Staff disruption worst quake impact – survey
LAST month’s 6.5-magnitude earthquake has resulted in more than 3000 EQC claims and caused at least $100,000 damage for one Wellington company.
One survey has estimated the total cost for Wellington companies could reach $570,000, but most of the region’s businesses were unscathed.
The Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce survey said nearly twothirds of businesses in the Wellington region were affected by the July 21 quake, but only 5 per cent would make an insurance claim.
Most businesses specified ‘‘staff disruption’’ as the main impact of the earthquake, although 23 companies said they had suffered damage to premises.
In total, a maximum cost of about $570,000 was estimated by 45 businesses.
About $160,000 in building damage had been calculated, while businesses said the earthquake caused an estimated $410,000 in disruption.
The biggest impact cited by companies was having to close on the Monday following the earthquake while engineers assessed buildings.
Chamber chief executive Raewyn Bleakley said the disruption seemed to be location-based rather than sectorbased.
‘‘Businesses in the CBD, even if they weren’t damaged, they were impacted because their access to staff was disrupted and many buildings had to get clearance to re-enter the building even if there was no damage.’’
It was not specified which 117 companies had responded to the survey or which business had estimated a damage bill of at least $100,000.
Following the quake, BNZ chief executive Andrew Thorburn said its building on Harbour Quays would be closed for at least six to eight weeks.
It had received extensive water damage because of burst pipes and sprinklers triggered by the earthquake.
BNZ spokeswoman Emily Davies said it was difficult to put a cost on the earthquake’s impact, although all 1200 Harbour Quays-based staff had been moved to alternative sites around the city.
‘‘We’ve got most people back working now and are pleased to have maintained all services to customers throughout the disruption.
‘‘This has been achieved by people either working from home or from our other locations until we identified the new temporary sites.’’
About three-quarters of EQC claims had come from the lower North Island.