19 Sep 2015

New rebuild legislation coming soon

3:19 pm on 19 September 2015

Legislation setting up a new agency to oversee rebuilding in Christchurch should be announced within the next month, the city's mayor says.

Christchurch construction.

Regenerate Christchurch is nothing to be nervous about, Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel says. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

Earlier this year, the Government revealed a new agency , Regenerate Christchurch, which will take over the work being done by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA).

The major difference between the two is that the new agency is a partnership between the Christchurch City Council and central government.

Christchurch's mayor Lianne Dalziel said yesterday that the two have not always worked as together as well they should have.

She said she was happy with the look of the new agency.

"There is legislation being drafted so I don't think people have got anything to be nervous about.

"There will be a very public process in terms of submissions," she said.

Ms Dalziel was confident the select committee considering the bill that sets up Regenerate Christchurch would visit the city.

When he unveiled the new authority in July, Prime Minister John Key said getting more private investment would be a key role for Regenerate Christchurch.

It was an important step forward in the recovery process, he said, as Regenerate Christchurch would oversee the city's anchor projects and precincts.

Cabinet had been told by an advisory board that the city's recovery was at a critical point, and it needed a step-change approach, he said.

Christchurch Labour MP Ruth Dyson said in July the new recovery agency was not the right step forward for the city's rebuild.

She called the announcement disappointing and said it looked like a new coat of paint on the recovery authority.