Quake-hit communities left out of recovery campaign

Communities hit hardest by the November 14 earthquake may miss out on a successful programme promoting emotional recovery due to a funding gap.

The All Right? campaign was funded by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) and launched in 2013 to promote wellbeing and resilience for people in Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri following the Canterbury earthquakes.

In June 2016, the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) and the Ministry of Health agreed to fund All Right? for a further three years, but the programme’s campaign manager, Sue Turner, said no additional funding had been provided for Hurunui and Kaikoura after November’s quake.

Some of the existing funds had been used to send a staff member

"We are very keen to have it . . . but we would need to have it tailormade." Hurunui Mayor Winton Dalley

to quake-affected areas to assess what wellbeing issues people were facing, but it was not clear what further support could be provided.

A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said the CDHB was ‘‘already funded’’ to provide the All Right? campaign across the wider Canterbury region, including Hurunui.

Turner said All Right? was established to support the psychosocial recovery of the Greater Christchurch region, and the campaign had ‘‘not received any additional funding to support psycho-social needs in Hurunui and Kaikoura’’. A quake relief package announced by Health Minister Jonathan Coleman on December 9 included $200,000 for the Nelson-Marlborough District Health Board to extend All Right? to the Marlborough region.

Hurunui District Council social recovery co-ordinator Rochelle Faimalo said she and her equivalent in Kaikoura would discuss the possibility of an All Right? campaign for Hurunui and Kaikoura at a meeting with the CDHB next week.

‘‘Going off the success and the messaging and how it supported people . . . I don’t see any reason for there not to be [an All Right? campaign for Hurunui]. It’s very positive.’’

Hurunui Mayor Winton Dalley said the programme would need to be adapted to rural communities.

‘‘We are very keen to have it and very appreciative, but we would need to have it tailor-made for our community.’’