Prime Minister’s weekly column
Last week Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and I travelled to Christchurch to look at progress at a number of construction sites in the city center. It was heartening to see as the rebuilding process continues to gather pace.The demolition of the more than 1100 buildings damaged by the earthquakes in the Christchurch CBDis now nearing completion. Since the first earthquake, the Government has made it clear we will stand beside the people of Canterbury……… as they rebuild their lives and their communities. In our Budget, we confirmed an additional $2.1 billion in support of our second-biggest city.
Over $900 million of this additional funding will be allocated to projects, including redeveloping Christchurch hospitals, establishing a justice and emergency services precinct and supporting tertiary education institutes. We are also investing $300 million in the anchor projects for the Christchurch city centre, and almost $650 million of additional capital funding from departmental balance sheets will be used for health and education projects in Canterbury. This takes our total spending on the rebuild efforts to around $15.2 billion.
During my trip last week, it was encouraging to see considerable progress is being made. Over the past 12 months, a total of $800 million worth of commercial consents has been issued in greater Christchurch and this will no doubt increase exponentially over the coming months, as tonnes of concrete are being poured into the CBD each week. I visited three major construction sites while in Christchurch: a six-storey office commercial building; a three-storey building which will house offices, with a bar and retail shops on the ground floor; and a day stay hospital and medical consulting rooms. It remains a priority for the Government to support the rebuilding of Christchurch. I want to pay tribute to the people of Canterbury who continue to work so hard to help each other through the challenges that still face their community.
