Capital now better prepared for quake
With 100 days since the 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura quake having past, Wellington is still without assurances it is 100 per cent safe.
Buildings remain closed as safety tests are ongoing, and demolition work is continuing at the Reading Cinema carpark in the central city and Queensgate Mall in Lower Hutt.
About 200 people are still unable to return home while the Reading demolition continues, and thousands of workers have been relocated to new office spaces or are working from home while buildings are checked, double checked, and strengthened.
At 12.02am on November 14, the quake struck about 60 kilometres southwest of Kaikoura.
The tremor and its rash of aftershocks prompted tsunami warnings, tore up highway roads and isolated parts of the South Island.
While no-one was killed or seriously injured in the Wellington region, hundreds were forced out of their homes and thousands of workers were displaced.
Both Wellington mayor Justin Lester and the city’s chief resilience officer Mike Mendonca have praise for the community’s response to the challenges posed by the quake and the storms that battered the capital the following day.
But neither claim they have all the answers.
‘‘No city or country could ever say they are prepared for anything that could be thrown at them through a natural event,’’ Lester said.
‘‘But, certainly, we are trying to be as best-prepared as possible.’’
Mendonca agreed. ‘‘I would never say that we were fully prepared. I think we are better prepared than we were before.
‘‘I think that would be the bottom line – that Wellington has come through well, but let’s not get complacent.’’
‘‘This is all about people, rather than pipes and cables.’’
The quake was still having a lasting impact on the city’s building stocks.
The quake prompted the Wellington City Council to use new powers to compel building owners to share their engineering reports.
More invasive testing was ordered for 80 city buildings, after early results from a Government investigation into Statistics House sparked safety concerns.
A further 18 building owners were granted extensions, due to a lack of engineers.
One of the most enduring symbols of November’s quake was 61 Molesworth St – the first commercial property to be bowled due to safety fears.
Question marks still hang over the fates of a clutch of buildings including Defence House, Statistics House and BNZ Harbour Quays.
Seismologists say the probability of another major quake hitting the Kaikoura quake zone is decreasing by the day, but they are adamant the threat still exists.
More than 13,600 shakes had been recorded since the 7.8 – 55 of them magnitude 5 to 5.9, while four were 6 or greater. – Fairfax NZ