Stay or Go?

Being in Pacific Park with our land "red" we have to shift. My wife Shamina wants to stay in the east but my feeling is to have shingle/stable ground under me and shift west or out of Christchurch City.

Eastern land is either red (can't be rebuilt on), blue (liquefaction highly probable in a future significant event), or yellow (liquefaction possible in future).

And housing costs are sky rocketing in Christchurch so what we get from the government (2007 ratable valuation) for our 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 lounge, 3 car garaging 9 year old house ($381,000) will be about $50,000 - $80,000) short to get a comparable house in western Christchurch.

Going to Rangiora (Waimakariri Council) or Rolleston (Selwyn Council) is slightly cheaper, but to retain similar property and value we need to shift about 40km out of Christchurch.

I also beleive that with less rate payers in Chrischurch (both multi-storey business buildings and the 5,000+ red zone houses) and a need for a lot more money, rates in Christchurch will rise far above the national average. The city has not got enough residentail development to cater for that many new houses.

So, do we shift to Selwyn or Waimakariri, or even slightly further to Amberley (Hurunui Council)? But what do we gain - possibly just a couple of years of lower rates as I am of the opinion (and it has been voiced after I wrote most of this, but before I published it) that there will be a merger of three or four councils to make a "super council area", similar to Auickland's super city status.

Yes, a lot of the quakes/aftershocks have been centred on Rolleston, and while houses have some suprficial damage, none are being demolished and rebuilt. In fact new houses are being erected at a rapid rate and the insurance companies are insuring them, something that is difficult in Christchurch city at the moment.