Editorial: 13 years on from deadly Christchurch earthquake, and a city still under repair

EDITORIAL

Cantabrians yesterday, quietly and largely individually, marked 13 years since the Garden City changed forever when a violent earthquake erupted from a hitherto obscure faultline.

At 12.51pm on February 22, a magnitude-6.3 tremor shook Christchurch beyond its core, toppling buildings, destroying thousands of homes and claiming 185 lives.

Ever since that fateful day, the city has been picking up the pieces. And still, 13 years on, the job is far from done.

As Prime Minister Christopher Luxon would’ve seen yesterday during his visit to the city, there has been progress – and success stories – along the way.

Glitzy glass-fronted buildings have risen, connective cycleways and walkways have joined the city up, while big-ticket projects like the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, new city library, courthouse, bus exchange, and hugely popular Riverside Market have brought life back to the once-crippled CBD.

After some suburbs like Bexley and other areas were abandoned and razed having succumbed to the liquefaction and silty land, people are returning to live in the central city too.

Building on apartments continues on the “eastern frame” along Manchester St, around Latimer Square, and in other pockets.

But ugly gaping holes remain. Spots, where once proud buildings stood, are either roughly cleared parking lots or fenced-off no-go zones.

The Christ Church Cathedral – once the landmark building in the English-styled city centre – remains a mess. The controversial rebuild of the 143-year-old Gothic-style church building appears to have stalled, or at least slowed to a crawl, and the congregation have now been asked to dig into their pockets to help fund the rest of the works, which are still years from completion.

Many visitors can’t believe that it’s still not finished. It remains a blight on the rebuilding city.

Other work goes on around it, including the Arts Centre on Worcester Boulevard and the old Municipal Chambers. Cranes peek over the skyline. Jackhammers and drills provide the soundtrack.

But the metro sports and recreation centre Parakiore, which was due to be finished in 2021 at a cost of $301 million, remains unfinished, plagued by delays and a dispute with building contractors CPB.

The new covered multi-use arena – a stadium with a roof which will be the new home of the Crusaders – is taking shape and appears well on track to be ready for the 2026 Super Rugby season. In the meantime, loyal red-and-black fans still have to endure the “temporary” stadium at Addington to cheer on the champion team.

The Covid-19 global pandemic no doubt slowed down the city’s post-quake rebuild, which was a massive task after the widespread devastation the February 22 quake wrought.

Christchurch will one day be finished and become one of the world’s most modern cities.

But until then, Cantabrians quietly go about their business, only rarely complaining, just getting on with it, and putting up with a seemingly always half-built place to live.