Long-term reconstruction in Christchurch: Learning from its governance structure

Abstract

New Zealand is prone to significant natural hazards. Past experience in New Zealand has demonstrated an ability to cope with small-scale natural disasters; but the recent Canterbury earthquake sequence, in particularly, the September 4, 2010 and February 22, 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, has tested the nation’s capability of tackling a large-scale event.

This article looks at the long-term reconstruction process following the Canterbury earthquake sequence. It identifies the organisations, institutions and critical decisions that likely govern and drive community recovery. The disaster and its impacts in Christchurch have created challenges and issues that distinguish its recovery from others. Liquefaction-related land zoning, insurance, and recovery planning for Central Christchurch dictate different approaches to reconstruction of housing, infrastructure, and commercial buildings. Institutional and technological innovations, such as alliance-like project management, emerging agencies for managing the recovery, and a new seismic design for building foundations, all feature in the post-earthquake recovery practice. Current reconstruction in Christchurch provides a laboratory showing how the distinctive governance structure affects the systems of community recovery. The lessons learned from this event provide insights which can improve the design of recovery planning in New Zealand, and beyond.