Roger Sutton: Pushing ahead | Canterbury Opinion | Local Voices from Canterbury, New Zealand

This period, I believe, marks a milestone as we move into a rebuilding phase, and start small but significant steps towards the vibrant post-earthquake region greater Christchurch is sure to become.

At a time when many residents are still focused, understandably, on their own properties, it is important to stress, life here will improve. Every local is sure to gain over the coming months and years by progress already underway in infrastructure and community development.  

So, it is important to remind readers of an important deadline this weekend - the closing time for public comments on our Draft Recovery Strategy for greater Christchurch is 5pm this Sunday.

Some weeks ago we printed around 185,000 copies of the Draft Recovery Strategy summary and sent these to every mailbox in greater Christchurch; but those without a copy can still go to www.cera.govt.nz so as to view the strategy and comment online.  

We very much appreciate the hundreds of comments received so far and I would urge anyone living in the region who hasn't yet had input into the Draft Recovery Strategy to do so now. All feedback will add value to a revised Recovery Strategy we plan to draft for consideration by the Government early next year.  

It is also a timely to mention that the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011, which set up CERA in April, defines recovery as including both restoration and enhancement. In other words recovery is not limited to putting things back the way they were.

In many cases, of course, it may not be practicable or desirable to "put things back". Whenever possible, we will try to improve infrastructure resilience, in the long term, and also quality of life.  

Another important word in the Act is "rebuilding" and this covers rebuilding communities as well as "extending, repairing, improving, subdividing or converting any land, infrastructure, or other property".  

At present the Ministry of Education is promoting its draft Education Renewal Recovery Plan, the second of six recovery plans (following the draft Central City Plan developed by the Christchurch City Council) to sit within the Recovery Strategy. As the Christchurch City Council did with its draft Central City Plan, the Ministry of Education is not proposing to merely restore but to improve. In the ministry's words, it hopes for "new places, spaces and technologies"  promising "a unique and exciting learning future".  

We're pushing ahead with these draft plans because we want to move quickly from planning to implementation and reach our goals of restoration and/or enhancement much earlier. Canterbury communities are more likely to provide an enhanced way of life - with exciting, innovative schools for example - if the ideas, as much as possible, come from their residents.  

You can submit your views on the Education Renewal Plan by November 13 by visiting  the website: http://shapingeducation.minedu.govt.nz