Dr Megan Woods
Mason Reed
Hospitality sector specialist
Local Labour Party MP
Fraser Thomas Director - Geotechnical Engineering
W
ith the city rebuild currently progressing with leaps and bounds, we need to take stock and remember what the end goal is. With some of the top building designers and engineers here in Christchurch, great infrastructure, is a given. What people want is a great lifestyle. After the earthquakes, the university lost a significant proportion of its students. It was quickly discovered that a lot of young people didn’t want to come to Christchurch any longer because it didn’t have a night life. It’s easy for some people to see bars and restaurants as a bit of frippery. But they need to be taken seriously and the resurgence of the hospitality sector in Christchurch is to be celebrated. Every time a new premises opens, it adds another strand to the social fabric of the city. The more there are, the more chance for the city to establish a vibrant heart and soul. People want to be where there are other people; they want to socialise with friends and they’re discerning about where they want to spend their leisure dollars. Christchurch has missed out on such a lot. It’s within our grasp now to change the game and to be able to offer the record numbers of tourists who touch down at Christchurch Airport, a real reason to stay, rather than see them ship straight out to Queenstown and other places, as so many do. It will happen and I do believe Christchurch will be an amazing city in the future.
O
ver recent weeks, the issue of new housing developments in the established suburbs of south west Christchurch have been in the media spotlight. In Spreydon and Addington, the weatherboard cottages, villas and bungalows are making way for new high density multi-storey townhouses. This is causing more than a few tensions, with people concerned about privacy and the character of their neighbourhoods. I think intensification of some of our more central suburbs is inevitable and desirable. I don’t want to see us sprawling further and further out, but I do believe that intensification needs to be done well.
Neighbourhoods built on a foundation of conflict are unlikely to flourish as strong communities. One of the cases brought to my attention involves a Spreydon woman who can barely squeeze down the gap between her home and the new townhouse next door. This is clearly wrong. She described her desire to have “neighbourly” considerations in our planning regime. I like this way of describing it. Neighbourhoods that are built on a foundation of conflict are unlikely to flourish as strong communities. I live in Spreydon in a 1930s bungalow. My street has been intensified with virtually all the bungalows having a townhouse down the back. Our street has retained its character and there are no real privacy issues. It is possible to do this well. We simply have to make sure we are doing this well and in a neighbourly way.
S
ome High Court judgements passed down recently are now available for the public, undertaken because the parties have not agreed on appropriate repair strategies to address earthquake related damage. Invariably the two parties are poles apart on what they deem an appropriate repair, with the homeowners claiming the house needs to be rebuilt, while the insurers maintain the damage can be remedied. In these proceedings, the parties rely on the opinions of expert witnesses which, for matters relating to earthquake damage, normally involves structural and geotechnical engineers. Expert witnesses in these proceedings are required to provide expert opinion and not act as advocates for their clients (that’s the barrister’s job). In my experience, engineers who do not present their evidence objectively are quickly exposed as ‘advocates’ and, as a result, their evidence is not typically looked upon favourably by the judge. In the recent proceedings, the judge was less than impressed with the behaviour of the homeowner’s expert and, as such, did not pass judgement in their favour. Engineers should always undertake their work in accordance with our Code of Ethics, to maintain our professional integrity and ensure the public has respect for our professional opinions. Engineers should not be swayed from their ethical responsibilities to support views which cannot be supported by facts. I advise homeowners relying on the evidence of an engineer in court proceedings to satisfy themselves that the expert is being objective in their assessment of the issues because, if the court deems your expert to be acting as an advocate, their evidence may, in fact, be detrimental to your case.
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