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Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today announced the parameters of the review of Port Hills land zoning.

As with the flat land, this review will look at the boundaries used to identify residential red and green zones.  In the Port Hills zone boundaries have been drawn up to separate areas where life risk is assessed as above or below acceptable levels.

Red zones have been declared where the level of life risk is considered unacceptable based on GNS modelling, and where area wide mitigation is not considered practical for a range of reasons.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced Cabinet approval for $4 million of funding for the design and construction of passing opportunities on State Highway 2 between Napier and Gisborne.

“I acknowledge concerns about getting freight in and out of the Gisborne region in the most cost effective way since the Napier to Gisborne rail line closed north of Wairoa in March following storm damage, and the subsequent decision by KiwiRail to mothball the line.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says compensation agreements worth up to $38 million have been signed between the owners of the Rena and the Crown.

Under the agreements Daina Shipping will pay compensation of $27.6 million to the Crown for costs incurred in clean-up after the ship grounded off Tauranga last October.  A further $10.4 million will be paid if Daina Shipping and The Swedish Club (the Rena’s insurers) decide to apply for, are granted, and use a resource consent to leave part of the wreck in place, reflecting their reduced salvage costs.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says residents whose dwellings have been seriously affected by the earthquakes can be reassured that financial support remains available, following the extension of the Government’s Temporary Accommodation Allowance (TAA).

“The TAA was originally designed for people whose homes were made uninhabitable by the 4 September 2010 earthquake, and whose insurance cover for temporary accommodation was about to run out,” Mr Brownlee says.

Upcoming demand for workers’ temporary accommodation has prompted changes to the Christchurch City Plan and the Banks Peninsula, Waimakariri and Selwyn district plans to make the development process easier, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says.

The Minister has used Section 27 of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011 to streamline the Resource Management Act and Building Act consenting process. This will ensure the process for developing worker accommodation is simplified and offers more options.

Finance Minister Bill English and the Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission Gerry Brownlee today announced a legislative review of the Earthquake Commission Act 1993.

The Treasury-led review, which the Government foreshadowed last year, will draw from lessons learned about the operation of the legislation in response to the Canterbury earthquakes and other events over the past 20 years.

The review will focus on:

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says all 37 remaining residential Port Hills properties at risk from rock roll have now been zoned red and eligible owners will receive a residential red zone offer from the Crown.

The properties, in the Horotane Valley and on Bridle Path Road, are the last of the previously white zoned properties at risk from rock roll or cliff collapse to be zoned in the Port Hills.

The Government will invest $1 billion over the next 10 years to restore the education sector in greater Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

“The whole education sector has experienced huge disruption following the earthquakes,’’ Mr Brownlee says.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced the basis of Government offers to owners of vacant and commercial/industrial land within the flat land residential red zone, as well as residential properties that are uninsured.

Similar properties in the Port Hills will be addressed at a later date.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says he’s sorry he offended frustrated residents in damaged Christchurch homes with his comments reported in The Press.

“I empathise and sympathise with those people, but I’m also extremely angry at the way some people are characterising the Government as not caring or doing nothing for residents on Technical Category 3 (TC3) land, when we and many others are doing a great deal.

The Marine Legislation Bill had its first reading in Parliament today.

The Bill makes amendments to the Maritime Transport Act 1994 across three main categories: implementing international maritime conventions; port, harbour and navigation safety; and miscellaneous provisions.

The Bill also amends the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effect) Act 2012 by the transfer of certain discharge and dumping of waste functions from Maritime New Zealand to the Environmental Protection Authority.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the news that Westpac and Lumley Insurance have teamed up to write new construction and full replacement home and contents cover in greater Christchurch.

“Being able to get new cover will help the rebuild gain momentum, and I hope today’s announcement spurs other insurers to further unlock the market,” Mr Brownlee says.

The five year schedule for the rebuild of Christchurch’s earthquake-damaged roads and underground services was released today by the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee and Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker.

The plan includes a map setting out indicative timeframes for infrastructure repairs in different areas of the city. The work has been prioritised based on a range of factors, with the aim being to first fix the worst-affected areas that impact on the most people.

Cabinet has approved the redevelopment of the Canterbury District Health Board’s hospitals with a final plan due back by the end of the year, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew announced today.

“This project will be the largest hospital build in the history of New Zealand’s public health service and includes fast tracking the design of Burwood Hospital redevelopment in the eastern suburbs,” Mr Brownlee said.

We’re now just a few days shy of the second anniversary of the first earthquake, when we were so lucky that no one was killed.

I want to provide you with an overview of the recovery process to date and the significant progress that we are making.

But first, I want to thank the rest of New Zealand for the incredible level of support and assistance that the Canterbury region has received over the last two years. From all ends of the country, New Zealanders came to our aid and continue to support us.

Cabinet has confirmed a new International Air Transport Policy Statement, Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced.

“The policy aims to grow the economy by providing New Zealanders with better access to the world and helping increase trade in goods and services,” Mr Brownlee says.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the release of the New Zealand Transport Agency’s National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) for 2012 – 2015 – the largest programme of its kind in the country’s history.

A new funding framework for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will enable the organisation to improve air safety and ensure users meet the true cost of the services they receive, Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says.

“The new framework will ensure the CAA is sufficiently resourced to continue delivering air safety benefits in a rapidly changing environment and to provide opportunities for continued economic growth.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says safety on the country’s rail network is and always will be the primary underlying factor in rail operations.

His comments come following the leaking of KiwiRail’s draft Infrastructure and Engineering Business Plan 2013 – 2015 to Radio New Zealand; a document KiwiRail has this afternoon released along with appropriate explanations of its purpose and contents.

A final decision has been reached on 126 more properties in the Port Hills, with the majority now zoned red.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says 121 of the remaining 163 white zone properties will be rezoned red and the owners will receive a residential red zone offer. A further five properties will be rezoned green.

All property owners were individually informed of the decisions by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority yesterday evening.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says claims from opposition MPs and roading lobbyists that the government is neglecting local roads at the expense of the seven Roads of National Significance are not supported by the facts.

“Local roads receive almost as much funding as the state highways which are so important to delivering greater economic outcomes for New Zealanders,” Mr Brownlee says.

“The overall standard of local roads in New Zealand is generally very high after a decade of sustained and significant investment.

The Government has welcomed news the Australian Government has revised its travel warning for Christchurch and Lyttelton, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Associate Tourism Minister Chris Tremain say.

“Getting tourism back on its feet in the region is incredibly important for the rebuild and recovery of the wider Canterbury region,” Mr Brownlee says.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson have today announced details of a National War Memorial Park to be developed in time for Anzac Day 2015.

The National War Memorial Park was announced by the Prime Minister this morning outside the National War Memorial in Wellington.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says with the design of the new central Christchurch area set out in the Recovery Plan it’s now time to start discussions about the transfer of land ownership.

Commercial sensitivities meant it was not possible for CERA’s Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) to start direct negotiations with land owners during its 100-day work programme.