Local alliance to rebuild local infrastructure

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced an alliance of parties that will rebuild Christchurch’s badly damaged ground level and below ground infrastructure, including roads, water, wastewater and stormwater.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has worked with the Christchurch City Council (CCC) and NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to establish the alliance.

Alliancing is an approach to delivering complex large-scale projects where clients, consultants and contractors from several organisations work together to meet quality, cost and time targets.

"An alliance is the proven best model for this work," Mr Brownlee said.

"It's the fastest way of completing the job, offers flexibility in a fluid situation, includes local companies, and gets partners to work together toward achieving their common goals."

The model has been used successfully by NZTA in delivering a number of major state highway projects, such as the Manukau Harbour Crossing which was delivered nearly a year ahead of schedule and under budget, and by Transpower in delivering significant electricity infrastructure.

The Christchurch alliance includes CERA, CCC, Fulton Hogan, Downer Construction, Fletcher Construction, MacDow New Zealand and City Care.

The agreement signed today is an interim one, which will give all parties 120 days to identify the costs, timelines and logistics for successful implementation of the work.

"The purpose of today's stage in the process is to create a clear understanding between all parties so a final agreement can be developed.

"Over the next four months alliance members will draw upon each other’s expertise to plan the best way of sequencing the many aspects of this massive rebuilding process before signing a formal alliance agreement,” Mr Brownlee said.

CERA is responsible for rebuilding greater Christchurch and its surrounds and supporting the welfare of its residents.  For more information visit www.cera.govt.nz