin Courthouse Task Force, it had more than 220 signatures last night. The courthouse is in limbo as it lies vacant with no plan yet for its future.
Read more

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█ Website:
http://www.saveourcourthouse.nz

█ Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/SaveOurCourthouse

█ Petition to Justice Minister Amy Adams:
http://bit.ly/1FlZIWy (via Avaaz platform)

SAVE OUR COURTHOUSE

Dunedin’s Courthouse building has been the seat of justice in Dunedin since it was built in 1901. Following extensive renovation and restoration by the government in 2002, in 2011 it was declared an earthquake risk, and progressively mothballed.
There have been questions raised by reports detailing the further work that needs doing, and what it will cost, that remain unanswered. In the meantime, $6.8m has been spent fitting out temporary courts in an office building on High St, at an ongoing cost of $600,000 a year.
We’re calling on Justice Minister Amy Adams – and other Ministers who have a responsibility to the court – to commit to a timeframe for the return of the courts to their home on Lower Stuart St.
Read more

Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister

A courthouse needed to show everyone involved in a court sitting had their place. Dunedin’s historic courthouse did that. –Professor Mark Henaghan

Justice Minister Amy Adams said in a statement last night her desire, intention and expectation was “that we want to see the historic courthouse building strengthened and returned to, and that hasn’t changed”.

### ODT Online Sat, 11 Jul 2015
Law alumni plead courthouse case [front page news]
By Craig Borley
Otago law alumni have spoken out from around the world, calling on the Government to do what needs to be done to save and return full court services to Dunedin’s historic courthouse. The calls came after University of Otago faculty of law dean Prof Mark Henaghan wrote to the law school’s alumni, detailing the building’s plight.
Read more

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### ODT Online Sat, 11 Jul 2015
Courthouse call-out false alarm
By Damian George
Police and fire service were called to a false alarm at the Dunedin District Court building this morning after a sprinkler was tampered with. Senior sergeant Steve Larking, of Dunedin, said someone inside the High St building damaged the sprinkler, causing it to activate.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Dunedin Law Courts, east facade (detail) –Kerr
May 13, 2015

EQC reforms, proposed changes to Earthquake Commission Act

Government was now seeking submissions on the proposals, before introducing a bill to Parliament in early 2016.

### NZ Herald Online 11:31 AM Monday Jul 6, 2015
Reforms to Earthquake Commission Act outlined
By Isaac Davison
Government has outlined the changes it wants to make to insurance cover after natural disasters, including a doubling of the cap on building cover to $200,000.

The Earthquake Commission Act is being reformed, and a discussion paper on the proposed changes has been released today.

Earthquake Commission Minister Gerry Brownlee said the reforms would ensure the EQC remained focused on rebuilding homes and would resolve the difficulties experienced in Christchurch with regard to land and building cover. The changes would also better integrate EQC and private insurers’ claim handling processes and ensure the natural disaster insurance scheme remained sustainable. Among the key proposals was increasing the cap on EQC building cover from $100,000 to $200,000.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Earthquake felt at central Dunedin 11:17 p.m.

Good shake at downtown café.
Glass windows and doors to frontage, all recent construction, sucked in and out. Fixed seats, up and down.

Check out http://www.geonet.org.nz
GeoNet NZ places it just off SH87 near George King Memorial Drive.

█ Details for the Dunedin quake at http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/2015p409380 – report your experience of the quake at this page using the “Felt it?” button.

[click to enlarge]

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█ http://quakemap.co.nz/

[click to enlarge]

█ For more, enter the term *earthquake* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth

Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts

Owner of Lund South, Russell Lund, is suspicious of the Ministry of Justice’s intention for Dunedin’s historic courthouse. (ODT)

The Opinion was published at Otago Daily Times today with the headline ‘Budgets blind to community benefit’ –here unabridged.

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Your editorial last weekend (ODT 9.5.15) regarding the fate of the courthouse and your suspicion of the Ministry of Justice’s true agenda is sadly, prescient.

It is extremely unlikely that there is any will by the ministry at all to strengthen and retain the courthouse.

