This week, I had intended to write about the impact of council decisions, and the need for good information to make good decisions.

But like most Kiwis, I have spent the past 24 hours transfixed by the images and stories of the latest Christchurch earthquake; one which is measured by the number 6.3 in terms of magnitude but will forever be remembered by the tragedy of the death toll, the havoc wreaked on the city’s central business area and the collapse of many heritage buildings.

Throughout the crisis, Bob Parker as Mayor of Christchurch has regularly appeared on camera, calmly providing information and leadership - urging citizens to stay out of the worst-affected areas so that specialist teams can rescue those trapped inside buildings and under rubble, but also encouraging people to look after those within their own neighbourhood.

Leadership is a fundamental role of local government, and it is times like these that voters have to put their faith in those they elected.

All the planning, all the training, all the resources allocated for a civil defence emergency proves its worth, and in Christchurch, it is relief to see so many people in action efficiently helping those whose lives have been hurled upside down by a natural disaster.

And unlike a civil defence exercise, these people operate in conditions that must be nightmarish, without the infrastructure we take for granted. Roads are buckled, water pipes have burst, power and communication systems are erratic. Liquefaction has added to the instability, and aftershocks are occurring at regular intervals, heightening the danger.

But these are the immediate challenges.  Then there are the ongoing ones, most notably rebuilding a city that is in disarray, and this is when the calibre of the city council will really be put to the test.

The well-planned projects of the past have been obliterated, and now there will be a degree of urgency tackling the fundamental task of restoring a sense of well-being to the residents and businesspeople of this country’s second largest city.

Christchurch is a city much to be admired, for its cultural energy and the respect accorded its heritage buildings. It has retained both the Provincial Buildings and also the original Municipal Buildings. The cathedral is a much-loved landmark.

Design standards to deal with earthquakes were first introduced in 1935, four years after Napier’s notorious earthquake. Recent changes to the Building Act required all councils to adopt a policy on earthquake buildings by May 2006, including how this policy will apply to heritage buildings.

The rebuilding of Napier had been carefully planned. Furthermore, businesspeople, capitalising on the architectural style of the era, have left a legacy as the the Art Deco Capital of the world. Only last weekend, the city became a hive of activity as tourists and locals alike celebrated this status, with panache and enthusiasm.

Whether Christchurch has the resilience to not only survive, but thrive, will be dependent upon the fortitude and vision of the current Christchurch City Council.

Gone is the glamour of elected office. Ahead lies hard work and the hard decisions.
We can only hope that the rest of the country supports Christchurch in its endeavours in any way we can.

Meanwhile there’s a salutary lesson for local government throughout New Zealand.

Last July I had questioned the stability of buildings in Foxton’s shopping centre, all built of brick following a spate of fires razing both sides of the street in the 1920’s. Next week, our council will be debating a $1.3 million facelift to the town’s streetscape. These plans fail to address my primary concern – community safety.

Last September, Jarrod Coburn wrote that greater honesty is needed over the country’s state of preparedness. With the September quake, nobody died. “Not a soul.”  With February’s quake the toll has yet to be tallied.

Prime Minister John Key has just stated, lives lost can never be replaced.

I can only repeat the warning Mr Coburn issued last September.

“My concern is that New Zealanders will continue to believe that we are lucky and blithely march in the future saying ‘we can deal with emergencies .. just look at the great work we did in Christchurch’. In my opinion, apathy, ignorance and false hope are as dangerous as poverty, instability and lack of infrastructure when it comes to disaster preparedness.”

This is a message that I believe every elected member needs to heed.