EQC confirms Canterbury staff numbers for 2017The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has confirmed the shape of the organisation for 2017, including the number of positions in Canterbury.

“As our work in Canterbury enters its final phase in 2017, we will obviously need to be smaller. From January 2017, EQC will be an organisation of 458 people. Of these, at least 216 will be based in Christchurch,” EQC Chief Executive Ian Simpson says.

“The new structure retains a core of specialist staff who will continue to meet the needs of our remaining Canterbury customers.

“In 2017, EQC will continue to resolve remedial inquiries on properties where we have managed a repair, and resolving claims for drains damaged by

the earthquakes. There is also a range of administrative and financial tasks to be completed,” Mr Simpson says.

Remedial inquiries

An important focus for EQC in 2017 will be resolving the remaining remedial inquiries from Canterbury customers who have had a managed repair.

With about 68,000 managed repairs carried out as part of the Canterbury Home Repair Programme (CHRP) largely completed, EQC and Fletcher EQR have jointly agreed a new approach to completing the remaining remedial work in Canterbury.

From January 2017, EQC will expand its role managing all remedial inquiries to include management of any resulting remedial repairs. This means it will liaise with customers and

contractors to completion of any additional work, where it’s required.

“The new approach will streamline decision making by bringing all the elements of resolving remedial inquiries into one organisation,” Mr Simpson says.

Fletcher has agreed to continue its role in 2017 but likely with a smaller team and a focus on managing any underfloor work arising from the joint CHRP subfloor review. More detailed proposals on this will be finalised over the next month or two.

As well as its work in Canterbury for 2017, EQC needs to be ready to respond to any future natural disaster events anywhere in New Zealand and continue its work of negotiating and managing natural disaster reinsurance for the country. EQC

will also continue settling the average 5,000 to 8,000 natural disaster claims received nationally each year, funding research to the tune of $16 million per year, and educating the public on natural hazards and how to mitigate them.

EQC sets out process for remedial requests

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has streamlined its process for handling new remedial requests from customers received from 1 August, 2016.

EQC’s Head of Dwelling Settlement, Michael Price, says the new process aims for faster resolution with customers having the opportunity to provide information upfront and state their preference for a cash settlement or a managed repair where remedial work is required.

The changes have been introduced after positive customer feedback on the process used to manage claims from the February 2016 earthquake, where customers had the opportunity to submit more information upfront to enable quicker turnaround.

“Many customers going through the February 2016 claims management process are positive or very positive about their experience,” Mr Price says.

“EQC will now use this approach for new remedial requests, and customers will be asked to send in information such as photographs and builders’ quotes.”

Mr Price says while cash settlement will provide a quicker resolution, it may not suit everyone.

“So if a customer prefers that a contractor do the work, then EQC will arrange for that to happen during 2017. But EQC’s Community Contact Team and independent customer advocate groups will be available to support any cash-settled customers who aren’t confident in sourcing their own contractors,” says Mr Price.

Of the approximate 6,900 open remedial requests on EQC’s books at the end of August 2016, EQC has identified up to 3,000 properties that it will not be able to complete any remedial repair before 2017. The new process, while largely designed for new remedial requests, will be available to these customers also and EQC is making contact with them to ask if they would prefer a cash settlement or wait for a managed repair during 2017.

3,000 Kiwi kids descend on the Alpine Fault

Expert Sam and teacher Shelley talk about tsunami risk on the West Coast.

EQC’s latest virtual field trip, “Geohazards”, launched last month with 130 classrooms around New Zealand taking part

(that’s over 3,000 Kiwi kids). Virtual field trips allow New Zealand’s school children to visit some of our most

fascinating locations without having to leave the classroom.

How it works is simple – a teacher travels alongside subject experts to various locations and communicates their experiences with students all around the country via online video and audio feeds. The trips are designed to help improve students understanding of geohazards, how we as a nation manage those hazards, and also raise awareness of EQC’s role in helping build New Zealand’s resilience.

Last month’s trip was the ninth funded by EQC and it explored earthquakes, landslips and tsunami on the West Coast as well as what might happen when the Alpine Fault next ruptures.

LEARNZ teacher, Shelley Hersey, joined experts Alistair Davies, a natural hazards PhD student from the University of Canterbury, and Sam Hampton, organiser of geology field programmes in New Zealand and University of Canterbury lecturer, went to locations all over the West Coast. They showed students where you can see the Alpine Fault in the landscape, they pointed out scars created by past earthquakes and explained how tsunami, in lakes as well as the sea, could be triggered by quakes.

All of our field trips are created so that teachers can continue to use them even after they’re complete. To experience this virtual field trip and more, visit www.learnz.org.nz

$25million paid out for Feb 2016 quake claims

The Earthquake Commission has passed the halfway mark for settling the February 2016 earthquake claims, says EQC’s February 2016 Event Response Manager, Jayne Lapin.

Ms Lapin says that of the total 14,574 claims received for the 14 and 29 February earthquakes this year, followed by the aftershocks, EQC has resolved 8,595 by cash settlement of just over $25 million as at 19 September.

“You can tell that Cantabrians know what is and isn’t earthquake damage, because up to 75% of the claims received so far have been accepted, and average $4,761 per claim.

“With the help of customers providing most information up front – claims are taking an average of three weeks to reach settlement.” she said.

Ms Lapin says it is heartening to see that the new approach which uses both on site and phone-

based assessments has empowered customers to provide their earthquake damage data, supported by photographs, was working well.

“We have been surveying every customer who has been through the process and whose claims have been resolved – whether their claims were accepted or declined. We wanted to see how the process worked so we could make changes as we went where we needed to.

“To date, 87% agreed that EQC valued and used their time wisely when dealing with them through the claims process.

EQC will have contacted almost every customer to discuss the details of their February claims by the end of September to book their assessment. “This means that, other than people who delay their claim or whom we can’t get hold of, we will meet our target to resolve all claims by the end of 2016, hopefully earlier,” Ms Lapin said.

EQC is continuing to work with customers who have lodged claims from the Canterbury sequence earthquakes, including those in the Canterbury Home Repair (CHRP) and land programmes, and the settlement of the February claims will not slow the progress of these programmes.

Canterbury customers can find more information at www.eqc.govt.nz/canterbury, EQC Media Line: 029 978 6430 or media@eqc.govt.nz

EQC Chief Executive Ian Simpson

EQC UPDATE KEEPING YOU INFORMED | SEPTEMBER 2016

CONTACT EQC AT 0800 DAMAGE (0800 326 243) OR VISIT WWW.EQC.GOVT.NZ