Burns Brendon: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Burns Brendon: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Advance Copy - Subject to minor change before inclusion in Bound Volume.] 
BRENDON BURNS (Labour—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 I caution the member opposite Aaron Gilmore about talking up the benefits of recovery too much because the experience internationally is that we should take a little time to see just how things do pan out. One example of that came yesterday with the Electoral Commission figures for my seat of Christchurch Central which suggested—and we are still trying to absolutely verify these figures—that 11800 people had left Christchurch Central and relocated and re-enrolled in other seats. Although 9700 people have come into the electorate we can see the enormous impact that the earthquakes which started about 11 months ago this week have had on life in our city. When we talk about jobs in our city let us not forget that as of 3 September last year 56000 people were employed within the four avenues of Christchurch; I would be surprised if we have as many as half that number at this point. 
We of course want the rebuild to happen we want the jobs to come back and we know that the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is the entity that is charged with that work. We unanimously supported the appointment of Roger Sutton as the chief executive. It is pretty unusual for anybody to take a $200000 salary cut to take on a job in New Zealand—or anywhere in the world I suspect—but we believe that he is the best man for the job. I think it is perhaps the hardest job in New Zealand at the moment and probably in a long long time. 
I will comment on a few things that are still popping up for me as an electorate MP and one of them comes back to heating as my colleague Clayton Cosgrove mentioned. I would like to ask the Minister to give us some reassurance about the heating programme continuing because there have been signals that there was a first phase to get heating installed prior to the real onset of winter in May but that things may have been buttoning back since. As recently as Sunday I was doorknocking in the Avonside area and I came across a man who had lost two chimneys and was still waiting for a heater. I would like some assurance from the Minister that in fact the heating programme is continuing at the speed scale and pace that it was before because many thousands of people in Christchurch are still in the grip of what is still a pretty severe winter and they do not have proper appropriate heating. 
I also ask the Minister the Hon Gerry Brownlee to comment on the temporary accommodation assistance that is available to people in the red zone. We need some clarity here. I was approached by a constituent Sue Skeet who is now living in Timaru. Her accommodation as provided by her insurance policy runs out this Friday I say to the Minister and she has been anxiously emailing the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and trying to get some assurance. The indications are that there may be an interim measure for her but I think that many other people in the red zone would like to know whether they are eligible for temporary accommodation. Support seems to be precluded by the initial wording of what was stated when the package was announced on 18 February because it was then envisaged that it would be for people who were returning to their homes. Of course people in the red zone are not returning to their homes and they need some clarity as to what accommodation support will be available to them. 
I also raise with the Minister the issue about the future of any remaining heritage buildings in the central business district of Christchurch. The Minister’s initial comments back in February that we might end up with only four heritage sites in Christchurch Central’s central city area sparked me and some others to form a group called Interests in Conserving the Identity of Christchurch or ICONIC which put together a list of 40 “must keep” heritage buildings the crème de la crème of the heritage sites across the central business district. The Minister acknowledged that it was a reasonable list when it was put to him in April but it would appear that now just about 12 of the crème de la crème the very best of the heritage buildings are still standing. I would like the Minister to indicate what can be done—what support and what signal the Government can provide to building owners—to say that we must keep some of these buildings for the future. The generations that follow us will look back and judge us on this issue and if the Christchurch of the latter 21st century is reduced to four heritage sites I think we will be judged to have failed the generations who follow us. There is not a case to retain very many buildings; most of them have already gone and many of them had to go. Buildings that were truly unsafe had to come down but I think we need some signal to say that some will be retained as a reminder of the Christchurch that proudly stood before the quakes.