Residential red zone
A residential red zone is any of several areas of land in and around Christchurch, New Zealand, that experienced severe damage in the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and were deemed infeasible to rebuild on. Through voluntary buyouts, the Crown acquired and demolished or removed over 8,000 properties. The majority were located in a broad swath of the eastern suburbs along the Avon River / Ōtākaro that had suffered damage from soil liquefaction.
Background
In the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, many areas in and around Christchurch were severely affected by soil liquefaction, lateral spreading, and/or rockslides. Many flatland areas were flooded and covered in silt as a result of liquefaction, and houses and utilities were damaged. Such areas were rendered effectively uninhabitable by the quakes.Decision not to rebuild
Some land in and around Christchurch was so damaged that the government determined that making the land safe for rebuilding would take years and require the demolition of most, if not all, buildings, and the eviction of their tenants. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority head Gerry Brownlee said "Full land repair in these areas may mean that every house would need to be removed…. Giving people the ability to relocate on land where they can rebuild immediately is the best option we have." The government decided to pursue a simple process in order to provide clarity and support for landowners, residents, and businesses. Hence a "red zone" was established for areas in and around Christchurch where rebuilding would not be allowed, as contrasted with the "green zone" where all repairs and rebuilds were allowed.The initial announcement of residential red zones was made on 23 June 2011, about 4 months after the February 2011 earthquake and only 11 days after the latest series of aftershocks. By 24 June, not all properties had been assessed as red or green by that point, but the government determined that zoning most properties immediately, thus giving their owners certainty, was preferable to postponing the announcement until all decisions were complete. Several areas were temporarily zoned as "orange zones", indicating areas that still needed an engineering assessment, or "white zones", indicating properties in the Port Hills whose rockfall risk had not yet been assessed. By October 2012, all zones had been assessed as either red or green, so the orange and white zones were eliminated.
Affected areas
The suburbs that were lost contained a relatively high proportion of more affordable housing, including social housing and rentals. Many urban Māori people lived in the red zone. Most of the displaced people moved to less-damaged outer suburbs, as well as the neighbouring Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts, and new subdivisions were constructed to meet the demand. As such, whereas quake-damaged eastern Christchurch is experiencing a cooling of economic activity, the western suburbs are experiencing more growth.File:Bowie Place 948.JPG|thumb|left|Abandoned Christchurch City Council social housing units in Avonside prior to demolition in February 2014Flatland
In the 2010–2011 Christchurch earthquakes, many areas of the city built on alluvial soils experienced severe soil liquefaction which damaged roads, utilities, and buildings. About 7,400 homes were zoned red in the flatlands. The majority of red-zoned areas were in the eastern suburbs along the Avon River / Ōtākaro, downstream of Christchurch Central City. Affected areas included Avonside, Wainoni, Dallington, Avondale, Burwood, New Brighton, and Bexley. Some of the condemned subdivisions had been constructed less than 10 years prior to the earthquakes.Several areas along the mouth of the Waimakariri River were placed in the red zone. Nearly all of Christchurch's northernmost suburb, Brooklands, was redzoned, virtually erasing it. Large sections of the town of Kaiapoi, as well as the seaside communities of The Pines Beach and Kairaki, were also affected. An area of Southshore abutting the Avon-Heathcote Estuary was also red-zoned.
Demographics
The statistical area of Ōtākaro-Avon River Corridor includes a large part of the eastern Christchurch red zone. It covers. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Ōtākaro-Avon River Corridor had a population of 99 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 1,164 people since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 10,287 people since the 2006 census. There were 39 households, comprising 45 males and 51 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.88 males per female. The median age was 33.7 years, with 21 people aged under 15 years, 21 aged 15 to 29, 45 aged 30 to 64, and 9 aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 78.8% European/Pākehā, 27.3% Māori, 3.0% Pasifika, 9.1% Asian, and 6.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 18.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.6% had no religion, 30.3% were Christian, 6.1% had Māori religious beliefs and 3.0% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 6 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 6 people earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 33 people were employed full-time, 9 were part-time, and 6 were unemployed.
