Quake damaged businesses deserve support
15 December 2010
Media Release: Megan Woods, Labour Candidate for Wigram.
Businesses in Christchurch that have been badly affected by the Canterbury earthquakes deserve the same support as given
to drought stricken farmers and film industry moguls, according to Labour’s Wigram candidate, Megan Woods. Instead they
are dealing with a council and government long on platitudes but short on real assistance.
Ms Woods is supporting the call from small business owners for financial and practical support, saying that turnover for
many of them is down as much as 60 percent at what should be the busiest time of the year.
“More than three months after the initial quake, many roads are still blockaded by barriers and rubble still lies on the
street,” Ms Woods says. “Shop frontages all over the electorate in areas such as the Selwyn Street Village, Riccarton
and Lincoln Roads remain barricaded, and the Council appears not to care. It is an impossible situation”
To compound matters, many business owners have been denied business interruption insurance because their businesses are
able to physically open. That fails to take into account the significant loss in trade because potential customers do
not want to clamber around barricades to visit shops.
Small business owners are meeting this Friday to present a range of measures to government and council which will
provide immediate assistance to ensure their survival. “Both Council and the Government need to heed the concerns of
these people,” Ms Woods said.
Megan Woods was recently selected as the Labour Party to contest the Wigram seat in the 2011 General Election. The
Wigram seat is currently held by Jim Anderton who will stand down then after 27 years as a local Member of Parliament.
ENDS