Lund South completed the restoration of the main courthouse in 2002. During that project we were party to candid discussions about the history of the courthouse restoration project and how it very nearly did not happen. The attitude of the courts even back then was that they weren’t getting any extra funding for restoration of the courthouse. They viewed the historical and heritage significance of the building as someone else’s problem. The courts had negotiations with the owners of an office building in the CBD, and very nearly signed a lease to put the courts there. It was only due to the hectoring of certain persons in the design team and a sympathetic official within the department that saw the project proceed, albeit very reluctantly, and with ongoing demands throughout the project to cut costs.

Of course the pressures on all government spending in the current Joycean environment are far worse than those benign days of the early 2000s. About $11 million was spent on renovation and extension of the courthouse in a project completed in 2003.

The department has now spent or will spend more than $6 million on a temporary facility, not the $3 million you noted in your editorial. That suggests that this is not a temporary fix.

We can be sure about this because we were also involved in the construction of the temporary courts in the old BNZ building in 2001.

That temporary facility that served very satisfactorily (apart from an issue with insufficient acoustic separation in the jury room that was easily fixed) and cost about 10%, just one 10th of the current expenditure on the new temporary facility.

The strategy employed by the department is quite obvious. They have commissioned a national engineering consultancy that is not known for creative or economic solutions. The firm is also well known for being unreceptive to alternative design proposals, their attitude being, “this is our project, we are going to do it our way”. Another government department had to threaten to sack them from a $30 million project in 2013 when they refused to consider an alternative structural proposal that ended up saving the department several million dollars.

Local engineers familiar with the building are convinced the scope and the cost of the work required would be dramatically less than the current proposal.

We have seen this scenario play out in the case of the Oamaru courthouse, where an alternative proposal at an estimated cost of one-third of the courts engineers’ estimate still was not enough to convince the courts to stay in the building.

Dunedin residents might well ask why this is? Surely, if the building can be strengthened at reasonable cost it is worth doing?

The answer is that this department, like others, simply sees old buildings as a money pit for ongoing repairs and maintenance and its budgets are blind to the wider benefits to the community of retaining heritage.

Russell Lund
Macandrew Bay

ODT Link

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Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Justice at Dunedin
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Railway Station & Dunedin Law Courts –Kerr
May 13, 2015

Justice at Dunedin

Dunedin Law Courts 13 May 2015

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Related Posts and Comments:
11.7.15 Dunedin Law Courts “an incredible historic building” –Minister
14.5.15 Russell Lund on Ministry closure of Dunedin Law Courts
2.5.15 Ministry serves INJUSTICE for Dunedin Courthouse #HistoricHeritage

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Photograph by Elizabeth Kerr

Earthquake felt at central Dunedin 14:29 p.m.

GEONET NZ – First Indication
Region intensity strong
NZST Mon, May 4 2015, 2:29:10 pm
Depth 5 km
Magnitude 6.0
Location 30 km north-west of Wanaka

http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/felt [with map]

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QUAKEMAP NZ
http://quakemap.co.nz/

[click to enlarge]

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ODT: Large earthquake near Wanaka

█ For more, enter the term *earthquake* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

PROFOUND #AvoidMegaStructuresForHappyCities

Link received Tue, 21 Apr 2015 at 6:45 p.m.

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 17:09, April 21 2015
Christchurch Convention Centre location a ‘mistake’
By Lois Cairns
Putting a convention centre in the middle of Christchurch’s city centre is a mistake, Canadian urban experimentalist Charles Montgomery says.
“If your interest is in creating rich, social, connected environments in your core you should be very wary of plans to drop mega structures into that fabric. Convention centres are notorious, because of their architectural requirements, for killing street life around their edges,” Montgomery said.
“We need to be very wary of renderings of mega structures like convention centres that are filled with cartoon people because frequently those cartoon people don’t actually appear after the structures are built.”
Read more

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[screenshot]

TV1 Q + A 10:36AM Sunday April 12, 2015
The key to a happier life is in the design of our cities.
█ Video: Why sprawling, car dependent cities are making us miserable? Charles Montgomery (10:34)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC: Natural Hazards

Mass movement (landslide) hazard, Abbotsford 1979 (GNS Science, Dunedin)

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Natural Hazards Approach Being Revised

This item was published on 10 Apr 2015

The Dunedin City Council is responding to community concerns and revising its planned approach to managing natural hazards such as landslides, flooding and sea level rise.

