O'Rourke Denis: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
O'Rourke Denis: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8712. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
DENIS O’ROURKE (NZ First) 
: 
 The Government has made the Christchurch rebuild a top priority. It is putting great weight on the rebuild to drive the economy. Indeed it has little else as an economic strategy to reinvigorate the economy. The fact is that if the rebuild falters New Zealand falters. We must get the rebuild right or the cost to the nation will be enormous. So it is time for some scrutiny of the Government’s approach to the rebuild. 
After 2 years of policy stagnation inaction on insurance issues grossly unfair decisions on red zone property owners lack of progress on road repairs poor progress on home repairs and rebuilds unaddressed health issues arising from silt pools under homes in many parts of the city—and other health issues—the sheer number of complaints about the performance of the Earthquake Commission and the similar number of complaints about Fletcher’s performance including allegations of fraud and corruption over the monitoring of home repair contracts the only fair assessment of the Government’s performance is that it has failed in its duties and has failed to provide the leadership needed. Some serious wrongs are being committed too. They say that power corrupts and there is a real sense of hubris attaching to the Minister responsible for the Christchurch rebuild. Minister Brownlee is behaving increasingly like a Soviet-style commissar whose word is above the law. His arbitrary edicts are punishing the innocent. 
Holders of vacant sections in the red zone have been robbed—robbed of 50 percent of their land value and robbed of the compensation any other Kiwi would get if the Government effectively took their land. The Government can no longer sustain some of its shoddy policy-making over red zoned land. The use of outdated inaccurate 2007 rating values was bad enough but the treatment of owners of vacant sections is utterly unconscionable. In New Zealand it has long been accepted that if the Government compulsorily takes land then it pays the fair market price for that land. That means the pre-earthquake pre - red zone value for that land. Most Kiwis accept that it is a matter of simple fairness that the Government would not take advantage of a disaster situation to acquire land at less than its fair value. 
Here is part of an email I received only today from a distressed owner of a red zone vacant section who is distraught about the coming 31 March deadline: “With the red zone section owners’ deadline of March 31 fast approaching and both Brownlee and Sutton refusing to justify what is happening but saying ‘Take 50 percent or we can force acquisition at a lower price.’ we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. I understand there is some sort of parliamentary finance committee looking into the situation and its submissions close April 15. But we have to accept the offer by March 31. This is just one example of the ridiculous situations we have had to deal with. Two years of stress waiting for any decision is equally ridiculous. I understand you are busy but this insane situation is reaching a climax and the 100 families facing financial ruin—bankruptcy in some cases—are desperate for help before March 31.” That says it all really. 
The other big area of Government failure is of course insurance. It is high time for the Government to sort out the insurance debacle. A great volume of contested insurance claims continue to fester causing untold grief and anguish to totally innocent parties. Blameless people are facing the guile the manipulation and the artifice of well-practised insurance companies. Why is the Government not proactively supporting people who have paid their insurance bills in good faith for most of their lives? Why has no support system been put in place by the Government to help insurance-stressed people? Many cannot afford to buy advice.