Ministerial Statements — Earthquake—Christchurch

I intend to make a ministerial statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the Canterbury earthquake that took place on 22 February 2011. Before I do so, I seek leave for the six party leaders, or their representatives, and five other members to comment following my statement, and for those speeches to be up to 5 minutes each.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.

On this day 2 weeks ago the great city of Christchurch was ripped apart by a devastating earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale. So far it has been confirmed that 166 loved ones have lost their lives, and we are told that the final death toll could be more than 200. To lose so many people at once, including many foreign nationals, is hard to fathom. It is a tragedy that one cannot put into words. Everyone who was in Christchurch on that dreadful day witnessed a horrific scene. It was a frightening event that has left many suffering in anxiety and anguish, and without the services and infrastructure that we usually take for granted in New Zealand. Many thousands of people have lost their treasured possessions, homes, businesses, places of work, and livelihoods. Early indications show that up to 10,000 houses will need to be demolished, and over 100,000 more could be damaged.

The extent of this damage and huge loss of life has left people all over New Zealand and the world grieving. Christchurch is a city that has been changed forever, and the community is in shock. To all Cantabrians who have been affected, I express the deepest sympathies of the New Zealand Government. Though we cannot imagine the deep sorrow and grief of all those who have lost loved ones, we can send you the promise of our ongoing support. We are thinking of you, we are standing alongside you, and we are committed to rebuilding your lives and your city. We acknowledge the huge emotional stress that has been placed on families by this earthquake, especially after enduring the September earthquake and months of aftershocks. In the challenging times ahead, you have the full support of this Government, of this Parliament, and of all New Zealanders. I particularly acknowledge members of this House from Canterbury; our thoughts are with you and your families.

I acknowledge the outstanding generosity and support of people all over New Zealand and the world in response to this earthquake. I thank our many international contributors. We have accepted and received help from Australia, China, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and we have had generous offers from many more.

I pay tribute to the many hundreds of people who have been involved in the rescue and recovery operation, and I pay tribute to the bravery, heroism, and generosity of individuals. Everywhere I go in Christchurch, I hear stories of miraculous rescues that took place, of people opening up their homes to complete strangers, and of people going out of their way to help fellow Cantabrians. I would like to thank all central and local government staff who have worked incredibly hard to restore public services, provide health care, open schools, run welfare centres, provide financial assistance, and more. I pass on a special thankyou to all of those who have made donations to the Government’s official Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, and to other appeals such as those of the Red Cross and Salvation Army. That money will go towards supporting Canterbury’s people and rebuilding Canterbury’s communities.

Finally, I acknowledge the Mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker, for his leadership, and I thank all members and parties in this House for their support.

Yesterday I announced that on Friday, 18 March there will be a national memorial service at Hagley Park in Christchurch. The service will give all New Zealanders the chance to reflect on the terrible loss of life that occurred on 22 February, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with Cantabrians. Rebuilding Christchurch is a key priority for the Government this year. We will provide the necessary resources to make this happen over the coming weeks, months, and years. It will be a long and complex task, which we will need to work through step by step. One thing is certain: Christchurch, we will rebuild you; you will once again be the successful, vibrant, and beautiful city that you were just over 2 weeks ago.

Although we must never forget those who have been lost, we must focus on the indomitable spirit of Canterbury, on the future. On my visits to Christchurch over the past 2 weeks, I have witnessed that spirit, and I have great confidence in that spirit. With the help of many people all over the country and the world, we will rebuild this great city. We owe it to the people we have lost to keep our minds on the brighter future that we are all striving for.

The thoughts of the New Zealand Government are with the people of Canterbury at this dark time. Let us remember the loved ones we have lost, let us be grateful for the lives we continue to lead, and let us turn our hearts and minds to the huge challenges ahead of us. Kia kaha.

First of all, I would like to acknowledge the family and friends of the perhaps up to 200 people who lost their lives in the earthquake on 22 February. They are real people. We have seen their faces. They are young, and they are old. All of them have been taken prematurely from those who knew and loved them, and we mourn collectively here today their loss. Many who died were young international students; young students who had come here to this country as our guests. We pass on our condolences and our sadness to their families across the world for their loss.

To all the people of Christchurch, in the House today we acknowledge the trauma, and the loss, and the hardship that you have suffered. All of us, I think, in the House today collectively give our assurance to the people of Christchurch that they will not face the cost of recovery alone; the cost will be borne by all of us as New Zealanders.

Over the 7 days that I spent on the ground in Christchurch, I saw the devastation that has occurred right across the city. But, in particular, I want to acknowledge the hardship still faced today by thousands in the eastern suburbs, who, 2 weeks after the earthquake, are still deprived of power, of water, and of basic toilet facilities. They live in broken homes. As I went around those homes, too often I saw elderly people, I saw children, who had been traumatised by this, the second earthquake, and the constant aftershocks. I am amazed at the resilience of people and the frequent response that I got when I offered my sympathy and concern. They said: “Don’t worry about me. There are others much worse off than me. Think of those who have lost their family members, those who have been injured.”

