Labour will offer 100% Red-Zone Buy-Out

A Labour government will ensure that all owners of red-zoned properties in Canterbury receive a buy-out offer of 100% of the 2007 rateable value of their land, says Labour’s Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Spokesperson Ruth Dyson.

“A 100% buy-out offer is the right thing to do for people who were unable to obtain insurance cover on bare-land or commercial properties before the earthquakes. Too much money has been needlessly wasted by the government forcing this issue through the courts when it was always clear that a full buy-out offer was the right thing to do.

“This is an affordable policy - increasing the offer for uninsured properties from the Government’s 50% to 100% will cost $23.4 million. This is a drop in the ocean in the context of the rebuild. It will finally allow people like the “Quake Outcasts” who have been stuck in limbo to move on with their lives.

“Labour will also make clear that it will not use compulsory acquisition powers against red-zone property owners. If those people choose not to accept their red-zone 100% buy-out offers and want to keep their properties, Labour will let them.

“Taken together, these policies will give red-zone property owners a fair deal and the certainty they have been waiting for.”

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