Red Zone becomes much redder

Libertarianz leader Richard McGrath condemns Phil Goff's ill-thought-out and hastily concocted bribe to sway Christchurch voters to vote for his party in November. In a move that Robert Mugabe would applaud, Labour seems intent on confiscating land for a price it would fix, so it can then ration and allocate this land to people hand-picked by the Labour Party. Presumably being a friend of Labour will put you at the top of the list.

General Debate - The Future of Christchurch

In May I addressed the crisis we are facing in Christchurch following the February earthquake. I said then that knowing the challenges ahead of us in what was the new normal, we needed to engender a sense of hope in the community. Since then I have convened a series of public forums in Christchurch, marrying local expertise and civic engagement to develop a vision of a future 21st century eco-city.

In August I released my report, The Future of Christchurch, with copies going to Minister Brownlee and the parliamentary forum, Environment Canterbury, the city council, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. I thanked the Government for its commendation of the report when I tabled it in Parliament recently.

My report contains 26 recommendations identifying four overarching goals. They are resilience, sustainability, harmony, and beauty. This parallels the council's own plan, which conveys a green message from the people of Christchurch about the kind of city they want. But my report goes further and wider, because a necessary condition of a sustainable, harmonious, and beautiful city is its resilience, and resilience requires us to think ahead.

Summary of Christchurch rebuild report

The future of Christchurch

Report for a 21st century City

Christchurch city rebuild

City Life Tuesday 12 July 2011