Ten years after New Zealand earthquake, no justice for victims of building collapse
Monday marks ten years since the February 22, 2011, Christchurch earthquake, which killed 185 people. Thousands of buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, and entire suburbs in the city’s working class east, an area once home to 10,000 people, were left uninhabitable and eventually abandoned, with the houses all demolished.
Thousands of homeowners spent years fighting with private insurers and government agencies for their properties to be repaired or rebuilt. Some have still not received any payouts, one decade after the disaster.
The death toll was not simply the product of an unavoidable natural disaster. Nearly two thirds of the lives lost, 115 people, were in the CTV (Canterbury Television) Building, which collapsed in seconds due to its extremely unsafe design. New Zealand is well-known for its frequent earthquakes, yet thousands of buildings are not constructed to withstand a severe
Press Release – Socialist Equality Group On February 2, Dunedin City Council (DCC) warned about 1,500 residents of the coastal towns of Waikouaiti and Karitne, in the Otago region in the South Island, not to drink tap water, after tests found it was contaminated with lead. The council initially …
On February 2, Dunedin City Council (DCC) warned about 1,500 residents of the coastal towns of Waikouaiti and Karitāne, in the Otago region in the South Island, not to drink tap water, after tests found it was contaminated with lead.
The council initially said a sample taken on December 8 showed 39 micrograms of lead per litre, four times the Ministry of Health’s “acceptable” limit of 10 micrograms, based on guidelines from the World Health Organisation. Two days later, the council issued a correction: the sample in fact showed 394 micrograms per litre, a shocking 40 times the limit.
Sunday, 14 February 2021, 4:28 pm
On February 2, Dunedin City Council (DCC) warned about
1,500 residents of the coastal towns of Waikouaiti and
Karitāne, in the Otago region in the South Island, not to
drink tap water, after tests found it was contaminated with
lead.
The council initially said a sample taken on
December 8 showed 39 micrograms of lead per litre, four
times the Ministry of Health’s “acceptable” limit of
10 micrograms, based on guidelines from the World Health
Organisation. Two days later, the council issued a
correction: the sample in fact showed 394 micrograms per
litre, a shocking 40 times the limit.
Asked by Radio
Sunday, 7 February 2021, 4:52 pm
On Sky News on February 1, Australian Prime Minister
Scott Morrison called on New Zealand’s Labour Party-led
government to “stick together” with the US-led Five Eyes
intelligence network, which includes Australia, New Zealand,
Britain and Canada, against China.
Interviewer Paul
Murray asked whether Morrison was concerned that New Zealand
was “changing its priorities a little bit, or [is] China
helping them change their priorities?… How important is it
that New Zealand is all in on Five Eyes [and] not trying to
keep an eye somewhere else as
well?”
Morrison replied: “The Five
Eyes is really important, and so are liberal market
Australian PM calls on New Zealand to “align more” against China
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sky News on February 1 [Source: Sky News Australia]
Interviewer Paul Murray asked whether Morrison was concerned that New Zealand was “changing its priorities a little bit, or [is] China helping them change their priorities?… How important is it that New Zealand is all in on Five Eyes [and] not trying to keep an eye somewhere else as well?”
Morrison replied: “The Five Eyes is really important, and so are liberal market democracies… all of these countries need to align more… on security issues and intelligence” in opposition to “authoritarian” countries. He added: “We’ve got to continue to maintain our vigilance over this, and to do that we’ve got to stick together.”