Crocogerry from Porcupine Farm
The Press reports that the much-touted surplus was in large part due to reduced spend on the Canterbury rebuild:
A surprise $300 million boost to the Government’s trumpeted Budget surplus relies mainly on a cut to the Earthquake Commission’s insurance bill, Treasury forecasts show … Budget documents show the improvement to $372m was given a $200m boost from “lower insurance expenses after an updated valuation of EQC’s insurance liabilities”.
If you look through Keith Ng’s awesome budget visualisation page, you will also observe that money is being pulled out of CERA. So while the Minister is busy denying that the floods in Christchurch have anything to do with the quakes, his government is putting the squeeze on EQC and CERA so that Key can boast about being “back in black”. The council is in a $534 million dollar hole – in part due to the anchor projects that the Crown has forced upon them – but instead of offering a helping hand, the government is pushing them towards it’s ideological obsession, asset sales.
Remember back to the day after the February 22nd quake, when Key said that this was a journey we would walk together? Well, National has hopped into a Crown limo and sped off, without even looking back to see how we’re doing. The message is clear; if you care about the rebuild of this city, about ensuring that people whose lives have been turned upside down through no fault of their own can get the assistance that they need, that they deserve, and that they were promised, then you need to throw out this government on September the 20th.
Rebuilding Christchurch 
[…] James Dann has described the situation well. […]
[…] Does this strike anyone else as a little strange? Not just because they’re promising tikka masala before the chickens have hatched (the surplus is tiny, and only a projection based on fudged numbers and abandoning Christchurch). […]
All I hear from Christchurch is whining. What happened to the pioneer spirit? Your left wing council needs to cash up some of the assets and pull the finger out. Billions of dollars are coming out of all tax payers pockets and Christchurch wants to keep all the assets and grab the government cash. I have news for you, the rest of us are tired of the moaning and would love to see a positive attitude and a proactive approach by your council. Maybe you are getting what you voted for? I sympathise with individuals badly affected by the quake but a National Government can’t be blamed for a council that can’t get off its chuff and act responsibly. A bad event occurs in your life and you need money, so you sell something to get the cash to sort it out. You take the responsible course. Would you blame someone else and demand they finance your misfortune?
Ex Cantabrian
Hi. I believe that the state has a role to play in protecting it’s citizens, when they are placed in vulnerable positions through no fault of their own. They didn’t ask for the quakes, and they didn’t ask for the floods. No-one voted for the blueprint plan, as National didn’t campaign on it at the 2011 election. No-one asked for a stadium or a convention centre – they just want a roof over their heads. I don’t think that it is “whining” or asking too much.
You’re looking at people who have gone through hell and you call them ‘whiners’? For shame. I believe that we’re a country who look after their own in rough times, and shitting on Christchurch in an ongoing crisis is shameful. This isn’t something a quick trip to the pawn shop can fix.
To be fair on Mr Key – the Nats have ‘walked with us’ right through the unpopular sale of the nation’s assets. I’m sure Brownlee feels it’s only fair we sell the same.
After the shock-horror of Chch going blue in 2011, it’ll be very interesting to see how it falls here.
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