Submission to the Public Inquiry

The process of preparing a large amount of information for the Public Inquiry has given us the opportunity to reflect on the unique challenges of the Canterbury earthquakes, what went well, and what could have been done differently. This submission ties together the key lessons EQC has learned over time, the context of what happened in Canterbury, and what we understand our customers experienced.

The submission outlines how we are putting the lessons we have learned into practice now, through a range of initiatives to ensure EQC is better prepared for future natural disasters. It identifies a number of matters we are unable to resolve ourselves, and would be most effectively addressed by clear direction from government. This has led us to develop a list of seven key recommendations on what changes, in our view, are needed to optimise EQC’s readiness to respond to future natural disasters.

The Board agreed that the submission should acknowledge EQC’s shortcomings and apologise for the negative effect these had on customers, their families and the wider Canterbury community. This acknowledgement was also set out in EQC’s Annual Report for 2018-19.

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