Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission Te Komihana Rūwhenua o Waitaha Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission – Te Komihana Rūwhenua o Waitaha

Those who lost relatives and friends in the 22 February earthquake can be assured that there will be a very thorough inquiry into the failure of buildings that resulted in loss of life.
Chair, Justice Mark Cooper
 

Media Advisory

28 October 2011

 

7 November 2011 Quake Royal Commission Hearing Update

The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission’s inquiry into building failure in the Christchurch Central Business District began on 4 May 2011.

As part of the ongoing inquiry, on 7 November the Commission will begin a public hearing about Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Buildings and Other Earthquake-Prone Buildings; The Role of Central and Local Government.

The hearing will be held at St Teresa's church hall on the corner of Riccarton Road and Puriri Street, Christchurch. It is expected to take two weeks, finishing on 18 November. The Commission will not sit on Friday 11 November because it is a public holiday. 

The hearing will start at 10am each Monday and 9.30am Tuesday to Friday. Usually there is a lunch break from 1pm to 2.15pm before resuming for the afternoon session which concludes at about 5pm.

A full list of the technical reports and peer review reports to be presented at the hearing is available on the hearing web page.

Please note a new report has been published this week: The Performance of Earthquake Strengthened URM Buildings in the Christchurch CBD in the 22 February 2011 Earthquake: Addendum Report by Professor Jason Ingham and Professor Michael Griffith, October 2011.

This report comments on the performance of earthquake strengthened URM buildings located in the Christchurch CBD, during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. It also provides details on the performance of various earthquake strengthening techniques used in these buildings. The report should be read in conjunction with the authors' earlier report and the peer review reports.

Submissions

The Commission has also received related submissions from the following individuals and organisations:

The Commission has also received a draft submission from Wellington City Council. It will be published on 3 November once it has been approved at a Council meeting.

Counsel Assisting

Please note Marcus Elliot is Counsel Assisting the Commission with a special focus on bereaved families and injured people. He is NOT representing these parties. There are also two other Counsel Assisting the Commission—Stephen Mills QC and Mark Zarifeh.

Media Registration

There is limited space in the media centre at the hearings venue. All bona fide media representatives who wish to attend any hearing and/or receive hearing updates and documents (including embargoed documents) are required to register their interest by sending an email to robin.major@royalcommission.govt.nz. The email should state:

  • Name of Media Organisation
  • Country
  • Type (print, radio, TV, web)
  • Staff who will attend/and or want to receive documents
  • Email address(es)
  • Phone number(s)

For more information about media arrangements at the hearings read please read this earlier media advisory.

For Further Information:

Robin Major
Senior Communications Advisor
Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission
Ph + 64 (0)3 741 3004 or + 64 (0)21 621 656
Email: robin.major@royalcommission.govt.nz