Today on the anniversary of the big Canterbury earthquake, we now know land-swaps are a better solution than disempowering devastated families with red zones. This is not just a rebuilding project – it's an opportunity for reconciliation, restoration and renewal, writes former Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel.
Opinion: I begin with an expression of deep sorrow for the loss of life, homes and livelihoods that have shattered parts of Auckland and our beautiful regions of Northland, Coromandel, Hawkes Bay, Tairāwhiti and Bay of Plenty after Cyclone Gabrielle. Like most New Zealanders I know these places well and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected.
When we think of all that has happened in the past week and the damage that has been done, we are struck by the size of the challenges that lie ahead.
These thoughts are even more poignant when they are published on the 12th anniversary of the February 22, 2011 earthquake that led to 185 deaths, hundreds injured, and ultimately thousands of people displaced across Ōtautahi Christchurch and Waimakariri.
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Talking to many people who were affected by the earthquakes, as we look at the sheer scale of what we can see on our screens, we all agree this is going to be really hard.
Our message is that the affected regions can look south for support. You were there for us in our time of need, and we are here for you.
It may seem too soon to turn our minds to recovery, but it isn’t. As we were told from the outset, recovery is complex – it is not a linear progression. One step forward may be followed by two steps back. Emotions will at times be overwhelming. We need to be prepared for all that is to come, and the sooner the better.
Children will need special care and attention. We know there is no going back to any sense of normality anytime soon, yet that is really important for the kids – schools, friends, activities, clubs – these networks need to be reactivated within communities straight away.
The announcement of the Cyclone Recovery Taskforce comes at the right time, and I am sure it will be expected to engage the expertise that exists locally and internationally to ensure we benefit from the experience of others who have faced catastrophic disasters of this scale. We can and will recover, and we must ensure that as a result of our experience, we are better placed as a nation to face the uncertainties and challenges the future holds.
This is a chance to secure the things that are good, but also to address those things that are not good. Having listened intently to the coverage over the past week, I would say forestry industry practices would be very high on the latter list
There is no question our experience of alliances in the south – the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team and the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery – will be invaluable in tackling the extent of the infrastructure repairs that will be required. The opportunity for apprenticeships and other capacity-building initiatives in this context should not be underestimated either. The partnership between Ngāi Tahu, Ara Institute of Canterbury and Hawkins Construction was hugely successful in this regard.
However, that is the delivery side. These regions will have to face big decisions, which the Government will have to play a significant part in making. These are land-use planning for the future, which will include whether areas should be restored to their previous use, and the setting of priorities within and between regions. These are at their heart democratic decisions, and it will be important to develop inclusive, participatory decision-making processes that fully engage the community.
After the earthquakes, I visited the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and was taken with the approach they had adopted in one of the small towns, Grantham. It had completely flooded in the 2011 floods, and because of its location, it made no sense to rebuild in the same place as it would just flood again. The story of how the community came together to plan its future was an inspiring one and involved the regional council buying land on higher ground, enabling land-swaps for those who had the means to rebuild. It is unlikely Grantham could have otherwise recovered the way it did. Sadly those who couldn’t take the land-swap offer were hit again in the 2022 floods.
The first recovery seminar after the earthquakes emphasised that people needed to be involved in joint learning and public decision making, so as to capitalise on local culture and knowledge. This also has the benefit of restoring a sense of self-efficacy to the community, which is vital in the face of what has essentially been a disempowering event.
I don’t know all the areas that have been affected well enough to say whether land-swaps would be an option or not, but I’d like to think they could be on the table. The ‘red-zoning’ approach adopted in Ōtautahi Christchurch was very disempowering, and we could learn a lot from Grantham and also how communities were supported to plan their recovery in places such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Bringing mana whenua to the table as partners is equally vital. Traditional knowledge is essential for planning for the future.
There is also going to be a need to balance speed with deliberation. There will be calls for urgent action. However, we know how important it is to get the fundamentals right before binding decisions are made.
A memorable line from the seminar was that recovery was an opportunity for reconciliation, restoration and renewal. It cannot be seen as just a rebuilding project. This is a chance to secure the things that are good, but also to address those things that are not good. Having listened intently to the coverage over the past week, I would say forestry industry practices would be very high on the latter list.
This is an example of what is described as the missing story – namely what was going on before the crisis occurred. We are told that if we ignore this story in the recovery process, we can re-entrench pre-event vulnerabilities.
If there is one thing that disaster offers us, it is the opportunity to put things right; something we might never have been otherwise able to do.
Let’s seize this opportunity to build capacity within our local and regional communities to face the future with renewed confidence, and we will all benefit from that.
