NZ Politics Daily: 16 June (liberation)

The natural disasters of the Christchurch earthquakes have so far been relatively non-politicised and therefore of little electoral risk for the National Government. Yet a corner appears to have been turned, especially since Monday’s latest major earthquake, in which there are more questions being asked about the political management of the situation in Christchurch. After nine months, patience is wearing thin, and the Government appears to be at real risk of incurring the wrath of Cantabrians. The mood has changed, and National can no longer bask in the glory of having overseen a recovery effort. This is well reflected in Vernon Small’s Dom Post opinion piece, For Christchurch, planning and talks are so last week: just do it. Small says that last week, ‘it was credible to ask for "just a little more patience". Yesterday John Key again called for patience. He needs to get real. That all changed as two earthquakes roared through Christchurch on Monday.’ He berates the Government for not getting it’s "A into G" - ‘Talk and planning and gearing-up-for- an-announcement is so last week. The deadline for action is here.’

The Minister for Earthquake Recovery, Gerry Brownlee, appears to be part of the Government’s problem, and increasingly he appears to be almost a lame duck minister. There must be questions asked about whether he was the right person for the job. He is reported today as saying he does not accept that Christchurch residents are in limbo – see: NZPA: Quake complainers are being simplistic – Brownlee. He’s also being criticized for his apparent line that although it’s ‘blindingly obvious’ which parts of Christchurch will be bulldozed, he’s not willing to discuss them. And last night he appeared on Campbell Live (watch here) wearing a flash branded “CERA” jacket that probably caused a number of Cantabrians to curse. As Brian Tut of the Bexley Residence Association said on Radio NZ, ‘CERA has a corporate uniform, perhaps that shows their priorities are in the wrong place’. Similarly, he continues to push a common plea to the media for sympathy because while Christchurch residents without homes are suffering, he too is suffering and having sleepless nights, and so forth. It’s not a good line for the public. Surely it’s only a matter of time before the calls become louder for his replacement.

Although Labour has been relatively restrained in its politicization of the Christchurch rebuild, that’s beginning to change too. Officially the Opposition parties claim to be pursuing a bi-partisan approach, but the reality is that they are starting to (rightly) exploit the failings and sluggishness of the crisis management. As the election comes closer, this is likely to increase. Certainly, Labour’s Lianne Dalziel is one of the few MPs making waves with criticisms of the Government. One of the best local and politically-informed accounts of the dissatisfaction with the Government can be read on the Action for Christchurch East blogsite, especially the post, The “blindingly obvious”, which challenges the idea that the residents are being looked after by the Government and City Council.

Part of the Government’s slowness is obviously due to the significant severity of the situation in Christchurch. While it’s still hard to fathom just how big the rebuild project will have to be, increasingly there is a sense that the Government wants to downplay this severity because the logic of dealing with it is far too daunting in an election year. If the CBD really does need to be shifted, if tens of thousands of houses do need to be demolished, then the required rebuild is going to need a much more major expense and headache than any Government politician has yet publicly admitted. [Continue reading below for a full list of the highlights of NZ Politics Daily]

Below are the internet links to all the NZ politics material from the last 24 hours that are either informative, insightful, interesting or influential. This list and the links are taken from a fuller document, NZ Politics Daily, which is emailed out, Monday to Friday, to various researchers, academics, journalists, MPs and so forth. The document is purely for research purposes only, and if you would like to be on the subscription list, please email: [email protected]

Christchurch Earthquake

Vernon Small (Dom Post): For Christchurch, planning and talks are so last week: just do it

NZPA: Quake complainers are being simplistic – Brownlee

TVNZ: Cera boss: We're working as fast as we can

Newstalk ZB: CERA faces rebuilding a shaking city

Editorial (NZH): Christchurch people need to hear truth

Kate Chapman (Dom Post): NZ strength buoys Christchurch - expert

Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): Not united on bi-partisan approach

Action for Christchurch East: The “blindingly obvious”

Imperator Fish: Time To Get Tough On Natural Disasters