Following public feedback from consultation carried out from June to September last year, the planned approach now has greater provision for flexible case-by-case assessment. This would apply where the level of risk is more uncertain or variable. In areas where risk is lower, there would also be opportunities to manage risk through measures such as minimum floor levels.

A technical assessment of the risks posed by natural hazards was prepared by the Otago Regional Council. DCC staff used this to develop a proposed approach for managing land use and development in at-risk areas. This approach, or preferred option, sees natural hazards managed through a set of hazard overlay zones.

Rules attached to the hazard overlays set out what activities and development would be permitted, the standards for some types of development and what may be assessed on a case-by-case basis through resource consent. Under the original proposal, approximately 8600 of Dunedin’s about 46,600 houses in residential zones were affected in one way or another by the proposed overlay zones.

DCC City Development Policy Planner Sally Dicey says the preferred option is still to manage natural hazards through hazard overlay zones. However, following submissions from 184 individuals and organisations, a peer review of a flood risk assessment and discussions with experts in the natural hazards and risk management fields, a revised approach is being developed.

Feedback highlighted the difficulties in limiting development where there was uncertainty around assessments of natural hazard risk, due to limited data, variations in and changes to topography, and site specific factors.

“Allowing for more case-by-case assessment provides greater opportunities to take site specific factors into account. Where the risk from a natural hazard is lower, mitigation measures will be required. These are likely to include higher floor levels for houses or requiring homes to be relocatable.”
–Sally Dicey, City Development Policy Planner

Developed areas within dune systems have been removed from what was originally proposed to be the extreme hazard overlay. This is because there is a lack of information about how erosion might occur over the next 100 years along our coastline. These areas are likely to be the subject of future studies and may be included in mapped hazard areas in the future. A strict management approach has been limited to areas where there is a high degree of certainty about the risk from natural hazards. Prohibited areas are no longer proposed.

“This is a sensible and practical response to balancing the known risks we all face and the concerns of the community. Staff should be congratulated both for the thorough way they have researched and prepared these documents and for responding in this way to the matters raised at public meetings and in submissions.”
–Cr David Benson-Pope, Planning and Regulatory Committee

Ms Dicey says it’s important to remember the proposed changes mainly affect new development. In general, existing activities will carry on as usual.

Hazard overlay zones are proposed for floodplains, low-lying coastal communities and hills prone to landslides. This includes areas such as Brighton, Karitane, Macandrew Bay, Waikouaiti, Waitati and parts of the Taieri Plain.

The Dunedin City Council is preparing a new District Plan, the second generation District Plan (2GP). The ultimate goal of the Plan is the sustainable management of Dunedin’s natural and physical resources. Under the Resource Management Act, the DCC is responsible for managing land use to avoid or mitigate the effects of natural hazards. The DCC is also required to consider the effects of climate change and keep a record of natural hazards. The District Plan is scheduled to be publicly notified in September. The revised approach to natural hazards will be released as part of that consultation process. That will give people an opportunity to raise any remaining issues or concerns on the revised approach.

