Housing NZ close to completing 5000 home repairs in Chch

A massive programme to repair 5000 earthquake-damaged Housing New Zealand homes will be completed by the end of this year. Housing New Zealand sustained damage to about 95% of its properties after the Canterbury earthquakes. This saw the formation of its Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Programme (CERP) which was charged with repairing up to 5000 earthquake-damaged homes and building up to 700 new homes by the end of 2015. As at August 31, 2015, Housing New Zealand had completed 4634 repairs and it will reach the 5000 mark on time. CERP Acting General Manager Andrew Booker said the repair programme aims not only to repair the damage caused through the earthquake but to also make other improvements. In many cases, new carpet, vinyl, insulation, warm curtains, painting and new ventilation is added to the home while repairs are carried out. This is designed to improve the overall quality of homes for tenants. Mr Booker said Housing New Zealand recognised this work can cause disruption and inconvenience and it was grateful for tenants for their co-operation, understanding and support. Housing New Zealand has also completed 261 new homes and has another 439 another under construction or contracted to be built across nearly 30 suburbs, including in Rangiora and Kaiapoi. These new homes are double glazed, insulated and have all the modern features found in new homes. Tenant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with many tenants saying they loved the warmth and comfort the new homes provided. CERP is a massive programme of work involving up to 1000 tradespeople, teams working with 20,000 tenants, engaging with many build partners, working with consenting authorities and liasing with a wide range of stakeholders. The programme is making strong progress and injecting $1 million into the local economy every working day, Mr Booker said.