Port Hills - geotechnical issues
The Port Hills suffered significant earthquake damage as a result of recent earthquakes. Assessments of the level of damage and decisions around the future of the land are ongoing. Several hundred homes remain at risk of rockfall, cliff collapse or other geotechnical issues and notices have been issued under the Building Act prohibiting entry because of the danger.
The Port Hills Geotechnical Group - a consortium of geotechnical engineers contracted to the Christchurch City Council - is working in the hills to assess the damage and carry out emergency response work.
Port Hill rockfalls and rockfall sources have been extensively mapped and these maps are now available for downloading as high resolution PDF files.
An email database has been set up for residents seeking more information about the issues - contact porthillsgeotech@ccc.govt.nz with your questions.
Port Hills geotechnical updates for residents
An email circulation list has been set up for residents of affected areas of the Port Hills. Regular electronic updates are sent directly to them, but they can also be downloaded individually by clicking on the links below. You can register to receive email updates by sending an email request to porthillsgeotech@ccc.govt.nz
2012 updates
5 April 2012 - General update
20 February 2012 - Street meetings update plus FAQs
9 February 2012 - Meeting summaries and frequently asked questions
27 January 2012 - Groundtruthing of GNS reports begins
Work underway in the hills
Start work notices for work being carried out in the Port Hills by geotechnical contractors are listed below.
Port Hills geotechnical updates for residents 2011
2011 Updates
20 December 2011 - 1600 properties rezoned from white to green
15 December 2011 - 100% rates relief for at-risk hill homes
15 December 2011 - Media release regarding "Notices to fix" issued on dangerous homes
14 December 2011 - Challenges to assessing life risk
2 December 2011 - Geotech street meetings progress
10 November 2011 - Street meetings update
4 November 2011 - Life risk decision-making process
4 November 2011 - Retaining walls background
28 October 2011 - Port Hills update – street meetings and notice expiry dates
28 October 2011 - Summary of 19 October rainfall event
7 October 2011 - Port Hills street meetings; Assessments and remediation work; Parks and tracks [PDF 60KB]
16 September 2011 Port Hills area-wide update [PDF 88KB]
2 September 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
29 July 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
1 July 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
24 June 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
22 June 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
10 June 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
3 June 2011 Port Hills Stabilisation Update [PDF 100KB]
Access to properties with Section 124 notices
The Section 124 prohibited access notices only apply to the buildings. In general, people are free to go on to the land around their buildings, for example to feed stock, mow lawns or tend gardens. Access will normally be allowed to buildings but in the interests of security and public safety, people wishing to access a building must complete and application form and send it to porthillsgeotech@ccc.govt.nz.
You can download the form from the link from here (PDF 78KB)
Port Hills Geotech Factsheets
1. Section 124 notices and what they mean?
2. Cliff collapse
3. Landslides
4. Rockfall (and boulder roll)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Frequently Asked Questions page is based on a combination of actual questions received and questions that can reasonably be anticipated. New questions and answers will be added periodically.
Cera also has further information around the latest white zone changes announced on 5 September. You can view the latest zone updates at www.landcheck.org.nz
Filling in ground cracks on the Port Hills
A fact sheet has been prepared in response to requests from residents and community groups for information on repairing cracks on private land. It provides some information on what residents can do to minimise water getting into ground cracks on their hillside properties.
A guide for filling in ground cracks on the Port Hills. [PDF 400KB]
