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Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says every time Labour leader David Cunliffe opens his mouth about Christchurch he reveals how patchy his knowledge is of what’s going on in the city.

“Today’s commitment to drive outstanding insurance claims into the courts is extremely poorly considered,” Mr Brownlee says.

“Only a small fraction of outstanding claims are in dispute, and there are a range of appropriate channels to deal with complex or disputed insurance claims.

Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission Gerry Brownlee says contractors working with EQC have now repaired around two-thirds of the damaged homes EQC is responsible for in greater Christchurch, having this week passed the 50,000 repairs mark.

“To date EQC’s project managed repair programme has completed 50,174 earthquake repairs below the $100,000 per-event cap, so the end of the scheme is very much in sight,” Mr Brownlee says.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister and Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission Gerry Brownlee says Labour’s policy of establishing a state-owned insurer is no different than its other half-formed ideas – it’s emotive, shows a hopeless grasp of economic realities, and raises questions Labour won’t be able to credibly answer.

“Labour might hate private insurance companies, but the reality is they’re paying for $20 billion of the Canterbury rebuild - twice New Zealand’s annual corporate tax take,” Mr Brownlee says.