Repair work on category 1 and category 2 homes completed

Good news out of Aitutaki with the announcement that repair work on 105 out 110 homes in the category 1 (minor damage) and category 2 (moderate damage) are due to have been completed today (Friday 23 April 2010).
This was announced at a media conference held at Minister Wilke Rasmussen’s office by by Garth Henderson (Aid Management), Elizabeth Wright-Koteka (OPM Policy) and Vaine Teokotai (CEO to Minister Rasmussen) from the Aitutaki Recovery team.
This is an excellent result for the team led by MOIP consultant engineer, Atatoa Herman, the Project Manager for the recovery and reconstruction project in Aitutaki. In fact, it was only because of a shortage of material from the local supplier, that the other five homes were not also ready in the same time frame. Work carried out on under the Recovery Plan were for up to $7,500 each home depending on the extent of damage..
Herman has a team of 20-21 local workers and his team of building inspectors and the like to ensure that work abides by the building code. Some of the categories changed as the work progressed with the MOIP teams sometimes finding more extensive damage than estimated or vice versa.
They also have a ‘work for youth scheme’ which is a separate scheme funded by UNDO which has also worked very well with the young men gaining valuable skills and earning money at the same time.
Vaine Teokotai said the reconstruction project is going very well that they are slightly under their projected budgets which is great news
Henderson agreed and said it was now time to tackle the category 3 (major damage) and category 4 (completely demolished).
This is presenting challenges as the donor (NZAID) had stringent conditions than originally envisioned and meeting those exacting standards took a little more time but appear under control. For instance, NZAID sent an architect to check the ‘model home’ with the view to ensuring it was cyclone proof and he recommended some modifications to strengthen the structure. Another is to seek an assurance there is no risk of ‘politicization’ of the recovery and reconstruction project. The other part of ‘fine tuning’ is that NZAID insist that a qualify assurance/clerk of works be on the ground to ensure all category 3 and category 4 homes are up cyclone proof and meet the building codes.
Henderson refuted reports in the media, saying the people of Aitutaki themselves are happy with the progress on their island.
Koteka confirmed this and said the OPM policy team had visited the island and met with the people and the preferred option is the MOIP built ‘model home’. The prototype home was shown to NZ Foreign Minister Murray McCully and our Ministers in their day trip to Aitutaki in his recent official visit earlier this month.
The people do not see the Habitat for Humanity NZ homes as suited to their needs, and the same goes for another option put forward from another source.

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