Happy (shaky) New Year
It has been a dispiriting start to 2012 with yet another swarm of quakes that started on Dec 23rd.
Coupled with this has been widespread unease over land zoning. On the one hand, there are properties in Kaiapoi zoned red where some residents are claiming the land is fine (in spite of reports apparently suggesting otherwise), their houses are relatively undamaged and having to move is causing considerable distress and hardship; on the other are suburbs like Parklands where many residents are growing weary of silted up streets and sink holes while being told the land is stable and they’re good for a rebuild - all they want is a pay out so they can move!
Homes deemed at risk from rockfall are in the spotlight too with residents refusing to go facing the prospect of stiff fines if they fail to budge.
I’m sure there’s still a lot of good intention out there to sort the problems we have here in Canterbury. Is it just simply the sheer scale of damage that is derailing the process or is it that broadbrush land assessments are missing the individual nuances of what the land is doing in particular areas? Is the bitter debate over land zoning just the inevitable outcome of tough decisions having to be made, in which case the consequences of those decisions are being borne very unevenly across the region.
We remain relatively unscathed here in Rangiora and the town is going through a growth bonanza. I really do feel for anyone trying to rebuild and start again in what is now an over-heated housing market.
