Key John: Ministerial Statements — Earthquake—Canterbury 
Key John: Ministerial Statements — Earthquake—Canterbury 
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Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I wish to make a ministerial statement on the Canterbury earthquake. I seek leave for my statement and the responses of the leaders of the Labour and Green parties to be 10-minute speeches for other parties to have speeches of up to 5 minutes and for me to have a 5-minute right of reply. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is no objection. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: At 4.36 on Saturday morning Canterbury was hit by a devastating earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale. People woke in the darkness to a loud rumbling noise and a shaking home. Those with families gathered them together and took cover under a doorframe or wherever they could. Everybody in Canterbury has an earthquake story from that morning. 
By the time the sun came up it was clear just how much damage the earthquake had caused. Having visited Christchurch on Saturday after the earthquake I personally can appreciate the magnitude of the loss that people have suffered and the trauma they have experienced. I was awestruck by the power of the earthquake and the damage it caused the city I grew up in. Buildings have collapsed roads have been ripped apart and people have been injured. There are estimates that 100000 homes may be damaged some beyond repair. Frankly it is a miracle that nobody was killed. The earthquake was the same magnitude as the one in Inangahua in 1968 which caused extensive damage. It was as strong as the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year which caused widespread devastation and is estimated to have killed approximately 230000 people. Although no one lost their life in Canterbury’s earthquake families have been traumatised and have lost their valued possessions. As one eyewitness put it experiencing the earthquake was like being in the horror movie  
The Exorcist 
. It was a frightening experience for everyone. 
But it has proven one thing: in the worst of times we see the very best of New Zealand. I have been impressed by the community spirit shown by everyone from private individuals to Government agencies non-governmental organisations and businesses both local and national. People who cannot stay in their homes have been taken in by family friends or neighbours. Work and Income staff have been ringing or visiting all of the elderly people who are known to be living alone. Students have used Facebook to find hundreds of people willing to help them with the clean-up. Local mayors Bob Parker Ron Keating and Kelvin Coe have stepped up and shown excellent leadership. Everybody involved is responding to this disaster and has done a tremendous job so far. I am proud of the spirit shown by the people of Canterbury and New Zealand in the wake of this devastating natural disaster. We are also thankful to have had an outpouring of support and sympathy from Governments around the world. 
It will take a long time to work through the damage caused by the earthquake and we will need to be patient as we move into the rebuilding phase. Christchurch is New Zealand’s second-largest city so there is likely to be considerable disruption to both the local and the national economies. The Government will help alleviate bottlenecks and speed up the rebuilding phase. Yesterday I announced that the Government has donated $5 million to the mayoral earthquake recovery fund. This is just a start. The Government is prepared to step up financially to rebuild the region. This afternoon I am travelling to Christchurch again with other Ministers and the Leader of the Opposition. We are committed to working with local mayors and civil defence to get the region up and running again. This morning I also cancelled my visit to the United Kingdom and France which was due to begin this Friday. 
The thoughts and sympathy of the New Zealand Government are with the people of Canterbury in the aftermath of this earthquake. As the frightening aftershocks continue we stand alongside them committed to helping them rebuild their lives.