There will be construction cranes across the skyline of Christchurch by the time of the next election. That is the pledge of earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee.
The job of rebuilding Christchurch has consumed Brownlee since February 22, when 182 people lost their lives in the quake which devastated the city.
He said the task had reached the stage where those running the recovery operation were able to appreciate the vision, rather than getting the city working again.
Brownlee said land had been "released" for residential development in solid areas. It created the reality of new lives and homes for families having to move from banned areas.
By 2014, Brownlee said the relocation should have been "substantially completed". The infrastructure like water, sewerage and roads should again be fully functioning, he said.
