A number of people ask me where are the geotech reports, why are they not being released and when is my green zone land going to be fixed?  Where in reality the Government has “fronted up” with as much information as it can at this time on geotech information.  The very complex geotechnical issues that confront some of the areas people live especially in the orange zones in is far from simple and anyone who says otherwise is effectively telling you what you want to hear.  The engineers continue to work out what is the right information and what are the options for Government.  Areas like Brooklands and South Shore are in low lying sand spits and are natural hazard risks at the best of times from flooding.  It is therefore important to get the right information for people.  While all areas can be fixed the issue is what is the cost of doing so and the risk of further loss.

The suggestion that the government is withholding any geo-tech reports is a red herring being put about by the opposition.  The geo-tech reports which informed and continue to inform government land zoning decisions were area wide ones.  These reports are available on the EQC website; and the land decision presentations and support materials are on the CERA website.  Labour keeps saying the government is refusing to release residents’ individual section geo-tech reports, pointing this out is taking a few calls a day from my office correcting the misinformation.

The first thing to note about these is that those reports played no role in the government’s land zoning decisions.  The second is that the government, be it through CERA or any other agency, does not hold or have access to, or have any right to release those reports.  Individual property geo-tech reports are compiled on behalf of EQC, private insurers and the property owners as part of each property’s full damage assessment.  They are none of the government’s business; the government is not withholding them.

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