A Labour government will repeal legislation which has allowed dozens of Christchurch’s most important and significant buildings to be bulldozed without community consultation following the Canterbury earthquakes, and ensure Cantabrians have their say on the future of iconic buildings like the Christchurch Cathedral.

“Almost half of the central city’s heritage-listed buildings have been lost as a result of the quakes, with only 165 of 309 heritage buildings remaining as at December last year,” Labour’s Arts, Culture and Heritage spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.

“Unfortunately that number is continuing to dwindle, with buildings like the Majestic having only recently been demolished.

“In many cases these buildings have been knocked down not because they are dangerous or can’t be saved economically, but because that was the easiest solution.

“Sadly the Government’s ‘special’ earthquake powers have only encouraged that hasty demolition.

“Our built heritage is irreplaceable. While Labour can’t promise to save all of the city’s remaining heritage buildings, we do want to ensure all options to do so have been canvassed.”

“Labour’s plans to protect Canterbury’s heritage and to support building a liveable city include carrying out an audit of all remaining heritage buildings in the CBD and wider region. We will also repeal Section 38 of the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Act to ensure the community have their say before any more heritage buildings are razed.

“That guarantees the iconic Christchurch cathedral will not be demolished in haste, with any decisions on its future only being made after consultation and a proper Resource Management Act process.

“The Canterbury region has many important priorities, including housing. But while we tackle these issues we must ensure that we don’t turn a blind eye to the heritage that makes the region so unique.” Jacinda Ardern says.

 

The Policy Document released is as follows:

 

Protecting Canterbury's heritage, building a liveable city

Labour will:

• Audit and save heritage building stock
• Repeal section 38 of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act
• Ensure the public can have their say on the future of the Christchurch Cathedral, by ensuring it goes through a proper consultation process under the Resource Management Act

The problem

Too many of Canterbury’s heritage and architecturally significant buildings have been demolished in the wake of the quakes, and the destruction is still continuing.

As of December 2013, 47% of the listed heritage buildings in Christchurch central city had been demolished. Only 165 of the city’s 309 heritage buildings remain.

However, it does show there is still the ability to save Canterbury’s historical buildings in order to preserve Canterbury’s history.

In many cases, buildings are being demolished without exhausting all the options for re-use or reoccupation. In many cases, buildings are being knocked down, not because they are dangerous or can’t be economically saved, but to make way so that the current government can impose its vision on Canterbury. We need to work to ensure we save as many heritage buildings as possible to work to preserve Canterbury’s history.

 

Labour's plan

Labour will ensure that there is an audit of all the remaining heritage buildings in the Central Business District and Canterbury region, a job we will support the local authorities to carry out. We will assess the state of these buildings, and be open and transparent with the public about the condition they are in. We may not be able to save all of them, but we will approach them with a mindset of preservation, rather than this Government’s bias towards destruction.

Labour will repeal section 38 of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act immediately to ensure that no further heritage buildings are demolished without consultation. In the aftermath of the quakes, extraordinary powers were given to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority through section 38 of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act to demolish damaged heritage buildings without consultation.

Three years on from the quakes, the time has come for that overarching authority to end, and for communities to be able to once again have their say on the future of the city’s remaining heritage buildings.

By repealing section 38 of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act we will ensure that the Christchurch Cathedral is not demolished using extraordinary powers. Instead, the decision over the future of this Christchurch landmark will go through a full and proper consultation process under the Resource Management Act, which Cantabrians will be a part of.