I have been amazed, too, at the readiness of people in Canterbury and people right across New Zealand to reach out and help others in need. We have seen out of this tragedy enormous community spirit. I pay tribute to that, but for those living in Christchurch and still suffering that deprivation, I understand the pressure and the stress that they are living under and that there is an end to everyone’s patience.

To the people whom I have witnessed tirelessly working to provide the services and to try to make life better for others, I say they have my huge admiration. To the emergency services, utility services, groups like the Sallies, the Red Cross, and St John, thank you. You do a really good job. To the volunteers whom Clayton Cosgrove and I worked with in Rangiora, shipping food across to people in the eastern suburbs, thanks for your generosity. And to the volunteers and community groups that I worked with, helping to deliver those services, thank you again. You were amazing—the people who are working out of the New Brighton police station, the people working in the community hall across the way round the clock to help others in their need. To the Student Volunteer Army and the Farmy Army thank you for your amazing efforts, as well. I spent a day in Shirley working with the Student Volunteer Army of a thousand students, led incredibly by Sam Johnson. Thank you, Sam, for your efforts. They are out there doing the work on the ground. People who looked as though they might never have known one end of a shovel from the other were out there doing their thing, because they knew that others needed their help.

I turn to my fellow Labour MPs, and to Jim Anderton. Two of my fellow Labour MPs have lost their homes. They are living without power and without water, and one of them is in a tent in the back section. I pay tribute to them and to my National colleagues for the assistance that they are giving in their communities.

I have seen my share of tragedy down in Christchurch, but I have also seen enormous courage, commitment to others, and an amazing spirit amongst Cantabrians, which gives me confidence that Christchurch will rebuild and will re-establish itself. Finally, I reaffirm my and Labour’s support to Cantabrians and wish them well in the massive rebuilding and recovery task that lies before them and us.

I start off by acknowledging the community and volunteer sector in Christchurch/Ōtautahi. Their response and their commitment to their communities indicate why this sector is so important here in Aotearoa: there are thousands of people giving up their time and their energy at a time of great stress for them and their families to go out to help others, simply because they can and because others need their help. Many, many organisations are working with communities in Christchurch/Ōtautahi. When I was there I worked with Comfort for Christchurch—many young people organising welfare and food drops. The University of Canterbury Student Volunteer Army, which the Hon Phil Goff has mentioned, is doing amazing work there. I acknowledge all of those different groups of people there represented by the political parties here. I know that the Māori Party has teams of people out there, the Green Party has teams of people out there, and Labour and National, I do not doubt, also have teams of people—their people, their members—out there doing work for free for their community because they know that it is important and necessary. This is the community spirit, the community and voluntary sector, which we know and should respect for their efforts on our behalf and our communities’ behalf.

I acknowledge also those who are working out of Rehua Marae, and the coordination and support role that people there are undertaking for their people, the kaimahi who are working out of there: the Māori wardens, the health workers, the counselling services that are provided, and Ngāi Tahu and their outreach that is provided there. I have been with those people as they have walked through the dusty streets of Wainoni and Aranui, knocking on people’s doors, and talking to those who are too frightened to come out of their homes to seek help, and to those who just do not know what help they can get, because they do not have the communications technology that many of us take for granted. Those are the people who need help the most, and people from Rehua Marae, in particular, are working with those communities. I acknowledge them, particularly David Ormsby from Te Puni Kōkiri, and Maire Kopa, who is coordinating from Rehua Marae.

As the horror of Christchurch’s earthquake continues to unfold, there are plans for rebuilding the city and the livelihoods of those who live there. We believe that the Government has a unique opportunity to build a national, a community, and a political consensus on the rebuilding of Christchurch. There are three elements to that consensus: its funding, its design, and its community participation. We understand that the task at hand is very difficult and very serious, and on behalf of the Green Party I offer our constructive support in Parliament to find a fair, sustainable, and inclusive response to the challenges ahead for our community in Christchurch. We support a fair and equitable approach to paying for the rebuild, and that means sharing the costs across those who can most afford to pay. With the combined cost of the Christchurch earthquakes yet to be finalised, we believe that the cost beyond what insurance will cover has to be borne fairly across our country. As members of this House may already know, we have already offered our support for a temporary levy on those who can best afford an additional tax on their income, to help support that rebuild.

The rebuilding of Christchurch can be done in a way that reflects best practice in sustainable city design, and meets the needs of communities who live there. We believe that it is important that expertise is made available to the Government, and that the Government takes up the opportunity to consider the advice and work with those who have such expertise.

The impact of this earthquake is massive and heartbreaking. I have worked in the city and seen the impact of the earthquake on families and their children. Therefore, it is critical that there is an inclusive approach to reflecting the values of the people who live there and are affected by this tragedy, and that they are represented in the decisions that are being made. That is crucial if there is to be a cross-party approach, but also if there is to be an approach that works for the communities who are affected. So we urge the Government to consider very seriously how it will involve the communities of Christchurch in the decisions that are being made.

