Rt Hon John Key
Prime Minister
We recently marked the fifth anniversary of the February 22 earthquake, which gave us a chance to reflect on how Canterbury has grown.
Christchurch was a devastated city with communities that were so badly affected, but the people of Canterbury have gone from strength to strength.
The Valentine’s Day quake a few days before the anniversary was an unwelcome reminder of what Canterbury has endured. But the response to that quake shows just much we have achieved; we have stronger buildings, strong people and a community that looks after one another.
The Government remains committed to continue supporting Cantabrians as we transition from recovery to regeneration.
The aftermath of the earthquakes has given us the chance to look at Christchurch schools and see what we could improve. We’re investing $1.37 billion over 10 years to renew, repair or rebuild 115 schools across Christchurch and what is beginning to emerge is a state of the art education network that will be the envy of the whole country.
We know the importance of education in giving people a better chance of getting a good job later in life, and there will be no shortage of employment in Canterbury in years to come.
Since December 2011, employment in Canterbury has increased by 40,500 – 14.1 percent – compared with national growth of 8.1 percent.
Canterbury has already begun looking beyond the post-earthquake rebuild. Water storage is being developed, broadband fibre is being laid, wireless broadband is being expanded and roading links are being improved. The development of infrastructure is creating strong job prospects, especially for civil, geotechnical and structural engineers.
Infrastructure also supports the rebuild of housing, which has been one of the most complex and challenging problems arising from the Canterbury earthquakes after 10,500 homes were lost. The Government has taken a step-by-step approach we expect that by June 2017, the Christchurch housing market will be fully recovered with supply and demand back in balance.
Christchurch’s food and hospitality scene has seen remarkable growth during the past year with more than 50 bars and restaurants opening. This growth has boosted the total number of cafes and restaurants to 760 – almost back to pre-quake levels.
The regeneration of Christchurch is on track and the people of Canterbury can be enormously proud of what they have achieved over the past five years. I know the positive attitude in the region will ensure Canterbury remains strong, and an exciting new city will continue to take shape in the coming years.