█ A report summarising the feedback received last year on the preferred approach to natural hazards is available at http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp

Contact Sally Dicey, Policy Planner on 03 477 4000. DCC Link

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Related Post and Comments:
10.12.13 ORC restructures directorates
30.7.12 ORC on hazard risks and land use controls
24.8.09 1. STS response – appeal. 2. Coastal protection – comments

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

WikiHouseNZ @ Christchurch #eqnz

Possible interior of a WikiHouseNZ project called the BackYarder
Photo: Tigran Haruyunyan, WikiHouse (via Stuff)

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The new prototype, called the Backyarder, is the “nucleus of a much larger house”. –Danny Squires, WikiHouseNZ

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 08:20, April 6 2015
Business
WikiHouse project ‘a social enterprise’
A communal house-building network that started in the dark days after the Christchurch earthquake will be a reality this year. WikiHouse is an open hardware project, where experts design houses, or parts of them, and share their creations online for any house builder who wants to use them.
WikiHouseNZ co-founders and directors Danny Squires and Martin Luff will build a 25-30 square metre prototype house by the end of the year, they said at a launch event. The house will be fully enclosed, watertight, insulated, plumbed and wired for electricity and the internet. It would cost no more than a conventional house of the same size, Luff said.
The pair would seek consent for the building. It would initially be manufactured and assembled in WikiHouseNZ’s lab in Addington, but could be disassembled in hours and moved anywhere. WikiHouses are built from plywood shaped by a computer-controlled cutting machine. Components were fastened with plywood pegs rather than nails or screws.
The houses are more than “hobbyist prefab systems”, said Alastair Parvin, the London-based architect credited with launching the WikiHouse idea in 2011. The New Zealanders came aboard almost immediately and were in effect co-founders, Parvin told the launch via Skype. The New Zealand arm was a social enterprise. It generated profits but used them for a social good.
Read more

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█ WikiHouse/NZ developed by Space Craft Systems
Space Craft Systems is a social enterprise forged in the crucible of post earthquake Christchurch to develop the WikiHouse system in NZ and revolutionise the way we create our built environments. http://spacecraft.co.nz/wikihouse-news/

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Related Post and Comments:
23.4.14 WikiHouse.cc | open source construction set

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Earthquake felt at central Dunedin 12:40 a.m.

Last updated 14.1.15 at 4:33 p.m.

█ Quake 70 km west of Te Anau, intensity moderate, M5.5, depth 78 km http://geonet.org.nz/quakes/2015p033746 Wed Jan 14 2015 12:40:01 AM (NZDT)

Screenshot: QUAKE STATUS — Reviewed [click to enlarge]

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Updated Post 14.1.15 at 1:30 a.m.
Awaiting official report on magnitude, depth and location

Tweet:
NZ Earthquake Bot @nz_quake
QUAKE: Mag 4.9, Wed, Jan 14 2015, 12:40:00 am, 70 km west of Te Anau. Depth: 84 km tinyurl.com/mqxrhmk #eqnz
12:42 AM – 14 Jan 2015

Tweet:
GeoNet @geonet
Quake 70 km west of Te Anau, intensity moderate, approx. M5.3, depth 81 km http://geonet.org.nz/quakes/2015p033746 Wed Jan 14 2015 12:40 AM (NZDT)
12:43 AM – 14 Jan 2015

█ Felt at Pitt Street (Moderate) – reported at http://geonet.org.nz/quakes/felt

█ Useful Links: http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes | http://quakemap.co.nz/

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Screenshots [click to enlarge]:

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Related Posts and Comments:
● 16.10.14 Earthquake at Dunedin
14.10.14 ORC: New strategic plan fosters Otago prosperity
17.9.14 DCC releases earthquake-prone buildings register
24.2.14 Earthquake-prone Buildings Amendment Bill
18.8.13 South Dunedin and other low lying areas
● 21.7.13 Earthquake —Stuff tells you what to do #EQNZ
30.7.12 ORC on hazard risks and land use controls
27.6.11 You keep asking: does Dunedin get earthquakes?
28.3.11 Dunedin earthquake proneness 2
9.3.11 Dunedin earthquake proneness
27.11.10 LIM “site hazards”
4.9.10 Earthquake

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Christchurch rebuild, slants

Slow to roll….

nzplatts Published on May 7, 2014

Christchurch CBD Rebuild 2014
All music rights to Coldplay ‘Fix You’ – https://itunes.apple.com/nz/artist/coldplay/id471744

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Christchurch, rise….