Finally, the Green Party extends our most heartfelt condolences to all of those people across the country who have lost friends, colleagues, and loved ones in this tragedy. He mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.

In Christchurch we have seen nature at its very worst, and we have seen people at their very, very best. The earth on which we stand and rely has opened up and thrown everything it has at the people of Christchurch, shaking their places of work to destruction, destroying their homes, and taking away loved ones. Amongst that horror and amongst that rubble we have seen the human spirit in people, strong and supportive for themselves, for their neighbours, for their community, and for their country. We have seen that spirit reaching out to complete strangers.

It is now 2 weeks since the earthquake, and there is destruction and despair the likes of which we have never seen. We in this House today stand together with the nation to mourn the deaths of all those whom we have lost in this tragic event, and to send our Parliament’s thoughts and prayers to those whose loved ones are still missing. To those whom we have lost: know that you will for ever remain in our thoughts and in our hearts, and that you will never ever be forgotten.

On 18 March in Christchurch’s North Hagley Park the people of Canterbury and New Zealand will have the opportunity to come together to reflect on the terrible loss suffered as a result of the quake, and to celebrate and remember the lives of those who have passed. But as Prime Minister John Key has said, the service will be a beginning, not an end.

On behalf of the ACT Party I join all the other parties in our Parliament in thanking all those who have assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts: Kiwis who may have been a member of one of the many rescue teams out in Christchurch, people from distant lands who have come to help, members of the student army, Christchurch residents who helped neighbours in need, and the many Kiwis who have donated money to one of the many charities set up to help our Cantabrians get back on their feet. Every bit of this help—and, more important, the thought behind it—no matter how small, is important, and for this we thank them. Our hearts beat proud of this great country.

Looking to the future, we know that Christchurch will rise again. Christchurch will be rebuilt and its heart will beat stronger than ever before. Out of tragedy there always comes hope, and we are seeing New Zealanders at their very best. As we dig deep for the sake of our loved ones—those who have passed and those who live—for the sake of our community, and for the sake of our country we are reminded once again, more than ever, that it is people who matter. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Tēnei au e tautoko ana i ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia e aku hoa mema o te Whare Pāremata nei i tēnei rangi. Nā rēira māku e mihi atu ki ngā iwi, ki ngā rōpū, ki ngā tāngata katoa e kaha ana ki te tautoko, ki te āwhina i a rātau i tēnei parekura i Ōtautahi. Katoa mai ahakoa he mema Kāwanatanga, ā rātau kaimahi, ngā mema kaunihera me ngā kaimahi, ngā āpiha, ngā rōpū katoa, ngā rōpū tauira wānanga, ngā tāngata whaipāmu, ngā hōia, ngā wātene, ngā tākuta, ngā nēhi, ngā tāngata katoa i tae atu ki reira, e whakawātea ana kia tae atu ki reira ki te tautoko, ki te āwhina i ngā tāngata i tēnei wā pōuri mō rātau i Ōtautahi.

Nā reira, e tika ana kia tukua te mihi ki a rātou katoa; me ngā whānau, ngā rōpū o Aotearoa nei whānui i tuku pūtea, i tuku tautoko, i whāngai i ngā mea kua puta mai i Ōtautahi ki ngā marae, ki ngā tāone. Ahakoa ko wai rātau kua huakina ā rātau kūaha kia manaakihia ēnei tāngata e pīrangi i tēnei wā ki te haere ake mai i Ōtautahi ki tētahi atu wāhi. Nā reira, e tika ana kia mihi atu ki a rātau katoa e mahi ana i reira.

Kai te tangi tonu ki a rātau ngā tini aituā, rātau kua mate ana i tērā parekura. E kore e mutu ngā kōrero, ngā tangi, ngā roimata, ngā hūpē mō rātau. Nā reira, koutou ngā mate, haere, okioki pai mai i te mōhio kai te tangi te motu ki a koutou i tēnei wā. Nā reira, haere, haere atu rā. Ngā whānau pani anei rā mātau, ka tangi mai koutou, ka tangi atu mātau katoa. Anei rā mātau e tautoko ana i a koutou i tēnei wā pōuri. I tēnei tāima, ka mōhio koutou ki te koi o tēnei mea te mate. Nā reira, tēnei mātau e mihi atu, e tautoko ana i a koutou i tēnei wā.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker. I endorse the sentiments expressed by my fellow members of this House today. So I acknowledge the tribes, the organisations, and all the people who worked hard to support and assist them in this disaster in Christchurch—all of them, be they members of the Government and their staff, members of the council and workers, officials, all organisations, university student groups, farmers, army personnel, wardens, doctors, nurses, all those who got there and those who made themselves available to get there to support and help the people in this hour of gloom in Christchurch.

It is apt that they are all recognised, including families and organisations from throughout New Zealand who contributed in terms of funding, who gave support, who fed the ones who appeared in Christchurch at marae and towns. Regardless of who they were, their doors were opened up to help those people who wanted to leave Christchurch at this time for other places. So it is fitting to acknowledge them all working there.

