Earthquake repair programme well on track
Social HousingA significant milestone in the Government’s commitment to the Christchurch rebuild has been achieved, says Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett.
Today marks the half-way point in a comprehensive repair of earthquake-damaged Housing New Zealand (HNZ) properties, with the 2500th home repair completed ahead of schedule.
“HNZ has undertaken a large scale repair and rebuild programme that when completed by the end of 2015 will see 5000 damaged homes repaired and 700 new homes built,” Mrs Bennett says.
More than 95 per cent of HNZ’s properties in Canterbury were damaged in the earthquakes, and around $55 million has been spent so far on repairs and improvements.
“The Government has set challenging targets for this work, and the sheer volume of damage and destruction to properties has meant Housing New Zealand has been working faster and better than ever, in extremely difficult circumstances to make sure Cantabrians in need of social housing are looked after,” Mrs Bennett says.
The 2500th repaired home, in Hornby, received a full upgrade including new curtains, carpets, fresh paint throughout and a new heat pump and rangehood.
“With each repair the lives of the tenants who live in these homes are also being improved, with a warmer, drier, safer house for them and their families,” Mrs Bennett says.
“More than 200 properties are being repaired every month, many with significant structural repairs, resulting in a steady improvement of the standard of social housing across the city.”
Many of the repairs have been extensive with exterior damage fixed as well as big improvements to home interiors. Many homes have had new carpets, curtains, rangehoods, bathroom ventilation fans and other improvements carried out while earthquake-related repairs were being conducted.
The repair programme forms part of a $1.2 billion investment in social housing in Canterbury which will leave the area with some of the most modern, built for purpose social housing in the country.
Hundreds of new homes are currently being built across greater Christchurch adding to the approximately 100 brand new homes already constructed. More than 800 people are working on HNZ, with that number expected to peak at 1000.
“The earthquakes and the effects on people and property have made getting social housing stock back to a pre-quake level a huge challenge. Today’s milestone shows we are well on track to ensuring more good quality social housing is available in Christchurch for people in need.”