Eric Crampton • Aug 25, 2015 •
I wonder if I'd be the only customer for this one.Imagine a bolt-on to your existing home-owners' insurance. It specifies that, in the event of a substantial earthquake,* the insurance company immediately buys your house from you for a pre-specified pr... Read More
Eric Crampton • Jul 31, 2015 •
I wonder if I'd be the only customer for this one.Imagine a bolt-on to your existing home-owners' insurance. It specifies that, in the event of a substantial earthquake,* the insurance company immediately buys your house from you for a pre-specified pr... Read More
Eric Crampton • Jan 15, 2014 •
Christchurch Council's starting to worry about sea level rises and global warming. As much of the land on the east side of town sank with the earthquake, these risks are a bit bigger than they'd previously been.There's been a bit of speculation about h... Read More
Jesse Dykstra • Jul 22, 2013 •
Recent Seismic Activity Beneath Cook Strait Over the past three days, earthquakes have been rattling central New Zealand, with the epicentres of many of the tremors between Seddon and Wellington. According to GNS, the largest earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5, and was located beneath Cook Strait at a … Read More
Jesse Dykstra • May 28, 2013 •
Modeled Earthquake Shaking Intensities for New Zealand. Zone of maximum shaking along Alpine Fault indicated by red band.Source: http://blog.teara.govt.nz The Alpine Fault will rupture in the near future (quite possibly in your lifetime), without any prior warning. When it does, the scale of the immediate disaster will be unprecedented in New Zealand, and secondary effects will probably continue … Read More
Bill Kaye-Blake • Mar 28, 2013 •
I have been following with interest the recent news regarding an email you received. Yesterday, I received my own email from EQC — delivered to the correct address — to the effect that you were demanding full payment from EQC in return for building services rendered. In return, you have pledged not to pursue your [...] … Read More
Jesse Dykstra • Mar 27, 2013 •
As widely reported in the media yesterday, details of EQC claimants and claims have been leaked in a privacy breach that effects 83,000 Christchurch households. That’s details of every claim between $10-100k, arising from the 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011 earthquakes. The leaked spreadsheet included details of EQC repair cost estimates and associated contractor quotes. If this information … Read More
Bill Kaye-Blake • Mar 04, 2013 •
In ‘Mau-mauing the flak-catchers’, Tom Wolfe describes how young urban entrepreneurs in San Francisco could get money out of the bureaucracy by mau-mauing — going down to City Hall and being so wild, so ghetto, that they would fund whatever youth group or outreach programme was being proposed as the solution. Institutions evolve, however, and [...] … Read More
Bill Kaye-Blake • Dec 12, 2012 •
The Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) issued a press release that the Dominion Post turned into a piece on the op-ed page (but hasn’t loaded on the website, to my knowledge). The main message is that complaints about insurance companies in Christchurch aren’t accurate. I’m not sure the ICNZ arguments actually stack up. Let [...] … Read More
Bill Kaye-Blake • Oct 21, 2012 •
The new report from the Auditor-General on the Christchurch recovery makes for interesting reading. When I got to Figure 1 (pdf), I despaired. It shows all the agencies involved and how they interact, but the people of Christchurch — the reason for the whole thing — are conspicuously absent. It’s like a business plan without customers. [...] … Read More