EQC inquiry hears calls for more empathy, transparency and expertise

Monday, 20 May 2019

A highly critical report of EQC suggests it is hamstrung by disorder and dysfunction and calls for ministerial intervention to resolve outstanding claims. (Video first published in June 2018)

The head of the Earthquake Commission (EQC) inquiry says clear themes are emerging and she is urging more people to speak up about their experiences.

Submissions to the public inquiry close on Sunday with about 600 received to date and more expected this week.

Inquiry chairwoman Dame Silvia Cartwright said people so far have been asking for more empathy and transparency from EQC. They also wanted relevant expertise, quality assurance for assessments and repairs, and faster progress on claims.

Dame Silvia Cartwright is chairing the EQC inquiry.

Cartwright said she was impressed with the quality of submissions. She encouraged others with views on change, or experiences 'good, bad, or otherwise', to 'take the time to share' them with the the inquiry.

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Claimants from the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes can make submissions to the inquiry.

'I appreciate it's often not easy to revisit difficult past experiences, but I hope people will do it for themselves and for others who will face the effects of natural disasters in the future.'

She said people had been prepared to detail their experiences, 'which clearly hasn't been easy for some', and still focus on specific changes they thought EQC needed to make.

The EQC inquiry has the powers of a royal commission.

Changes suggested by submitters so far have been about claims management, how damage is assessed, and the managed repair process, she said.

Submissions can be made in writing or through the inquiry website, and submitters are able to ask for confidentially if they prefer.

The EQC inquiry is expected to wrap up by the end of this year.

Public forums where people can speak to the inquiry in person have also begun and will run until June in Christchurch and the Waimakariri, Kaikōura and Hurunui districts.

'There are already some clear themes coming through,' Cartwright said.

'It's obvious in the stories from people that many are still living with the lasting impacts on them and their families.'

The inquiry was established late last year to look at EQC's processes following a highly critical report that painted a picture of a dysfunctional and disordered organisation.

The inquiry will not apportion blame, or revisit individual insurance claims or court judgments.

It is the first of its kind to be run under the Public Inquiries Act 2013 and has the powers of a Royal Commission.

Cartwright expects to report her findings and recommendations to the governor-general by the end of 2019.

They will then be considered by the Government.

Cartwright is a former High Court judge who chaired the Cartwright Inquiry into cervical cancer treatment at National Women's Hospital in the 1980s, and served on the Cambodian War Crimes Tribunal.