DTPictures NZ Published on Jan 18, 2014

Christchurch – January 2014
The familiar sound of Christchurch’s trams are back in the CBD, it was a glorious day, and I wanted to test out my new GoPro! Cue time lapses, wide angles, and gratuitous slow motion shots…
Photography: Dan Heuston
Music: ‘Rise’ by Ultravox (Google Play • iTunes)

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### stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00, January 10 2015
Tougher conditions expected
By Tim Fulton – The Press
CHRISTCHURCH—Commercial construction firms are waiting to see how busy they will be this year as big jobs come together. The city’s commercial construction will get tougher, as the “greater rebuild” starts to wind down, Anthony Leighs says. “I have a bit of a fear that some will just react a bit too slowly and that will be painful and financially costly,” Leighs, the managing director of Leighs Construction, says.
The key to doing well in the rebuild is growing strategically, he says. Some companies are already caught between “scale-up” mode and planning for the time when work falls away. “Anecdotally, I know there are construction organisations who are finding the going, pretty bloody tough. And from this point onwards it’s not going to get easier – it’s going to get harder.”
Large projects for Leighs in the next 24 months will include Burwood Hospital overhaul and the Westpac and ASB buildings.
Commercial builders are also developing Christchurch Public Hospital, the Convention Centre, the Justice Precinct and “supposedly the Metro Sports Centre”. It is adding to the national strain on labour and construction materials, Leighs says. “The demand on resourcing is already pretty acute and it’s going to become far more significant.”

Hawkins chief executive Jim Boult says subcontractors to Canterbury’s commercial rebuild may soon look to the residential sector to ease staff shortages.

Christchurch has “adequate work for all good commercial construction companies at the moment” but companies will have to be nimble, Boult says. Most commercial firms are waiting to see how busy they will be, if and when some large government and private sector jobs come together. “If they all come out one-after-another, no problem. But if they all come out at the same time, then that could cause some constraints,” Boult says.
Contractors will probably need more migrants and imported, pre-fabricated materials from overseas to get the work done. They will also need to be careful not to be too large once their workload falls away.
Read more

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58 comments….

### 3news.co.nz Wednesday 5 Nov 2014 11:27 a.m.
Rebuild companies breaching employment law – MBIE
Labour inspectors say they’re disappointed how many staff working on the Christchurch rebuild are not being treated fairly by their bosses. Sixteen labour hire and construction companies have been found to have breached employment laws following audits by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Labour Inspectorate. Inspectors audited 40 Canterbury companies in the last six months and of the 23 audits now complete, 16 have breached employment laws. Most of the breaches related to incomplete employment agreements, unlawful deductions from wages and insufficient records, Labour Inspectorate southern region manager Steve Watson says. NZN
Read more

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Back then (2012)….

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 19:46 30/07/2012
Rebuild plan for Christchurch unveiled
By Lois Cairns
As many as 840 properties will need to be purchased to turn the Government’s plans for rebuilding Christchurch’s city centre into reality. The 100-day blueprint released by the Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) today outlines a bold plan to significantly shrink the size of the CBD by designating two strips of land – one in the east of the city and one in the south – as open spaces. These open spaces, along with the Avon River, which will be widened in stretches and developed into a riverside park, will serve to frame the new CBD, ensuring that all new development is concentrated within a tight geographic area.
Read more | Interpretive Location Map

AJ Funnell Published on Jul 7, 2014

Christchurch Flyover
Christchurch’s new look city… The video says up to 10,000 people could be working within 300 metres of the city centre. Animation Research Ltd (ARL).

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Earthquake-prone Buildings Amendment Bill

The proposed amendment bill raises significant concerns about the maintenance of current building stock, the character and identity of towns and cities, and the economic and financial wellbeing of provincial councils and their communities. More than 7000 buildings south of Timaru would require upgrading, at a cost of $1.77 billion over a 15-year period.

