Barker Rick: Ministerial Statements — Earthquake—Christchurch Earthquake Christchurch—Extension of State of National Emergency 
Barker Rick: Ministerial Statements — Earthquake—Christchurch Earthquake Christchurch—Extension of State of National Emergency 
[Volume:670;Page:16961] 
Hon RICK BARKER (Labour) 
: 
 I will start with the words of a mother who lost a son at Pike River. She said to me that the people of Christchurch had it much worse than they did. She said that while they waited for their loved ones they could go home where things were normal but the people of Christchurch could not. They had to wait and go home to broken homes. They had it much worse she said. I think those few words underscore the enormous compassion and feeling that people in this country have for the people of Christchurch. They see the devastation around them. 
The people of Christchurch also in my experience have enormous resilience. I have spent quite a number of days down there. I attended a meeting in Aranui where one man stood up and said: “I think I speak for everyone here. Yes we are doing it tough—things are tough—but we are OK; we are holding together. All we need is a few more things to help us make it through the day.” He was talking about the fact that at that stage they had had no power water or sewerage for about 7 or 8 days. Many of them 14 days on still have no power no water and no sewerage. They do not criticise the companies that are trying to provide those services because they can see the enormous effort that is being put in. But I ask each member to think how they could go home 14 days on and not switch on a light switch not get the jug to boil in the morning and have to cook like they are in a camp. These people are doing it—they are doing it tough but they are doing it—and they are coping remarkably well. 
They have enormous admiration as I do for all the civil defence workers and the emergency workers. They have watched people reconstruct the roads in incredible time. Pages Road was relaid in 2 days; they rebuilt everything. They have watched those people work incredibly hard. They have watched all those people come in from out of town to help them. They have spoken about the airlift in from Rangiora. I went around the corner to see some people from Hamilton cooking breakfast. People have come from Flaxmere with a barbecue to help cook and people have been supplying food of all sorts. I went to Brighton and the Hare Krishnas were offering an alternative to the sausages white bread and tomato sauce with vegan and vegetarian foods. Everybody is there. 
I think this speaks very clearly of the great compassion New Zealanders have and of their sympathy and support for the people of Christchurch. They want to help. They want to do everything that they can. It has often been said that New Zealand is not a country but a large village. When one looks at what has gone on in Christchurch one can see that demonstrated. Everybody in this country feels what has gone on in a part of their village and they want to help—they want to help in any way they can. It is up to this Parliament and the leadership team to give them the means the tools and the direction so that they can provide help. There is an enormous wellspring of goodwill a deep compassion from people throughout New Zealand and they want to contribute. 
I currently live in Hastings. I was not there when the earthquake struck that area but I have looked around Napier and Hastings and I offer these words of reflection: whatever happens in the near future in Christchurch people need to realise that what has happened will shape that city for the next 80 or 100 years. We need to think deeply on these things and be very careful about how we plan because it will shape that city for a long long time. 
Having said that we cannot afford to dally. I underscore the point made by the Hon Jim Anderton. The mornings have been cold in Christchurch. When the first big quake struck people knew that summer was coming and that they had time. But time has gone and more devastation has come to the city. Many people who had their houses broken and destroyed in the first earthquake still have seen no action. Winter is coming and people are nervous. Tiles are off their roofs walls are out things are broken and they are living in shells or camping in shells. They are apprehensive. They are apprehensive about how long it will take until they get something permanent. 
The last comment I will make about the people is that I went the other morning to try to find a paper. It takes a long time to get around Christchurch to find a paper in the morning. Not a lot is open; the shops are broken. When I went to a BP station I asked the woman there whether she was OK. She said she was OK but tired. She told me to look at the man next to me as he was really tired. She said I had to appreciate that everybody in the city is very tired. Those who have jobs are working incredible hours; they are working more hours than they can really cope with. Those who do not have jobs are incredibly stressed and they can’t sleep either. People in Christchurch are really tired and really fractious. I want to say that we need to put on our thinking caps and ask how we can support the people of Christchurch. 
The last comment comes from my Aunt Anna who said that as she went around in Hawke’s Bay everybody was taking about Christchurch. She said it had been a great leveller. She said it has levelled the city but it has levelled everybody else too. She said that everyone that she had spoken to was looking at them and theirs and their circumstances and saying how lucky they were. That luckiness—that they were not affected—drives them to want to help the people of Christchurch. There is a deep wellspring of goodwill for Christchurch in this country and we need to give them the opportunity to help.