Search

Work got underway this morning on the fourth of six sections of Christchurch’s Western Corridor motorway, with the first sod turned by Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee for the Johns Road section from The Groynes to Sawyers Arms Road.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says Wellingtonians will be delighted that after nearly a century in the making, work on the long-awaited Transmission Gully road is now officially underway.

Mr Brownlee today joined Prime Minister John Key and United Future leader and Ohariu MP Peter Dunne, other local dignitaries and officials, in turning the first sod on the 27 kilometre four-lane highway, which is the first roading Public Private Partnership (PPP) in New Zealand’s history.

Minister responsible for the Earthquake Commission (EQC) Gerry Brownlee says the fourth anniversary of the first Canterbury Earthquake has coincided with the reaching of two significant milestones by the organisation.

“First, the Canterbury Home Repair Programme (CHRP) has reached $2 billion in net payments to contractors since the repair of earthquake damage began in the city in October 2010.

“Second, the programme has just completed its 60,000^th full-scope repair, leaving just under 10,000 repairs to go.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today announced a programme of change to how the government delivers its support for recovery in Christchurch and the surrounding area.

“Greater Christchurch’s recovery from the earthquakes remains a top priority for the Government,” Mr Brownlee says.

“But as the recovery evolves, so too will the role of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), and we need to plan for transition and longer term governance.

Prime Minister John Key has today announced $100 million in new funding will be made available over the next four years to accelerate cycleways in urban centres.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says an Urban Cycleway Investment Panel will investigate opportunities to invest in urban cycleways that would expand and improve the cycling network.

Mr Brownlee says National recognises that commuting by bike has health benefits and takes pressure off other transport networks, but says cycleways in our largest centres are fragmented and offer varied levels of service.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the rebuild programme for Christchurch’s damaged horizontal infrastructure has reached the halfway point.

“The repair and rebuild of the city’s roads, bridges and underground services is essential in the city getting back on its feet, and people having confidence in the services to their homes and businesses,” Mr Brownlee says.

“To be halfway through is great news for everyone, not least for road users having to navigate extensive roadworks every day.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says more than 5000 Crown-owned properties have now been cleared from the flat land residential red zones in greater Christchurch.

“Insurers and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) have now cleared 5133 of the 7030 properties on the flat land whose former owners have settled with the Crown – just over 73 per cent of the task,” Mr Brownlee says.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed another milestone for the Wellington Northern Corridor Road of National Significance, as momentum builds towards creating a modern, safe and efficient transport lifeline north of the capital.

“The NZ Transport Agency’s announcement that it has awarded the contract for detailed design of the Peka Peka to Otaki section of the Kapiti expressway to Opus Consultants is another positive step for this important roading project, which is on track for a construction start in 2016,” Mr Brownlee says.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has authorised a strategic alliance between Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines, which will see Air New Zealand fly into Singapore for the first time since 2006.

Mr Brownlee says the decision is good news for air travellers, who will benefit from more flights and lower fares between New Zealand and Singapore.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today joined Prime Minister John Key in announcing the selection of the preferred developers and operators for Christchurch’s new Convention Centre Precinct.

“This is a big milestone for a project that will provide a major boost to the economic heart of the rebuilt Christchurch,” Mr Brownlee says.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the Government is encouraged by the approach being taken by Christchurch City Council in addressing financial pressures delivered by its required response to the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

“Christchurch City has a projected fiscal bottleneck around the end of this decade, where it’s up for some major costs related to the earthquakes, and we know councillors are fully aware of the need to address the issue through reducing operational expenditure, reducing debt, and raising revenue.

Legislation that will lower the adult drink-driving limits from 1 December 2014 has passed its third and final reading in Parliament today says Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee.

“Changes delivered by this legislation will save lives and reduce injuries, and they demonstrate the government’s commitment to improving road safety,” Mr Brownlee says.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says he expects huge participation in the public engagement process to determine the future use of the Waimakariri District’s residential red zones.

“A public engagement campaign launches today,” Mr Brownlee says.

“It’s designed to give as many individuals and groups as possible the opportunity to put forward their ideas for the land most affected by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says increases in vehicle travel and vehicle registrations reflect New Zealand’s economic recovery and growing population.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says confirmation work will get underway this year on the 27 kilometre Transmission Gully motorway is great news for all Wellingtonians.

“Today’s signing of a contract between the NZ Transport Agency and The Wellington Gateway Partnership to deliver the highway as a Public Private Partnership brings to an end decades of indecision and delay,” Mr Brownlee says.

“Transmission Gully is a very important section of the Government’s 110km Wellington Northern Gateway Road of National Significance.

Social recovery in Christchurch continues to show positive signs, but there is still much to be done, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says.

“Encouraging signs are everywhere in greater Christchurch, which helps all of us see the upside,” Mr Brownlee says.

“The fourth Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) Wellbeing Survey shows 75 per cent of people rate their quality of life in greater Christchurch as good or extremely good, up from 73 per cent in the last survey period late last year.”

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee is congratulating the NZ Transport Agency and local Northland contractors for their relentless efforts to re-establish the vital State Highway 1 transport link severed by last week’s storms.

“The Transport Agency and their local contractors Fulton Hogan and Opus have been working around the clock with a singular focus on re-opening this lifeline for the region, and they are confident traffic will be moving around the storm-damaged section of SH1 near Kawakawa this evening,” Mr Brownlee says.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says Northlanders can count on the Government’s financial support for repairs to the region’s storm-damaged local roading network.

“This is on top of repairs to the State highway network, which are already well underway,” Mr Brownlee says.

The formal memorial for the February 2011 Earthquake will be built on the edge of the Ōtākaro/Avon River.

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee made the announcement today, alongside Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and Kaiwhakahaere for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Tā Mark Solomon.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Environment Minister Amy Adams today announced the Government has agreed to a request by the Christchurch City Council for an accelerated district plan review process.

At present, Christchurch has two district plans – the Christchurch City Plan and the Banks Peninsula District Plan. Both plans were developed in the 1990s and have been amended incrementally since then.

However, the district plans were never designed to cope with the amount of repair and rebuild necessary to recover from the earthquakes.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says Cabinet approval of two new air services agreements will make it easier for New Zealanders to travel and do business in Cambodia and the Philippines.

“These agreements help provide New Zealanders with better access to South East Asia, providing for enhanced trade and tourism links,” Mr Brownlee says.

“New Zealand and the Philippines have a long and close relationship, and the enhancement of the air services arrangements is a further demonstration of this.”

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee joined fellow dignitaries today in turning the first sod to mark the official start of construction on the State highway 3 Vickers to City improvements. The project will free up the main highway in and out of New Plymouth, providing relief from traffic congestion and a boost to the productivity of one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions.

“We recognise that Taranaki is helping to lead the way as our nation’s economy continues to grow, and we’ll make even swifter headway when this major bottleneck is removed.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the notion of a donut effect in the Christchurch CBD – with new developments on the fringes but few buildings in the centre – is being rapidly dispelled.

“Development of the anchor projects combined with an increasing stream of private sector buildings is rapidly filling in the gaps, providing confidence to other investors that the CBD will be an economically viable and thriving space,” Mr Brownlee says.

Special legislation designed to ensure timely recovery following the Canterbury earthquakes will be used to deliver appropriate Christchurch health facilities to meet an expected spike in demand in 2018.

The Ministry of Health has asked Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee to exercise his powers under section 27 of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011 to ensure prompt delivery of the city’s new Acute Services Building at Christchurch Hospital.