Earthquake Commission members announced

6:19 am on 25 September 2010

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced the members of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Commission.

They are Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry director-general Murray Sherwin, Canterbury regional council commissioner Dame Margaret Bazely, earthquake engineer David Hopkins and and one other appointee to be confirmed.

Other members will be the mayors of Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri, who are to be elected on 9 October.

The commission was establishment under the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2010, which was passed unanimously by Parliament on 14 September.

The primary roles of the commission are to provide advice to relevant ministers on how resources may be prioritised and funding allocated for the response to the Canterbury earthquake.

It will provide a central contact point between central and local government in the management of the response effort.

Mr Brownlee says he is confident the commission would have the right mix of experience to oversee the swift and comprehensive re-building of areas affected by the 7.1 magnitude quake on 4 September.