O'Rourke Denis: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
O'Rourke Denis: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:678;Page:983] 
8. 
DENIS O’ROURKE (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery 
: Is he satisfied with the rate of progress of the Christchurch earthquake recovery? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery) 
: 
 I am satisfied there is progress on the recovery but I will always be impatient for that progress to be more speedy. 
Denis O’Rourke 
: What is the Minister’s response to the subject of an email received by me from a Christchurch homeowner in the orange zone which includes these words: “This farce continues to puzzle the residents and many independent experts who cannot fathom the continuing delay.” and “The Englebert Humperdinck song ‘Please Release Me Let Me Go’ has never been more apt.”? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: The email was clearly written to the member and he is quoting from it I hope accurately. What I think he is expressing is the frustration that some people have. There are 658 or so homes still left in the orange zone and there are about 2500 in the white zone. I have always said that we are moving as quickly as possible to get a sound decision for those people. In the end you are talking about what for most will be their whole-of-life asset—the one asset that they accumulate the most during their lives—so you cannot deal with that in any trite fashion. I have also made it clear that as we come to the end of the process the decisions become more difficult because some of the more obvious damage is not so obvious. But I have also indicated that we want to have most of those decisions made by the middle of this year. 
Denis O’Rourke 
: What actions will the Minister take to more effectively communicate with Christchurch residents on the future of their land and homes? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I think the communication despite the criticism from those who are political opponents of the Government has been adequate. I think that the fact of the matter is that it does not matter how many times you tell someone something they will often not want to take on board the message. The message here is we are doing our best on behalf of those residents whose properties are so badly damaged. 
Denis O’Rourke 
: I seek leave of the House to table correspondence sent to me by a Christchurch resident stating that the song “Please Release Me Let Me Go” has never been more apt in regard to the Minister’s handling of the quake recovery. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Denis O’Rourke 
: I seek leave of the House to table the lyrics of the song— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! [ 
Interruption 
] Order! The House will come to order or some National backbench members will be in trouble like—I thank members. That is totally unnecessary. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Has he seen the letter from the Parklands action group about the serious insurance implications its members are facing with one saying that if they have to rebuild on that site they cannot guarantee insurance; another saying that some areas will not be able to be rebuilt for 4 years or more; one saying they can guarantee insurance only for that customer which means they can never sell their property without guarantee of insurance; and of course the other one which the Minister will be familiar with which is the guarantee for only 2 years’ cover which was the IAG deal for the AMI sale? And what is his reply? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: In the case of Parklands post the seismic events of 23 December we have been conducting a review there. We have had discussions with that group and they have accepted that we are going to need to take a little more time to make a proper decision. All of the factors that are in that letter and many others are matters that are part of that ongoing consideration. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Has he received a report from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority on the recent meeting it held with Brooklands residents who want information about why they were red-zoned; and will he bring the Prime Minister back to Brooklands as he did on 12 September 2010 as the community would now like them to do? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I am aware that there has been a discussion with the Brooklands community by people in the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. The member points out one of the problems that you do get in these situations—that is here is a community that has been made red and there are some people in that community who want to go back to being green. The member speaking before quoted the song “Please Release Me”—people who are orange who want to go red and will not want to go green. It is a very very complex situation. I am disappointed that there were not more questions on that at the select committee hearing yesterday. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question that I asked him was about the Brooklands residents who wanted the information about why they were red-zoned. It was not a question about the correctness of the decision; it was about why the decision had been made in their case and they have asked the Prime Minister and the Minister to come back and explain it to them. That was the question I asked. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I accept that the question had more than one part to it and the Minister certainly responded to the first part of the question about Brooklands residents. I accept that he probably did not say why they had been red-zoned but he may not have that information with him today because the primary question did not indicate that the focus would be in that exact area. If the Minister had any information on why they were red-zoned it would be helpful but I do not expect— 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I think it is important for the House to hear that the information or the criteria by which the decisions are made have been published on the website for quite some time. In essence that land is no longer capable of sustaining residential occupation and the infrastructure that is required for successful residential occupation. It does not matter how much the member might like to say that she knows better; that is the advice the Government got from its engineers and the advice that we have acted on. In the end the choice is there for people in Brooklands to either sell to the Government their whole property or sell to the Government just their land and deal with their insurer over a rebuild somewhere else. Those are good options for people in the circumstances. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thank the Minister. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Colleagues were suggesting I seek leave to table the Cabinet paper but it is available on a website so they can see that for themselves that it does not say that— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: We are not going to do that. Question— 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: —but I seek leave to table a letter from the Brooklands Stayers and it is addressed to the Prime Minister inviting him and the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery to come to Brooklands as they did before. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: I further seek leave to table the letter of 7 March 2012 to Minister Brownlee from the Parklands action group setting out the different insurance issues together with the individual insurance company notices explaining the difficulties that they now face. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those documents. Is there any objection? Oh there is objection in that case. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Eh? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There is objection in that last case.