7 December 2016
Wellington Mayor granted transitionary powers to respond to earthquake
Mayor Justin Lester has today been given the ability to give notice of a statutory ‘local transition period’ for
Wellington that gives Wellington City Council Recovery Manager powers to compel building owners to share the results of
building inspections with the Council.
Approval for the transition period has been given by Acting Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee under s94(B)(2) of the
Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.
“This transition period gives the City Council Recovery Manager the legal power, if necessary, to compel building owners
to obtain assessments of their buildings and provide the results,” he says.
“Wellingtonians need to know that their city is safe. This transition period will help us ensure that we understand the
current state of buildings and get a clearer picture of the state of buildings following any major aftershocks.”
Under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, councils can appoint recovery managers with special powers to
oversee a city’s recovery from an emergency. Now ministerial approval has been given, Wellington’s Recovery Manager,
Mike Mendonca, will soon have these powers to apply to the recovery process now under way in Wellington.
Mayor Lester says: “Mike is a highly-experienced Recovery Manager, and our application was about making sure he is given
all possible legal authority to keep Wellingtonians safe, and ensure our city’s recovery runs smoothly and efficiently.
“This is just one of a range of steps we are taking to ensure our city is responding to the effects of the recent
earthquakes. We are also working closely with the Government to identify major resilience projects that can be brought
forward to help us get ready.”
ends