Dissent

Christchurch is an ongoing lesson in how not to deal with an earthquake. Two months on there are still areas in the CBD that are closed off and cars in carparks there that have yet to be recovered. The arguing and procrastinating over rebuilding has reached the levels that I expected. It will be years before the mess is sorted and you can guarantee that nobody will be happy with the outcome. In an attempt to get things moving the government has set up an agency to direct the reconstruction. Now one would think that would be welcomed by the people there but, no, in typical NZ fashion this news has been met with howls of outrage and  dissent.  There's great angst among some groups that their pet projects will be canned  and their demands not met.  Every wannabe architect/urban designer sees this as a golden opportunity to see their vision made real. One idiot has proclaimed that the tops of all the buildings should be covered in grass and be interlinked by walkways. Opposition politicians have been busy point scoring and grandstanding while wailing about democracy and  the need for consultation and consensus. I can't help but contrast this with the situation in Northern Japan. Within days the roads had been cleared of debris and temporary housing is now being built for people who have lost theirs. Despite the size of their disaster the Tohoku area will be reconstructed long before Christchurch is. Japan is already rebuilding while NZ argues about who will get the contracts to do it and what colour all the roofs should be painted.