Wagner Nicky: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWagner Nicky: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12056. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]NICKY WAGNER (Chairperson of the Local Government and Environment Committee):The appropriations for Canterbury earthquake recovery are good news for Cantabrians. I think we have always understood that both the Prime Minister and the Government have stood behind Cantabrians. They have supported us and the rebuild of Christchurch and Canterbury is one of the four major focuses for the future for this Government. These appropriations provide the funding to get on with the job.The rebuild of course is the biggest most complex and most challenging construction project ever proposed in New Zealand. Vote Canterbury Earthquake Recovery provides the funding to support the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority in its coordinating role in the earthquake recovery effort. The earthquake recovery will be funded in many ways from numerous sources. The first of course is insurance along with investment—both local and international—local government funding as well as our Government appropriations.We are still in early days for the rebuild so estimates planning and budgeting need to be flexible. There has already been an escalation of costs as more damage has been identified and as final decisions about many buildings are still to be made. Treasury recently revised its estimates of the overall cost of the post-earthquake rebuilding from $30 billion to $40 billion. It is believed that the final cost may be still higher than that but at this stage it is accepted that about $15.2 billion is the best estimate of the Crown’s share of the rebuild and about half of that about $7.6 billion has been set aside to cover the Earthquake Commission’s estimated shortfall.The remainder of those funds will be appropriated through several different votes—things like justice like health and like education. We are already seeing the benefits of expenditure in these areas. The new police and corrections hub is working extremely well and that has been reflected in the fall of the crime rate from the pre-earthquake rate. What they have done with the hub is co-located the police and corrections. That is a new idea. It has provided new synergies and improved processes and they are translating into far better results for the justice system. I think one of the things that the earthquake has allowed Canterbury people to do is to think differently. In many cases we are developing hubs of like-minded organisations. The way that they interact means that we can deliver a far better service.Planning for the new hospitals in the Canterbury area and Christchurch area is already well under way. We have got Burwood and Christchurch hospitals. Again those changes there have been driven by the damage during the earthquakes and how we have changed our way of looking after health care. What that has done is it has led to different ways of thinking in different configurations and different methods but they are all designed to deliver better sooner and more convenient health care. Certainly in terms of keeping people in their own homes and looking after their health care there we are leading the country.The increased expenditure in Christchurch is driving business confidence and economic growth and I think the people are beginning to recognise the opportunities for the city in the future. ThePress told us this week that every day 22 new migrants are coming to Christchurch. They are coming to Christchurch for the work and they are coming to be part of the rebuild. But there is a real understanding there that Christchurch will be growing and developing for at least the next decade and that it will be a very positive place for people to live and work in. There are probably very few cities in the world where that growth rate can be expected for that length of time. People are coming from all across New Zealand and skilled workers are coming from international jobs to us.I would just like to thank Gerry Brownlee and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority team for the work they are doing in Christchurch and Canterbury. There is no doubt that it has been an extremely tough time there and there is still an enormous amount of challenges going forward but with nearly 40000 residential houses being repaired and with new houses being built and families moving into them every day we are seeing real development there. Thank you.Vote agreed to.