Up to 12,500 workers needed for Christchurch rebuild

File photo

The residential rebuild in Christchurch could require up to 12,500 full time workers, following the two earthquakes that hit the city on September 4 and February 22, Prime Minister John Key says.

The picture was still developing, but there could be a number of skills shortages for such a rebuild, he said.

"We have had an indication that there's likely to be a shortage in occupations such as concreters, carpenters and joiners. What I can say is it's far too early to know whether that statement's right," Key said in Question Time in Parliament this afternoon.

"The government is working on a number of initiatives in terms of training new people. We also know there are a lot of full time workers in the Canterbury region who could actually work more hours - they've been working on reduced hours (at the moment)," Key said.

There were also other workers available from around New Zealand.

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has said the timing for when the rebuild will begin is uncertain as the ground in Christchurch is still moving.

Over the weekend Brownlee said it was likely more than 11,000 homes would have damages exceeding the EQC payment cap of NZ$100,000, and that it be "uneconomic" to repair about 6,500 of these.

"And that number will creep up as there is a better analysis of those properties," Brownlee said on TV3's The Nation over the weekend.

Government estimates on how many homes are likely to be demolished have varied, with early suggestions that 10,000 could be in line for demolition.

Skills for rebuilds

The Labour Party has been calling on the government to make sure there is an adequate New Zealand skills base to deal with the Christchurch rebuild, warning of the possible need to import labour from Asian countries due to trades skills shortages in New Zealand.

Leader Phil Goff said last month he expected a trades skill shortage in 12 to 18 months as the industry struggled to cope with demand from Christchurch, an Auckland housing shortage and repairs to leaky homes.

This would come due to increasing migration of Kiwis leaving to work in Australia in wake of the Queensland floods, and due to low numbers of trade apprenticeships in New Zealand, Goff said.

- INTEREST.CO.NZ and NZPA