Surprise, alarm ministerial Christchurch regeneration role ends

CHRISTCHURCH: Leaders in Christchurch are hoping the Government is not walking away from its responsibilities in the city.

The Greater Christchurch Regeneration portfolio was left out in yesterday’s Cabinet announcement, with rebuild responsibilities now in the hands of the Christchurch City Council.

That decision took some by surprise, including former rebuild minister Gerry Brownlee.

A dedicated Crown minister overseeing the Christchurch rebuild and regeneration has been in place for 10 years, and its removal comes with key rebuild anchor projects such as the Convention Centre, Metro Sports Facility and Stadium yet to be finished.

Longserving city councillor James Gough said the Government could not pull the role simply because it had been a decade since the quakes, and there was still plenty of work to do.

‘‘You’ve got a minister for veterans and food safety, yet Canterbury’s regeneration after going through one of the largest natural disasters, the world — let alone this country — has ever seen, I think should demand that we still have a minister for greater Christchurch regeneration,’’ he said.

The Government said the Crown rebuild agency Atakoro would continue its role until all rebuild projects were finished, and would continue to report to shareholding ministers Grant Robertson and Megan Woods.

Dr Woods, the minister who held the Greater Christchurch Regeneration portfolio last term, said the time was right for the role to go.

‘‘That was a very specific role that was around earthquake recovery,’’ Dr Woods said.

‘‘We’re now a decade on in Christchurch. One of the aims that we had in our first term in government actually was to accelerate the return to local leadership.’’

Mr Gough did not buy into that narrative.

‘‘I’ve seen the spin that it’s handing the power back to the city. I don’t really see it as that,’’ he said.

‘‘I see that you’ve got a city and a region like Christchurch and Canterbury that have felt continually shafted, whether it’s through infrastructure projects, whether it’s through shovelready projects.’’

He said the effects of the earthquakes which killed 185 people and wiped out a significant portion of the CBD were still raw for Cantabrians.

Dr Woods was standing by the the timing.

‘‘I think one of the things I hear very strongly from people in Christchurch is that it is time for us to resume our position as New Zealand’s second largest city, and to interact with central government on that basis,’’ she said.

‘‘It is time for us to move beyond recovery and get back to a kind of normality, we are a decade on.’’

Mr Brownlee, who spent seven years leading the quake recovery role, was a little surprised by the Government’s decision to relinquish ministerlevel focus for the city.

‘‘I think taking away that delegation, particularly when we’ve lost so much of this year, does seem to be just a little premature.’’

He urged Christchurch residents to monitor what the Government was delivering for the city.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said in a statement the move was a wellsignalled normalisation of arrangements between the Government and the council, with local leadership being restored.

‘‘The reality is that we need a future focus more than ever,’’ she said.

‘‘The strengthening of the relationship between the city and our two neighbouring districts through the Greater Christchurch Partnership enables us to work directly with the government on matters of significance for the future . . . e. g. which are much broader than earthquakerelated issues.’’

Cr Sam MacDonald said the Government must step up to address rebuild challenges such as repairing the Arts Centre and redeveloping the Canterbury Museum, which face significant funding shortfalls.

‘‘Losing that portfolio does on one hand signal that local leadership, but at the same time we need to be really cautious that certainly Cabinet don’t just wipe their hands of Christchurch,’’ he said. — RNZ

I’ve seen the spin that it’s handing the power back to the city. I don’t really see it as that