We continue to mourn the vast number who perished in that disaster. Stories, laments, and the shedding of tears and of mucus for them will never cease. So to you, the dead, depart and rest well there, in the knowledge that the nation mourns for you at this moment. Go, farewell. To the bereaved families, here we are, as you mourn before us, we all mourn for you in this time of darkness. At this time you are experiencing the sharp pain of death. We acknowledge and support you in this moment of time.]

We mourn with the families of Ōtautahi and throughout New Zealand who have lost loved ones in this tragedy in Christchurch/Ōtautahi. We particularly farewell their loved ones and we leave the message with those families that as they mourn and are orphaned, so is New Zealand. We share our tears and our mucus with them at this time, which is a sad time for them.

I congratulate everybody involved down there and everybody involved outside of Ōtautahi: all those armies we talk about—the students, the farmers, and the real army—the policemen, the officials, the non-governmental organisations, the workers, and everybody who is down there working. We are so proud of them. I acknowledge also that the cities and the towns have received people. They have opened up their doors, their schools, and the like to take in people, hopefully for a short-term break, but for whatever they desire, whether it is long term or short term. To the millions of New Zealanders who are fund-raising, who are hosting people, and who are crying with them, we just thank them for their support. They are showing the special character of New Zealand at this time.

I acknowledge the overseas rescue teams. We will not forget those people, who have come over here immediately and brought their teams to help us in our time of crisis. I also acknowledge local organisations like the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the police. All those organisations of ours have given a mammoth effort down there.

I am pleased, as the Minister of Māori Affairs, to report that on day 2 Māori gathered at Rehua Marae and set up a hub from which they could distribute services, organise information, and so on. That was at a time when they knew not the extent of the damage, the liquefaction, and so on. Now all the marae of Ōtautahi are available. They are centres for help, and for overnight stays in some cases. They are the hub of Māori activity.

I am very pleased with the tribes of New Zealand who are fund-raising: a radiothon raised $65,000, and fishing has raised $100,000. People are coming to the party because they know that this is a whole of New Zealand effort. I convened three or four iwi hui. The iwi were so glad to be able to contribute in several ways. Doctors and nurses have been sent down there to work. It is a great effort on behalf of New Zealand.

I congratulate Ngāi Tahu. I believe they have come to the party really strong. We have committed a lot of our Te Puni Kōkiri resources and leaders of the organisation down there. They are working hand in hand. They have set up a hub together so that they can work together. That has to be a good thing for Christchurch whānui. I acknowledge the wardens, many of whom have damaged homes and are quite poor. They chug along in their cars—I am not sure about their registration, but they get there—and they do some liquefaction movement or something like that. That is a great thing.

I say this finally: despite the thousands of tonnes of liquefaction, the physical destruction of the central business district, the 10,000 homes that have to be destroyed, the 100,000 homes that need repair, and despite no power, no water, and no wharepaku—no toilets—for many, and no communication for others, the thing that is strong in my mind is the psychological effect this earthquake has had on many of our relations and friends in Christchurch. They still feel the need to sleep under the table; they do not go upstairs. Others sleep fully dressed with their shoes on, and so on. That is the effect of this tragedy. I know, though, that with the support, the care, and the love that all New Zealanders will share with the people of Ōtautahi we will move on beyond that and build a new, strong city. Tēnā koe.

I think if many members of this House had gone through 5,000 aftershocks, they might be sleeping under the table, too, as a matter of fact.

I have no major concern about a day of remembrance for the victims of the Canterbury earthquake, but I have to say we will have a long time—decades—to remember and commemorate this disaster and the victims it has so brutally taken. The scars will be there for many, many years, for all to see. My immediate concern—and, of course, that of many others—is with the living, and with finding, naming, releasing, and farewelling the dead. A public holiday will not give us in Canterbury time off from the catastrophic conditions in Christchurch and their ramifications. Some areas of our city still do not have toilets, water, power, or adequate means of support for those who have survived the quake. In spite of the best efforts of thousands of professional and volunteer workers, to whom all in this House have paid tribute—and I join them in it—people in many areas still cannot cook or wash, schools are damaged or destroyed, houses are wrecked, and workplaces and jobs have been completely eliminated. Winter is coming, and heating will be a real challenge for the city. Already, in the mornings the temperature drops to 3, 4, or 5 degrees.

If New Zealanders want to help, I suggest that instead of having a national holiday, everyone who is a wage earner consider donating a day’s pay. A rough calculation I did on the way up to Wellington last night shows that if the 2.2 million wage earners in New Zealand gave an after-tax contribution of the average day’s pay, it would mean something like $700 million or 800 million going to the rebuilding and welfare of Christchurch. That contribution would actually do more to assist Canterbury at the present time than a national day of commemoration or anything else would.