Port Hills
Several properties in the Port Hills experienced rockslides, especially in the aftershock of 13 June, which had its epicentre in the hills. About 700 homes were zoned red in the hills. Affected areas included hillside properties in the suburbs of Sumner, Redcliffs, and Ferrymead. Since many of the rockslides often occurred later than the main February 2011 quake, these properties were usually red-zoned later than the flatland properties, sometimes as late as November 2013, over two years afterwards.Buyouts
made two offers for insured homeowners in the red zone:- The government would buy the entire property, land and structures, including assuming any forthcoming insurance payments.
- The government would buy only the land, and homeowners would deal with insurance for the structures on their own. Possession of the whole property would pass to The Crown upon settlement of insurance claims.
The initial announcement of red zones occurred on 24 June 2011, and residents were given 9 months to consider their offers. Other areas, which had initially been zoned either orange or white, were not zoned until later: the suburb of Brooklands, for example, was not conclusively zoned red until November 2011, eight months after the February 2011 quake. The government reviewed its offers one year later in June 2012.
The Crown did not buy the land through compulsory purchase, as the offers were voluntary. However, the government emphasised the lack of infrastructure and services in the abandoned areas. They noted that for homeowners who chose not to accept the offers, the Christchurch City Council could "reach the view that it is no longer feasible or practical to continue to maintain services to the remaining properties," and home insurance companies might refuse to provide or renew coverage. Indeed, city buses have been rerouted out of the red zone, and mail deliveries were cancelled in 2014, so that any remaining residents are living in areas with minimal government services.
Stayers
98% of homeowners within the red zones accepted the Crown's offer to purchase their properties. Around 125 households opted to stay in their homes instead. Many of those who remained, known colloquially as "stayers", were uninsured and, in the absence of a government buyout, could not afford to leave their homes. Many were also older, as those without mortgage payments could afford to remain. Stayers in the red zone contend with tyre punctures from unrepaired, earthquake-damaged roads, and the risk of crime in the little-serviced area.Demolitions
Once the Crown bought the land, tenants vacated the property, and insurance settlements were finalised, private contractors were hired to demolish the houses. Some houses, rather than being demolished, were moved to other areas. It took several years until all demolitions and removals were completed, in which time the red zone contained many abandoned buildings that attracted squatters and crime.After removing the structures, the Crown then assumed responsibility for upkeep of the land. The land was treated by levelling it and planting it with grass. However, indigenous plants, as well as trees and shrubs over a certain height were retained. Depending on the natural environment of the property, one of six different treatment types was applied: grassland, riparian buffer area, dune, estuarine edge, wet areas, and no clearance treatment. Owing to the policy of leaving most vegetation in place, many trees and shrubs that once marked lot boundaries still remain in their rectangular alignments around the houses that have been demolished.
The last demolition was completed in October 2021.
Controversy
The government only offered buyouts to homeowners with home insurance, which is compulsory for home owners who hold a home loan in New Zealand. Brownlee argued that to buy properties from homeowners who failed to purchase insurance would create a moral hazard by setting a precedent that homeowners without insurance would receive a bailout from the government, despite not insuring their properties against damage. However, uninsured homeowners countered that insurance status ought not be a factor in what was, effectively, the condemnation of their homes: they argued that since it would be infeasible to live in a red zone after the rest of the area was demolished and services terminated, the government was effectively taking their homes via compulsory purchase, and ought to pay them compensation. A group called Quake Outcasts sued the government, alleging that they suffered unlawful discrimination on a basis that was not warranted by the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2010. The Quake Outcasts also included owners of vacant land who were unable to insure their properties because they had not yet built structures on them, and were therefore denied compensation based on lack of insurance. In 2019, the government opted to settle with the Quake Outcasts, paying them out rather than prolonging the legal battle. Member of Parliament Megan Woods stated that the settlement would allow people to move on with their lives.Another source of controversy was that insurance companies paid out less than the full value of some houses if the companies found that, based on the structural characteristics of the house, it was repairable, even though the red zone legally prohibited such repairs.