Between planning for forums and advising our delegates at the panNGO support panel, One Voice Te Reo Kotahi has also been able to regularly meet with Benesia Smith (Deputy Chief Executive, Strategy & Governance) and Michelle Mitchell (Deputy Chief Executive, Social and Cultural Recovery). Below is the summary of where we've got to, which may be of interest to you.
Summary of OVTRK meetings with Benesia Smith and Michelle
Mitchell from CERA
General updates
Benesia indicated
to OVTRK that the Canterbury earthquake recovery will likely remain a
government priority regardless of which political party (or parties) become the
new government after the election on 20 September 2014.
Thinking
about the issue of how CERA can support NGOs, CERA have suggested dedicating a
regular space to NGO stories in the Recovery publication Greater Christchurch Recovery Update. Mike Shatford (Deputy Chief Executive,
Communications at CERA) and his team will follow up on this.
CERA transition - April 2016
Benesia,
who is CERA’s Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy and Governance, updated us in
regards to CERA’s transition in April 2016. With this date now approximately 18
months away, a Cabinet Paper was released on 2 September 2014 to outline the proposed
details of this transition. As it currently stands:
- It is proposed that in February 2015,
CERA will become a departmental agency within the Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet.
- Some projects currently under
CERA’s mandate and direction will definitely not be finished by April 2016 (for
example, the clearance of Red Zone houses on the Port Hills or the development
of the anchor projects in the central city). It remains unclear at this stage
exactly who will take on responsibility for these ongoing projects after April
2016. This will need to be worked
through.
- In the lead-up to April 2015, (when
its proposed that a Draft Transition Plan be released for public comment as
outlined in the Recovery Strategy for
Greater Christchurch) it is proposed that there will be a review of the Canterbury
Earthquake Recovery Act (CER Act). CERA has
commenced preliminary work on this issue and will soon engage with the strategic
partners (Christchurch City Council, Waimakariri District Council, Selwyn
District Council, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and Environment Canterbury) to
determine their opinions around the CER Act.
- The Strategy and Governance group
at CERA is currently developing a preliminary framework that involves dividing
CERA’s powers into three categories for consideration: 1. Powers never used, 2.
Powers which might possibly be used, 3. Powers they are unsure what to do with
- should they be continued or not, and if yes how? (e.g. powers for the
Recovery Plans). The development of the
framework is in its early stages.
- It is also proposed that an Advisory
Group will be appointed by the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery comprising
representatives of local government, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and other key
stakeholders to provide advice to the Minister on:
a)
relevant proposals on the
implications of the expiry of the CER Act; and
b)
the plan for the effective transfer
of roles and functions to more permanent agencies.
- Members of this Advisory Group have
not been selected, and their Terms of Reference are yet to be developed. Depending
on the outcome of the election, it is proposed that the Advisory Group will be
appointed in Nov/Dec 2014. It is unclear yet who comprises the term “key
stakeholders” and therefore may be appointed to the Advisory Group (for
example, what regions, groups or professions they will represent).
- The Cabinet Paper ‘Greater
Christchurch Earthquake Recovery: Moving forward with pace and confidence’ is
available on the CERA website: http://cera.govt.nz/sites/default/files/common/greater-christchurch-earthquake-recovery-moving-forward-with-pace-and-confidence-cabinet-paper-2-september-2014.pdf