Christchurch will need a constructive contribution from all New Zealanders. Financial contributions are one way of doing it. On my doorstep on Saturday morning several very large cartons of safety equipment arrived from a safety company in Auckland to help those who are cleaning up the silt and mess that the streets of Christchurch are almost universally coated in. The safety equipment was extraordinarily well appreciated by the teams of volunteers who were out on the street all weekend, and have been for nearly 2 weeks now. It was a tangible reminder that people are putting practical initiatives into action to help. I want to assure them and the whole of New Zealand that gestures like that are greatly appreciated in Christchurch and do more to raise the hopes and spirits of the people of Christchurch than any national day off could possible achieve.

The resilience, the spirit, of Cantabrians is legendary—and I say that as an ex-Aucklander, which I do not speak too loudly about in Canterbury these days. It is legendary and it is real. Comment has been made in the House about it. It is a most extraordinary experience to be in a community where people respond by thinking of just about everyone else except themselves. It is a tribute to the spirit of the people of Canterbury that they will prevail, but they will need, even in spite of themselves, the rest of New Zealand by their side. I hope the expressions in this House today and the feelings of New Zealanders around the country will last for the many long years ahead when times will really be tough for many people in my city.

When we gathered in the House 2 weeks ago, just over an hour after the earthquake in Christchurch, none of us could have comprehended the scale of the destruction that was unfolding, the loss of human life, the injury, and the awesome sadness and general shock that would quickly permeate that great city. We had heard, at that time, rumours that perhaps the cathedral spire had collapsed and that other buildings were in a state of disarray, but we too in this House were suffering the same initial shock that very quickly grabbed the entire city and, indeed, the entire country.

We have watched, in subsequent days, as the tragedy has unfolded before our very eyes. We have seen the people rescued from the collapsed buildings. CTV and Pyne Gould are now part of the national lexicon. We have grieved with the families from New Zealand and overseas. We have admired the indomitable spirit of the people of Canterbury, the ever-present face of Bob Parker, the rescue workers from around the world, and the grim determination to carry on. And in the midst of it all we have seen moments of rare attempts to restore normality: the quickness with which things as basic as rubbish services were resumed; the fact that the daily newspaper was produced on the following day. They are all small signs, in their way, of an absolute determination on the part of the people of that great city to pick up the threads of their daily lives as quickly as possible.

Apart from the physical rebuilding of Christchurch, which must occur and must protect the spirit and the history of that city, the far greater rebuilding will be the rebuilding of the confidence of the people of Christchurch so that Canterbury can now play, once more, a strong national role in the life of our country. We have heard all the statistics about the loss of employment. We have heard about the losses to our overall level of economic production. They are real; they need to be worked on. But the priority at the moment is obviously the rebuilding of the city and the restoration of normalcy to the lives of its residents.

Others have mentioned—and I concur with their view—the immense heart and spirit shown by so many New Zealanders and international relief workers in helping the people of Canterbury in their darkest hour. Various suggestions have been made of the things that the rest of us can do to assist. Mr Anderton made the suggestion of donating a day’s pay. That is a good one. I will give one more: if people who are likely to get a tax refund on their charitable donations this year were to direct that refund to the earthquake appeal, $154 million would be raised. These are practical steps that people can take to assist in the massive reconstruction of Christchurch.

As we go about this task, which will be ongoing probably for a generation, it is important that all of us pause, take stock, and reflect upon the human impact of this disaster. I think of my nephews, who are young men growing up in that city. Many will think of other members of their family and the future they face. The challenge for all of us is to be part of a reconstruction process that not only sees the physical locality of Christchurch restored but the spirit and confidence of its people restored, and the contribution they make to the national way of life of our country restored. We need each other. The last few weeks have demonstrated how we work well collectively with each other. That challenge is only just beginning.

Like many here, I was in Wellington when word came through: another earthquake had hit my city. I knew immediately it was bad, as the first photo that came through was of my cathedral. A sense of dread enveloped me; I thought surely not again. It was only minutes before my fears were confirmed and I heard that buildings in the central business district, where I used to work, had collapsed, and that we would not escape without loss of life this time.

Not being there made it worse. Up here I was stranded, helpless, and afraid for everyone I knew, yet I had it easy. The fear I experienced came from not knowing whether my friends and family were safe. Some of those concerns took days to be allayed, some still have not, and in some cases the news was bad. That is what Christchurch people are living through day by day. I cannot imagine the fear of those who were trapped alive or of those lost, and the enduring sadness their families are burdened with.

I have been as proud as I have ever been of being a Cantabrian, and seeing the mass of volunteers who turned out to do the hard yards. The Farmy Army and the Student Volunteer Army have been magnificent. Residents from everywhere have worked tirelessly taking on every task they can. Amazing community initiatives sprang up, like the Rangiora Express. We cannot underestimate how amazing that contribution is. All are making a difference and I too cannot thank them enough.

