Waimakariri District Council team take a break

Waimakariri District Council roading, sewerage and water staff are taking a well-earned break this Sunday (Sept 19) after working 12-hour days and weekends in the wake of the September 4 earthquake.

Emergency response teams will remain on call in the event that they are needed.

“However, most of our staff will be taking some time out to recharge after the huge workload of the past fortnight,” says Council CEO Jim Palmer.

Now that the state of emergency has been lifted, a recovery phase is commencing.

Council workers will remain a strong presence in the town in coming weeks, as ongoing assessment work continues. Traffic control measures may cause inconvenience at times as a result of ongoing works in Kaiapoi and we apologise for this disruption that is necessary to help restore the town.

On Monday, the Recovery Assistance Centre (RAC) will commence operating at Kaiapoi Community Centre at 24 Sewell Street on Monday. It will be open Monday-Friday, 9am – 4:30pm.

Any affected residents with concerns are welcome to seek advice and assistance at the RAC. For the first week the Recovery Assistance Centre will also operate as a one-stop shop for general wellbeing support with assistance from key organisations including; WINZ/Income Support - Housing NZ – IRD - Council Building unit and Community Team staff - Business advice and support help desk - Whanau Support

The Welfare Centre at the Kaiapoi Rugby Football Clubrooms will continue to operate through this coming weekend from 10am – 4pm