Land Report Special

Working to provide certainty

The Government is working to provide certainty for Cantabrians, while recognising that many people have their life savings tied up in their homes.

We’ve released a map of the areas of greater Christchurch where the land is unlikely to be able to be rebuilt on for a considerable period of time.

Homeowners with insurance in the worst-hit – or red zone – residential areas will have options to sell their property to the Crown if they wish.

For more details, visit www.landcheck.org.nz or phone 0800 779 997.

Click here to watch a video message from the Prime Minister and Minister Gerry Brownlee outlining today’s announcements on the next steps for Canterbury.

The earthquakes have been a major event. We want to get things right for Cantabrians. We’re moving as quickly as we can to give some certainty to those affected.

Advice from geotechnical engineers has seen all greater Christchurch land divided into four residential zones – red, orange, green, and white.

• Red zone – about 5000 homes: land unlikely to be able to be rebuilt on for a considerable period of time.  The red zone includes Bexley, Horseshoe Lake and large parts of Dallington and Avondale.  Click here for the map of the red zone.
• Green zone – about 100,000 homes: land that has the green light to go ahead with repair and rebuilding of homes.
• Orange zone – about 10,000 homes: land needing further engineering investigation. In particular, large parts of Parklands, Spencerville and Southshore.
• White zone – land still being mapped or non-residential land.

Next steps for the red zone

For people who owned property with insurance in the residential red zones on 3 September 2010 there will be two options:

• The Crown makes an offer of purchase for the entire property at current rating value (less any built property insurance payments already made), and assumes all the insurance claims other than contents; or
• The Crown makes an offer of purchase for the land only, and homeowners can continue to deal with their own insurer about their homes.

Current rating value is used to assess the property value because this best reflects the value, and is the most up-to-date information available.

The Government hopes to make purchase offers to homeowners in the red zone within 8 weeks. Residents will have 9 months to decide whether they want to accept the offer.

In the meantime, if residents wish to leave their badly damaged homes in the red zone they should talk to their insurers about accessing any unused portion of their temporary accommodation allowances immediately.

Also, ANZ Bank has announced special mortgage lending for those in the red zone. 

Next steps for the orange zone

Engineers need to undertake further investigation in the orange zone.

The Government will progressively announce the outcome of investigations in the orange zone over coming weeks and months.

Community Meetings

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is holding a series of community meetings commencing tomorrow in the suburbs of Dallington, New Brighton, Avondale, Parklands and Shirley.  Visit my website www.aarongilmore.org.nz for details.  Please note these meetings are intended for those whose homes have been classified in the red zone.  Please wait for a phone call or otherwise ring the helpline 0800 779 997 to book a place. I will be looking to host separate community meetings at a later time for those not in the red zone. 

If you have more questions email aaron.gilmore@national.org.nz or call my office on 03 382 5701.

Regards,

Aaron Gilmore

If you enjoyed this post you might want to subscribe to our RSS Feed!