### ODT Online Mon, 24 Feb 2014
Councils aghast changes could cost billions
By Andrew Ashton
South Island councils are expected to offer a ”united front” in opposing new Government building regulations that could cost councils billions of dollars to implement.
Last year the Waitaki District Council joined the Dunedin and Invercargill city councils and the Central Otago, Clutha, Gore, Mackenzie, Southland, Timaru and Waimate district councils to present a joint submission on a discussion paper detailing proposed changes to the way earthquake-prone buildings are managed.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Town Halls and auxillary functions (clockwise from top left) Invercargill, Dunedin, Timaru and Oamaru – posterised by whatifdunedin

Christchurch stadium

“No stadium can make money unless it has millions of moneyed sports fans living within its catchment area.” –Lee Vandervis

Christchurch Mail 30-1-14 page 1 | Christchurch Mail 30-1-14 page 3

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Related Post and Comments:
24.1.14 [DCC announces review] Stadium: It came to pass . . .
10.5.13 Debate over new stadium
7.10.12 New stadium worries, NZ wide + a waterfront, ours
30.9.12 Wake-up call for Christchurch #eqnz #SeriousFraud
30.7.12 National Govt puts champagne and stadium before shelter housing
3.6.12 Sunday Star Times: Stadium story: any sliced bread in the murk?
8.11.11 Christchurch: new temporary stadium
9.8.11 Christchurch’s AMI stadium
16.1.10 Deans Stand at AMI Stadium: DONE

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Earthquake —Stuff tells you what to do #EQNZ

Stuff (Fairfax): Large quake rocks central New Zealand
Last updated 20:48 21/07/2013
A severe magnitude 6.5 earthquake has hit central New Zealand this evening, damaging buildings, cutting power, trapping people in lifts and injuring at least two people.
GeoNet said it was centred in the Cook Strait, 20 kilometres east of Seddon at a depth of 17 kilometres. It struck at 5.09pm.
The Pacific Tsunami Centre in Hawaii said the quake did not generate a tsunami, but a number of smaller quakes have struck since – the latest, a 4.4 magnitude 25km east of Seddon at 8.27pm, followed closely by a 5.1 magnitude near Hanmer Springs.
The 6.5 magnitude quake was likely linked to a fault in the Cook Strait capable of generating far more severe shaking, GNS Science said.
If there were a sequence of events, as in Canterbury, EQC would have up to $6.5bn in cover. A spokesman for EQC minister Gerry Brownlee said EQC had “ample to cover any future event.”
Read more

(via Stuff)
What to do in an earthquake | Photos | Video: Powerful quake hits | What you need to know | Video: As the quake hit | Regional round up | Map: Recent quakes

Wellington Maritime Police senior launch master Barry Hart said a piece of previously reclaimed land along the industrial part of the waterfront had subsided into the sea, taking with it at least one shipping container. “The land has actually subsided at least a couple of metres… into the sea. One shipping container has gone into the water.”

● 3 News
More quakes shake North Island
Civil Defence: What to do after an earthquake

What you need to know:
• Magnitude 6.5 quake struck around 5:09pm Sunday
• Centred 20km east of Seddon, 17km deep
• GeoNet lists quake’s intensity as “severe”
• 4 injured in series of aftershocks
• Mercure on Willis St evacuated, believed to be slumping
• Featherston, Wakefield, Bolton, Willis and Webb streets closed
• All KiwiRail services suspended
• Wellington workers advised not to travel to work until at least midday Monday
• Victoria Uni, Whitireia polytech both closed until at least Tuesday

● ONE News
At least one injured as severe quake strikes
Wellington’s emergency offices have been activated and USAR is on standby after a powerful earthquake shook central NZ.

GeoNet Quakes Map 21.7.13 (click on link for updates)

#eqnz
As Wellington assesses itself and keeps people out of the CBD for safety reasons according to its Civil Defence Plan now in force following today’s significant earthquakes and tremors, readers have been hitting these links . . .

[older posts]
27.6.11 You keep asking: does Dunedin get earthquakes?
9.3.11 Dunedin earthquake proneness
4.9.10 Earthquake

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

RMA and Key’s right-wing slashers

BACKWARD STEP: Our environment is at risk if the Resource Management act is watered down.

