Human Rights Commission

The ultimate future of the land in the residential red zones

Q:      What decisions have been made on the ultimate future of the land in the residential red zones?

A:      No decisions have been made on the final future of the land in the residential red zones

The land in the residential red zone is not likely to be suitable for continued residential living for a long time.  It generally suffers from thin crust issues and/or lateral (sideways) spreading which makes the land too weak or unstable to support houses, without major area-wide land repairs which would take years to design and put in place and involve massive costs and disruption.  This means permanent repairs to the infrastructure (such as roading, power and water supplies) in these areas can also not go ahead.

The council will not be installing new services in the residential red zone.

If only a few people remain in a street and/or area, the council and other providers may decide that it is no longer affordable or practical to keep services to the homes that are left.

Insurers may cancel or refuse to renew insurance policies for properties in the residential red zones.

CERA does have the power under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011 to require you to sell your property to CERA for its market value at that time. It is important to note that if CERA decides  in the future to use these powers to purchase your property, the market value could be much less than the amount that you would have received under the Crown’s offer. 

This information has been adapted from CERA’s website. 

Zoning of my house

Q:      Can I have my zoning reassessed? 

A:      Property owners can ask to have their zoning reassessed by phoning the helpline on 0800 746 423 or emailing info@cera.govt.nz. CERA will then check your zoning to see if there are any obvious mistakes.

Q:      Why would anyone buy in a TC3 zone, especially if insurers advise they won’t rebuild there?  Will land be rezoned? Being in a TC3 property means that repair or replacement of foundations requires a specific engineering foundation design for that site. 

A:      CERA advises that although there is a risk of land damage caused by liquefaction for properties in TC3 zones from any future earthquakes, homes in this category can be rebuilt and repaired on an individual basis as long as the foundations are designed specially to meet the land conditions.  If rebuild or repair work is not needed to the foundations, then the technical category will only apply if other work involving the foundations is done on those homes for different reasons (such as renovations).

This information has been adapted from CERA’s website.

Q: Why did CERA choose 31 April 2013 as the latest possible date to defer settlement for red zone property owners?

A: CERA say they chose this date to give owners time to consider the Crown offer and/or find other accommodation. This longer time frame was considered appropriate given the unique circumstances of the red zone offer and the difficult decisions that property owners need to make. A definitive end point was also needed to enable the recovery of red zone areas and the surrounding community after the final settlement date.