Prime Minister John Key says managing billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money and the years of work that will be spent fixing Canterbury is a task beyond existing government departments.
He has announced the creation of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) which will be established as a stand-alone government department to enable an effective, timely and co-ordinated rebuilding and recovery effort in Canterbury. 

CERA will have a lifespan of five years and its operations will be reviewed annually.

“Rebuilding Christchurch and the wider region following the earthquakes is one of the government's highest priorities and we are committed to providing the necessary resources to make this happen over the coming weeks, months and years,” Mr Key says.

“We are making progress on many fronts, but this will be a long and complex task which will require huge resources.

“While the initial focus has been on rescue and relief, it is critical we move forward with business recovery, getting vital infrastructure running and ensuring we have the right systems and relationships in place to get greater Christchurch rebuilt.

“CERA will support the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee to get the job done, in close collaboration with local councils and local communities,” Mr Key says.
The PM says the new entity will provide a ‘centralised response’ to the earthquake recovery programme, but will also work alongside the Christchurch City Council, other councils and local government agencies, and will provide ways for the community to have input.

CERA’s establishment will be made effective by Order in Council and will be made complete by enabling legislation which will be introduced to Parliament in coming weeks.

“It has been clear since the February 22 earthquake that the rebuilding task in front of us is too large to be completed by existing institutions,” Mr Key says.

“We have looked at international examples of major disasters and been mindful of the lessons learned as we have looked for the best governance structure. I’m confident we have developed a structure that meets those requirements.”