The community spirit and the resilience of Canterbury is outstanding. Our people and our community have been out there selflessly helping others when their own homes have been damaged and their own loved ones hurt. Our workers have done what had to be done. My own Department of Conservation staff have been out there in force. Again, some of their homes were in tatters. We had 80 staff involved in the earthquake response, assisting the Fire Service, providing specialist search and rescue equipment, providing four-wheel drive vehicles to help transport Red Cross workers around the city, and even running the air operations controlling helicopter traffic at Hagley Park. The police, army, Red Cross, search and rescue personnel, nurses, doctors, and even the media all were there, despite the devastation in their own situations. I think that is absolutely fantastic. The way that Canterbury as a region, New Zealand as a nation, and our international friends have all rallied to help Canterbury is truly humbling. We just wanted to hug those Aussie cops on the street corners, and others, and thank them.

This earthquake has changed Christchurch and our region for ever. We will recover, we will rebuild, and we will grow closer as a community, but to do so we must first confront and conquer the biggest challenge Canterbury has ever faced. It will require each and every one of us and it will take several years. A lot of decisions need to be made over the coming weeks, the coming months, and, indeed, the coming years about the best way to take my region—our region—forward. Take it forward we must, and we need the nation along with us. We mourn, we thank, we pay tribute, but we will recover together. It is tough, but we will get there in time.

Nature has tested the people of Canterbury. It has literally shaken us to our core, and the tragedies that have occurred are a knife in the heart of every Cantabrian and every Kiwi as a whole. But it has not broken us. We as Cantabrians thought that we had dodged the bullet the first time, but, as others have said, our community has lost friends, family members, loved ones, and mates. Many of us have seen things that we did not think we would see in our country. We have seen men and women in the eastern suburbs in the days after the quake walking through a combination of silt and sewage to get out of their homes and to some safety, not having a bottle of water to wash it off. Others are like a woman in Cowles Stadium, who said she had no home; she had lost everything.

There have been, of course, the heroes. I recall at around 1 a.m. of day two going to the Hagley welfare centre and meeting a rather robust and tall St John Ambulance officer. I asked him how he was, as he directed his troops, and he said that most of his family were OK but he was worried about his dad. The officer would have been 60, so his dad would have been 85-odd. His father had gone into the city that day and the officer was not sure where he was. The manager of the Burnside welfare centre, when asked how he was, said his family was OK but he had lost his best mate—a mate with a family whose home was in Lyttelton. After the quake, the friend drove to the Lyttelton tunnel. He could not get through it, so he thought he would get to Lyttelton the old-fashioned way. He parked his car, walked along the Bridle Path, and was killed by a rogue boulder. He never made it home. Other heroes are like the chap called Senior Sergeant Roy Appley, who, together with Jayne Rattray and volunteers from Rangiora, fed the eastern suburbs by air and by land for over a week and a half.

I make a plea to the Government that those heroes need to be listened to. Those men and women and agencies on the ground need to be listened to in the coming days by the key decision makers who are deploying resources to where they are needed or should go. People like Roy Appley and others can tell us better than any memo, as they stand on a street corner, where the Portaloos should go, where the hot meals are needed, and where the love and comfort are required.

So what do people want in our province of Canterbury? They want their dignity back, they want their lives back, but they also want cool-headed, considered plans to be put in place for the recovery. They do not want knee-jerk reactions. They do not want speculative musings that, if they are reported incorrectly, can fill people with fear and confusion. They want a recovery plan that is not bureaucratic but inclusive; one that can be swiftly implemented but is inclusive of their community. And they want to be listened to.

I conclude by reading the lyrics a mate of mine’s son sent me. They are from a song he wrote in his back bedroom a week before the quake. The song was originally to mark the death of his father, but he rededicated it to the victims of the earthquake. As he put it, it illustrates the pain and devastation of the folks in Canterbury. It is called “Streets of Heaven”.

Not sure I can make it through the night

As my eyelids are cut from all the crying.

As the rain starts to fall,

I slump against the wall.

It’s like someone took a knife to my life.

It feels so cold without you now.

Can I walk with you on the streets of Heaven,

Just like we used to do so long ago?

Can I walk with you on the streets of Heaven,

Just for a while, just to be with you again

On the streets of Heaven?

There is a dust cloud that hangs over Canterbury, and it is a dust cloud that is filled and mixed with tears. It is hard to say this, or for those folks who are living through this disaster even to perceive it, but I say that Cantabrians will once again walk the streets of their great city and their great province, hand in hand with their families and hand in hand with the spirits of the loved ones they have lost, in a rebuilt and better city that reflects their strength, their generosity of spirit, and their sheer humanity. That, I believe, is the hope that all of us must cling to.

After 4 September and by Christmas time, Christchurch people felt they had had enough of earthquakes. But then we had the damaging Boxing Day quake, and on 22 February was the big one. It was shockingly violent. It did enormous damage, especially in central Christchurch, the eastern suburbs, Lyttelton, and the Port Hills. It is estimated that it may have done ten times more damage than the 4 September earthquake. But the big difference this time was that the city was at work, and that as many more buildings were destroyed, many people lost their lives. Christchurch—and New Zealand—is a small community. We all know each other; we are all connected. Everyone knows family members, friends, and workmates who are not coming home after this quake, and that is the real difference. We all share the pain of those who have lost people whom they love; we all grieve together.