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00 21/07/2013
Gutting the RMA – it’s time to be concerned
By Anton Oliver
Source: Sunday Star-Times
OPINION | The Resource Management Act (RMA) has sadly become a much maligned and misunderstood piece of legislation: a kind of universal public punching bag – if mentioned in conversation, it is almost obligatory to put the slipper in. To most Kiwis it represents bureaucracy and inefficiency – pen-pushing do-gooders and paper shufflers who engage us in excessively long and costly processes that get in the way of us Kiwis doing stuff.
In fact the RMA – passed in 1991 – was a means of rectifying mistakes and providing at least some environmental and social integrity to development and planning process. It was recognised by legal minds to be a world-leading piece of legislation. It protected our environment and our economy based on the premise of sustainable resource management. What’s more, it was politically robust in that it received the blessing of both major parties.
It also gave New Zealanders a chance to be heard and it facilitated local decisions made by local people. While the country’s environmental indicators such as water quality and biodiversity loss have still gone backwards – the RMA has stemmed what would otherwise have been fatal haemorrhaging.
Similarly, the RMA has protected a set of fundamental Kiwi values: the notion of fairness and equity in regard to everyone having a right to their say; industry and other activities being required to take responsibility for avoiding, remedying or mitigating adverse environmental impacts; and developments being required to have regard to effects on such things as recreation, scenic values, private property rights, and the public’s access to rivers, lakes and beaches.
That’s all about to change.
The Government plans to alter the Act to give greater weight to economic development over environmental considerations, granting to itself the right to veto any issue. You don’t have to be legal-minded to see the impact of subtle word changes. While the consideration for the “benefits” of a project remains, gone are any references to the “costs”, making a cost-benefit analysis redundant because environmental “cost” is out of the equation.
Gone, too, are the words: “maintenance and enhancement of amenity values”. That’s basically any recreational activity – walking, running, swimming, fishing, kayaking. Who likes doing that stuff anyway? Thankfully the “importance and value of historic heritage” stays. But its cobber, “protection from inappropriate subdivision and development” gets the boot – making the first clause meaningless. And my personal favourite, “maintenance and enhancement of the quality of the environment” has been politely asked to leave. Clearly such an unruly clause has no place in a legal act that’s trying to protect the environment.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, has a different interpretation. She thinks the changes “muddy the overwhelming focus of the RMA, to protect the environment, and risk turning it into an Economic Development Act”. Similarly alarmed, the architect of the RMA, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, concludes: “The [proposed changes] will significantly and seriously weaken the ability of the RMA to protect the natural environment and its recreational enjoyment by all New Zealanders.”

The changes also grant considerable new powers to central government, giving it the ability to take individual consent decisions away from local councils and place them in a new national body. The changes go further still, by allowing government the right to insert provisions in local council plans without any consultation.
Read more

● Former All Black Anton Oliver is an ambassador for Water Conservation Order NZ.

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Related Posts and Comments:
21.4.13 *fashionable* Heritage Dunedin and the RMA holocaust
17.3.13 RMA Bill: Public meeting 21 March
6.7.12 Recommended changes to RMA explode environmental protection

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: stuff.co.nz – Anton Oliver

University of Otago development plans

When previously . . .

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### ODT Online Thu, 30 May 2013
$358m vote of confidence
By Vaughan Elder
The figure the university has earmarked for construction, from last year until 2020, was revealed in the university’s priority development plan, obtained by the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act. The plan includes 22 projects, 20 of which are in Dunedin. The university declined to reveal the budgets for individual projects, citing commercial sensitivity, but put the total budget for the work at $357.8 million.

University chief operating officer John Patrick said the projects were included in the plan for a number of reasons, including to accommodate growth, to improve building layout and efficiency and health and safety.

Asked how the university could afford such a large amount of work, given what it had previously described as a “difficult” funding environment, Mr Patrick said: “The University of Otago has a fiscal strategy that is designed to provide funding for capital development.”
Read more

30.5.13 ODT: University updates staff on quake work

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (top) physics.otago.ac.nz – University of Otago Registry and Clocktower; otago.ac.nz – Building at University Plaza