4. Canterbury Recovery—Government Information for HomeownersDr MEGAN WOODS (Labour—Wigram) to the Minister supporting Greater Christchurch RegenerationCanterbury Recovery—Government Information for Homeowners4. Dr MEGAN WOODS (Labour—Wigram) to the Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration: Does he agree with the Prime Minister who said with regard to the Canterbury earthquakes on behalf of the Government let me be clear that no one will be left to walk this journey alone"; if so does he think all relevant information prepared by his Government has been made available to Cantabrians to assist them in navigating post-earthquake decisions?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration): In answering those two questions may I say to support those answers that the Government has invested around $17.5 billion in helping greater Christchurch rebuild after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. This includes $11.2 billion that the Earthquake Commission expects to spend in response to the earthquakes $2.5 billion of which it spent establishing the Canterbury Home Repair Programme. It includes $1.5 billion spent purchasing red-zoned land to enable 8000 families to move on with their lives $1.7 billion on the programme to rebuild damaged roads bridges and underground services more than a billion dollars to renew educational facilities and build some of the country's most modern schools and another billion rebuilding the region's health facilities—including a new hospital at Burwood and new outpatient facilities and an acute services building on the Christchurch Hospital campus. We have invested another $1 billion in important anchor projects that will see Christchurch have some of the best civic facilities in the world let alone the country. Then there is the establishment of Regenerate Christchurch which will see an ongoing relationship between the Crown and the Government to ensure that ongoing investment. There are many more examples I could give in answer to the first part of the question which is yes I do agree with the Prime Minister; in answer to the second part of the question yes. Dr Megan Woods: I seek leave to table an unpublished 82-page booklet Cash settling earthquake-damaged residential properties in Canterbury prepared by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to guide Canterbury homeowners through the cash settlement process. It is undated but the Government failed to release it. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The last part is very unnecessary. I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none. Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Dr Megan Woods: Does he agree with a representative of the insurance industry that if this booklet had been published 3 years ago it would have been "extremely useful—in fact we were crying out for such a resource …"; if so why did they wait years before beginning this resource?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I do not agree with that insurance company representative whoever that anonymous person might be. The book was worked on by MBIE between February and late September 2015—7 months. At the start insurance settlements in Christchurch were at 83 percent. By the time it had finished they had risen to 93 percent. As of where we are at the present those insurance settlements are at 96 percent. The book itself was considered by those who reviewed it to be extremely confusing and likely to be most unhelpful. Many of those comments in fact came from the same insurance people whom perhaps the member is relying on. What I would point out to her is that the Government itself in buying out the 8000 people in the red zones discovered over 60 different policy settings for what on the face of it may have seemed to be the same type of policy. The book was not published because it was not helpful—now that I know the member has read it that may explain some of her confusion. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! I need to just call the member.Dr Megan Woods: Thank you. So if this book was so flawed why was a representative of the insurance industry saying if the booklet had been published 3 years ago it would have been "extremely useful—in fact we were crying out for such a resource at the time."?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I am regularly told by the member and some of her other party members that insurance companies have acted in a disreputable manner. Why is it that when they claim that that is the case—but when they want to say something that suits them suddenly they are paragons? The reality here is that the settlements at the moment sit at 96.6 percent. They are continuing. The book was deemed to be confusing and therefore it was not published.Dr Megan Woods: Will he apologise to the people of Canterbury for bowing to pressure and scrapping a booklet that would have aided them to get back on their feet and get a fair deal?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Given that the book took 7 months to produce and was totally useless I am certainly not apologising for it not being published. What I am proud of is that Cantabrians working with their insurers have got to a position where there is a 96.6 percent settlement rate. What is left are difficult difficult cases and we are doing what we can to see them settled."