But Cantabrians are resilient. We believe in can-do, and we will bounce back. We will rebuild our city; we will make it a better, more beautiful, and safer place in which to live. For the last 2 weeks we have been looking after each other and gently picking up the pieces of our shattered city and our shattered lives—family by family, street by street, and community by community. The emergency services have worked tirelessly: civil defence, the police, the fire brigade, urban search and rescue, St John, and the army have all banded together, firstly, to rescue people from those buildings—and they did; there have been amazing stories of survival from some of our buildings—then, more lately, in the recovery phase. Teams have come from all over New Zealand and the world, and we cannot thank them enough.

The technical people in our city have been called upon to produce the miracles of power, water, and drainage, from broken cables and munted pipes and drains. In hours and days they have done the work of weeks, months, and even years. Never again will I take for granted running water, electricity, or a working toilet. In our neighbourhood we debate whether it is better to have water or power, or power or water—not that we really get a choice—but we all agree that the most important thing, and the most difficult to get, is a Portaloo. We can forget that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”; in Christchurch a girl’s best friend is a Portaloo.

I have lived in Christchurch all my life, but since 22 February it has been totally transformed. People have died. Homes, businesses, and many of our treasured heritage buildings have been destroyed. There is rubble everywhere, but there are also people who care everywhere. So many wonderful volunteers have been working in our streets that when we are out and about we have to ask people whether they are locals or helpers. The Student Volunteer Army, the Farmy Army, and contractors have shovelled up over 250,000 tonnes of silt. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army are out there doorknocking and checking on people, and churches and community groups have delivered thousands of food parcels and hundreds of thousands of hot meals and snacks. The Government helpline has dealt with over 100,000 calls. Civil defence and Red Cross grants are being paid out, and over $50 million has been paid out through the Earthquake Employment Support Package.

Christchurch is picking up the pieces. We are looking forward—we are looking forward to getting back to work and to school, and to rebuilding our city. Christchurch may be bent and broken right now, but we will rebuild, and we will create an even better, more beautiful, and safer city, with a future.

I will start with the words of a mother who lost a son at Pike River. She said to me that the people of Christchurch had it much worse than they did. She said that while they waited for their loved ones they could go home where things were normal, but the people of Christchurch could not. They had to wait and go home to broken homes. They had it much worse, she said. I think those few words underscore the enormous compassion and feeling that people in this country have for the people of Christchurch. They see the devastation around them.

The people of Christchurch also, in my experience, have enormous resilience. I have spent quite a number of days down there. I attended a meeting in Aranui where one man stood up and said: “I think I speak for everyone here. Yes, we are doing it tough—things are tough—but we are OK; we are holding together. All we need is a few more things to help us make it through the day.” He was talking about the fact that at that stage they had had no power, water, or sewerage for about 7 or 8 days. Many of them, 14 days on, still have no power, no water, and no sewerage. They do not criticise the companies that are trying to provide those services, because they can see the enormous effort that is being put in. But I ask each member to think how they could go home, 14 days on, and not switch on a light switch, not get the jug to boil in the morning, and have to cook like they are in a camp. These people are doing it—they are doing it tough, but they are doing it—and they are coping remarkably well.

They have enormous admiration, as I do, for all the civil defence workers and the emergency workers. They have watched people reconstruct the roads in incredible time. Pages Road was relaid in 2 days; they rebuilt everything. They have watched those people work incredibly hard. They have watched all those people come in from out of town to help them. They have spoken about the airlift in from Rangiora. I went around the corner to see some people from Hamilton cooking breakfast. People have come from Flaxmere with a barbecue to help cook, and people have been supplying food of all sorts. I went to Brighton, and the Hare Krishnas were offering an alternative to the sausages, white bread, and tomato sauce with vegan and vegetarian foods. Everybody is there.

I think this speaks very clearly of the great compassion New Zealanders have, and of their sympathy and support for the people of Christchurch. They want to help. They want to do everything that they can. It has often been said that New Zealand is not a country, but a large village. When one looks at what has gone on in Christchurch, one can see that demonstrated. Everybody in this country feels what has gone on in a part of their village and they want to help—they want to help in any way they can. It is up to this Parliament and the leadership team to give them the means, the tools, and the direction so that they can provide help. There is an enormous wellspring of goodwill, a deep compassion from people throughout New Zealand, and they want to contribute.

I currently live in Hastings. I was not there when the earthquake struck that area, but I have looked around Napier and Hastings, and I offer these words of reflection: whatever happens in the near future in Christchurch, people need to realise that what has happened will shape that city for the next 80 or 100 years. We need to think deeply on these things, and be very careful about how we plan, because it will shape that city for a long, long time.

