Ministerial Statements — Earthquake Christchurch—Extension of State of National Emergency 
Ministerial Statements — Earthquake Christchurch—Extension of State of National Emergency 
[Volume:671;Page:17877] 
Ministerial Statements 
Earthquake Christchurch—Extension of State of National Emergency 
Hon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence) 
: 
 I wish to make a ministerial statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to a further extension of the state of national emergency in Christchurch city. 
Today Tuesday 12 April I further extended the duration of the state of national emergency in Christchurch city under section 71 of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. This is the eighth extension of the state of national emergency that applies specifically to Christchurch city since it was first declared on 23 February. I consider the extension to be necessary as it enables the national controller to continue exercising his powers and functions under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act to further stabilise the situation in Christchurch City. 
Some members have expressed interest in knowing about the authorities that the national controller has used during the state of national emergency. These include issuing statements concerning the emergency; the accommodation feeding and care of displaced people; entering premises to rescue people or ensure no one is trapped; the provision of air transport out of Christchurch using New Zealand Defence Force aircraft; cordoning evacuating and restricting access to the central business district and other areas; the demolition of unsafe structures; emergency works to dump earthquake rubble at Lyttelton; emergency works to discharge untreated sewage into rivers estuaries and the sea; emergency works including the dumping of debris at Burwood; emergency works to erect substations and overground power lines in the eastern suburbs; giving directions to people to stop activities that might cause or substantially contribute to the emergency and requesting that people take action to prevent or limit the extent of the emergency; and carrying out inspections which may include marking seizing sampling securing disinfecting or destroying any property animal or any other thing in order to prevent or limit the extent of the emergency. 
The state of national emergency in Christchurch will be lifted when I am satisfied that the situation has stabilised sufficiently and that the powers available through the state of national emergency are no longer required. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
: 
 Labour does not intend to take a long period to debate the extension of the state of national emergency. I think it is fair to say that after eight repeats the Minister of Civil Defence is on his last chance this week. 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party supports the extension of the state of emergency. In fact I ask the Government to consider extending it some more at a future time. As I understand it the direction at the moment is to replace the state of emergency with the authorities granted to central authorities under the bill that is shortly to come before Parliament—namely I think the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority Bill; it is not on the Order Paper at the present time. That bill will apparently take over some of the authorities from civil defence. 
In order to allow Parliament to have proper time to debate such a replacement the preference of the Green Party would be to extend the state of emergency powers. This extension would allow proper considered discussion of the bill to come before Parliament with a proper select committee procedure. Particularly given that it will cover all of the different things covered in the Minister’s statement and even go beyond that as I understand it to some central direction of planning—which raises a whole lot of questions about local democracy—it would be much better to extend the state of emergency for some weeks while we have a considered discussion of the bill that is about to come before Parliament.