Massive award-winning HNZ repair programme reaches 5000 target
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Housing New Zealand’s programme to repair and make
improvements to 5000 of its earthquake damaged homes across
greater Christchurch has been achieved ahead of time.
It has also collected some serious recognition for its efforts too
T
he Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Programme (CERP), formed by
Housing New Zealand after the Canterbury earthquakes was charged
with restoring its housing stock back to pre-earthquake levels.
This involved building up to 700 new homes and repairing up to 5000
homes.
The programme of building new homes continues at pace with more than
300 completed and hundreds more either under construction or contracted to
be built. The repairs however, passed the 5000 target last month – a
monumental achievement.
CERP acting general manager Andrew Booker said he was thrilled about that
result because it meant thousands of tenants were now living in repaired and
improved homes throughout greater Christchurch.
Housing quality greatly improved
The repairs
programme has
involved minor
repairs but also major
repairs to many
Housing New Zealand
properties
throughout greater
Christchurch.
Mr Booker says repairing earthquake-damaged homes was a key part of the
overall programme to improve the quality of Housing New Zealand’s social
housing stock in the region.
As well as this, there has been an opportunity in some cases to install new
floor coverings, ventilation, heating, insulation and other upgrades as part of
the repair programmes.
Mr Booker says Housing New Zealand has completed a major part of the
Canterbury recovery in very quick time which was testament to the goodwill of
tenants and the staff’s management of the programme.
Reaching the 5000 target ahead of the December 2015 deadline is very
satisfying.
“It has been a large scale programme but I’m really proud of how everyone
involved has pulled together and worked extremely well to get there,’’ he says.
Late last month, Hon Bill English, the Minister Responsible for Housing New
Zealand, visited Christchurch to formally congratulate Housing New Zealand
on reaching its 5000 target.
Earthquakedamaged
properties across
the city have been
repaired as part
of Housing New
Zealand’s
Canterbury
Earthquake
Recovery
Programme.
Top award … Housing New Zealand Canterbury
Earthquake Recovery Programme acting general
manager Andrew Booker (right) receives the Excellence
in Social Housing Award from Greg Cash, general
manager service delivery WA Department of Housing at
a major social housing event in Perth recently.
Accolades and awards
Tenants are not the only ones impressed with Housing New Zealand recently
receiving numerous accolades and awards from the social housing sector.
The Australasian Housing Institute (AHI), at its national awards event in
Wellington in late October, awarded CERP the overall award for Excellence in
Social Housing.
The awards formally recognise excellence in professional practice and
highlighting the difference that social housing professionals make to people’s
lives.
The programme to recycle and restore damaged homes from the red zone –
run in partnership with the Department of Corrections at Rolleston Prison –
scooped the team award for Leading Asset Management.
A week later, at the AHI Australasian awards in Perth, CERP was again in the
spotlight, winning the overall Excellence in Social Housing award against a top
quality field of finalists.
Mr Booker says this recognition is fantastic because the programme was a
major team effort with many moving parts.
“To have the industry recognise the work that gone into the Canterbury
Earthquake Recovery Programme is really satisfying. A lot of people have
worked really hard to make this programme a success.’’
Housing New Zealand chief executive Glen Sowry is also delighted with
CERP’s well-deserved success.
“We are immensely proud of the team and contractors involved across the
programme, from planning and design through to tenancy liaison, building and
repairing, quality assurance and the all-important health and safety.’’
Great results for tenants
Mr Booker says the most pleasing part of the programme’s success is
that it has benefitted thousands of Housing New Zealand tenants
throughout Christchurch and he believes their support and co-operation
throughout the programme has been a critical factor in its success.
Tenants worked closely with Tenancy Liaison staff who helped them
when they needed to move out of their homes for repairs and other work.
The staff helped provide storage, worked closely with tenants and their
families to ensure they were housed in the appropriate area, co-ordinated
other support services when needed and generally acted as the go-to
person before, during and after the repairs. This ensured they were
moved back into their repaired property as smoothly as possible.
Every effort was taken to minimise disruption as much as possible for
tenants during repairs which can be inconvenient and stressful.
Feedback from tenants clearly showed this well managed approach is
not only appreciated but made the entire repairs process as easy as
possible.
Repairs were organised on a suburb by suburb basis and, in many
cases, a street-by-street basis as much as possible to make it easier for
both contractors and tenants.
Contractors
working on the
Canterbury
Earthquake
Recovery
Programme have
made a vast array
of improvements
to Housing New
Zealand homes
across the region.
CANTERBURY BUILD September 2015 23