The intention is to pass the relevant bill this week. “This is to enable the people of greater Christchurch to get on with rebuilding their city as quickly as possible," said earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee.
CERA will lead and coordinate the ongoing recovery effort in Canterbury. It is designed to enable an effective, timely and coordinated rebuilding and recovery effort by working closely with local councils and engaging with local communities.
Brownlee said the purpose of the bill is to provide CERA with the necessary powers to relax, suspend or extend laws and regulations for clearly defined purposes related to earthquake recovery.
"The bill has undergone extensive consultation with government department legal experts and has been provided to the opposition parties for their review," he said.
A CERA newsletter will also be delivered to all greater Christchurch households from today to give an update on earthquake recovery efforts.
The newsletter includes an update on land damage and states the government hopes to be able to give an initial indication about the state of the land and identify options for the worst affected suburbs by late May 2011.
The Government is working to build a comprehensive picture of the damage to both residential and commercial land and to identify the key issues for rebuilding.
"We hope to be able to give a general overview of the damage that has occurred to land across Canterbury and how it has moved due to the earthquakes – upward, downward and horizontally," said Brownlee.
"We are also aiming to give an initial indication of new hazard issues for areas that have experienced the greatest land damage, and to give an indication of the areas of relatively undamaged land where it's okay to start repairing and rebuilding.
"There are terabytes of data to collect, collate and analyse so an accurate picture can be formed about the damage to land in Canterbury and options for the future.
"Currently, only about 30 per cent of the technical information needed is available and has been collated. We are working as fast as we can but due to the scale of this disaster it will take time," he said.
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