Having said that, we cannot afford to dally. I underscore the point made by the Hon Jim Anderton. The mornings have been cold in Christchurch. When the first big quake struck, people knew that summer was coming, and that they had time. But time has gone, and more devastation has come to the city. Many people who had their houses broken and destroyed in the first earthquake still have seen no action. Winter is coming, and people are nervous. Tiles are off their roofs, walls are out, things are broken, and they are living in shells, or camping in shells. They are apprehensive. They are apprehensive about how long it will take until they get something permanent.

The last comment I will make about the people is that I went the other morning to try to find a paper. It takes a long time to get around Christchurch to find a paper in the morning. Not a lot is open; the shops are broken. When I went to a BP station, I asked the woman there whether she was OK. She said she was OK but tired. She told me to look at the man next to me, as he was really tired. She said I had to appreciate that everybody in the city is very tired. Those who have jobs are working incredible hours; they are working more hours than they can really cope with. Those who do not have jobs are incredibly stressed, and they can’t sleep either. People in Christchurch are really tired and really fractious. I want to say that we need to put on our thinking caps and ask how we can support the people of Christchurch.

The last comment comes from my Aunt Anna, who said that, as she went around in Hawke’s Bay, everybody was taking about Christchurch. She said it had been a great leveller. She said it has levelled the city, but it has levelled everybody else too. She said that everyone that she had spoken to was looking at them and theirs, and their circumstances, and saying how lucky they were. That luckiness—that they were not affected—drives them to want to help the people of Christchurch. There is a deep wellspring of goodwill for Christchurch in this country, and we need to give them the opportunity to help.

Christchurch will never be the same again. Christchurch is where I was born, it is where I grew up, and it is where seven generations of my family have done the same. My mum and dad’s house, my brother’s house, the houses of two of my uncles and aunts, and the houses of six of my cousins are all ruined. The movie theatre I went to first as a kid is now in rubble, the shop where I played my first space invaders game no longer exists, and the place by the corner dairy where as a child I used to eat my first ice creams no longer exists. The high school that I went to—Shirley Boys High School, of which I am its first MP in this House—is in ruins. Christchurch will never be the same again.

But as someone living in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, who grew up there, I say that this earthquake gives us a massive opportunity. It gives us the opportunity to hope that we will make the city better and stronger. You see, to me there are many things that will never be the same again. My 5-year-old daughter has a fear of going upstairs in any building she goes into. She has a fear of using a toilet; she is not sure whether it will come back up and bite her, as she says. She has a fear of going to school, simply because the ground opened up at her school in front of her. To me those things will take longer to fix.

For me one of the wonderful things has been the generosity of the people of New Zealand. People have come from all over. I spent days with farmers digging out the rubble of everything from Aranui to Burwood to Parklands. My own home dodged the bullet and is fine, but if I go two blocks further south, it looks like downtown Baghdad about 10 years ago. I would like to thank my senior whip, Chris Tremain, for his time and effort. He spent a number of days with me to help me dig out my suburb and to help with my people. I would like to thank the farmers of New Zealand. I have asked for 20 farmers on any day to help rebuild a community, and it has happened.

Ordinary people have stepped up to do extraordinary things. I saw an information technology expert walking around streets with a ladder. He had fixed 70 roofs for free, but he said: “That’s what you do in times like this.” I saw an Indian immigrant who had been in New Zealand 18 months. He spent the time fixing the wheelbarrows of the Student Volunteer Army, because that is just one of the things that one does.

Our city is strange, but I think it could be better. Many may not know the motto on the coat of arms of my city. One part of it is “Spe fortis”, which means that Christchurch is strong in hope and bold in her claim upon the future. Our city forebears who wrote that a long time ago would never have envisaged that the city would be in ruins, but they would have envisaged a city in the future that could be rebuilt and be a model for the world. For me that is what I see. I will endeavour to stay and work in Christchurch until the last brick is laid, the last road is paved, and the last pipe is in the ground. It is my home and always will be.

Some people have sent their love, some have sent their hands to the people of Christchurch, but right now most of all we need money. The city is a mess and I encourage everyone not to talk but to come and help, to raise money in their own communities, and to contribute to the rebuilding of our schools, our homes, and our wider communities. We are a tough resilient people, but we need other people’s help. Thank you.

I take this moment to thank all of the members of Parliament who have made a contribution this afternoon and all those who, I know, would want to make a contribution to show solidarity with the people of Christchurch. The nature of politics is such that I have absolutely no doubt that in the weeks and months and years ahead there will be disagreement in this House over various aspects of the rebuilding of Christchurch. That is the reality and nature of politics. But it is also true that we all sit and stand here today unified in our desire to see Christchurch rebuilt as a stronger, modern city, where people can go about their lives and enjoy one of the finest and greatest parts of not only New Zealand but the world to live in. It will be a long process as we put together Christchurch, but it is our second-largest city, the home to 400,000 people, a significant part of our economic base, and a place where all New Zealanders have some attachment or memories. It is important that we get that job done properly, quickly, and with the best interests of Cantabrians in mind.

Earthquake, Christchurch—Extension of State of National Emergency