The government will put a name and a face to the Independent Inquiry into the Earthquake Commission's handling of the Canterbury earthquakes today.
Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
At an announcement in Christchurch at 10.20am, Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods will name who is chairing the inquiry along with the terms of reference.
The government hopes the inquiry will shed light on what went wrong after the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, including how thousands of Christchurch homeowners ended up with unresolved claims and botched repair jobs.
In February this year there were still about 2600 unresolved claims.
The inquiry will have the power to compel evidence and hold public hearings and the findings will be used to reform legislation and make changes to EQC.
How we got to this point:
- September 2010: 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Canterbury.
- February 2011: 6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Canterbury.
- September 2011: Over 390,000 claims are lodged with EQC relating to the two earthquakes.
- March 2013: EQC confirms a major privacy breach of their data, including the details of more than 80,000 claimants.
- September 2015: More than 100 Christchurch homeowners have launched court action against the Earthquake Commission.
- June 2016: Then-minister responsible for the EQC, Gerry Brownlee, estimates the overall cost of remedial repairs will be $60 - 70 million.
- April 2016: 3000 Christchurch homeowners deliver a petition to the government, calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into shoddy earthquake repairs.
- December 2017: The government calls on Canterbury residents to help decide the terms of reference for an Independent Inquiry into EQC.
- January 2018: 3000 EQC claims remain unresolved seven years after the earthquake. More than half are for re-repairs.
- September 2018: EQC confirms it has spent $300m on botched home repairs in Canterbury. It has spent $9 billion on quake claims in total.
- November 2018: EQC receives a $50m payment from the government to help meet operating costs.