O'Rourke DenisDENIS O'ROURKE (NZ First): I want to talk about a report that was issued today by the Human Rights Commission. It is a report called Staying in the red zones. This is a summary of it. If I were to retitle this report I would call it Unfinished Business because really that is what it is about. Many people in New Zealand think that the issues about Christchurch—the earthquakes and the red zones and the people who have been affected by it—are all over but of course that is far from the truth. This particular report relates specifically to 350 people who are still living in the red zone in Christchurch—350 people—so for them things are not over by a long shot. The report that I have in front of me is something that I think the Government should take particular notice of because it does show that there is unfinished business. There are things that the Government still needs to do. Some of the issues for example which are listed here that people have to face because of red zoning—which is after all a Government measure remember not something that the people did themselves; this is a Government measure—are that people still have difficulties with their mortgages people cannot get the finance that they need people cannot get the insurance cover and people are worried about services that may or may not continue to be delivered. As the summary of the report says: Red zone residents have faced difficulties securing insurance for their red zoned properties. At the time of the research almost half the red zoned [residents] had full insurance … while the remainder had partial insurance. Insurance is one of the most significant issues facing red zone residents and it has affected their levels of stress and wellbeing." It is a very serious matter when we know that so many people cannot get full insurance for their properties. That is something that needs to be addressed. You might say to yourself why then did they not accept the Government offer? Why have they chosen to stay and live in the red zone? The report from the commission surveys shows the main reasons. First of all there is attachment to home financial reasons and a perceived drop in the quality of life if they intend to move. Of course with home prices the way they are now you can understand why that may be. People also felt that during the process they have been through they have not been properly informed that communications by Government agencies have been poor and that is something in particular that needs to be addressed. In addition to that there were the people who were living in uninsured properties or whose land without properties on them could not be insured and they have suffered. They had to go through the whole process of a Supreme Court decision and the legal proceedings leading up to all of that before they got the Government to really take notice. They are worried about the delay. They have been worried about the difference between the compensation offered to others the compensation offered to them and the fact that the compensation offered is well out of date given that so many years have now moved on. This is what the summary of the report says about that: "Following the earthquakes the land revaluation process in Canterbury scheduled for 2010 was delayed until 2014. The new valuations significantly affected owners of red zoned land with the rateable value of red zoned properties falling dramatically for many by up to 80 to 90 percent. The loss of equity in what for most people was their biggest asset has been a source of stress and was perceived by some residents as an added pressure to accept the Government offer to purchase properties at 100 percent of the 2007/08 valuation. Owners of uninsured properties who are not eligible for the Government offer were particularly affected by the drop in the value of their properties." Those people have not been fairly treated. There are many other things listed in the summary and summarised on the last page are what the key issues are: human rights should be front and centre of this and they are not; the right to property in New Zealand has been compromised by this process; post-disaster actions by the Crown have been inadequate; communication needs have been inadequate; community engagement has been inadequate; and finally there is no one size fits all for matters like this and the Government simply needs to review it again.The debate having concluded the motion lapsed."