28 Feb 2018

Dame Annette named new interim EQC chair

3:26 pm on 28 February 2018

The government has appointed former high-ranking Labour MP Dame Annette King as interim chair of the Earthquake Commission.

Annette King

Dame Annette King. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

That comes after out-going head of EQC Sir Maarten Wevers resigned on Friday after receiving a letter from the Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission, Megan Woods, expressing her displeasure with the performance.

Customs head Christine Stevenson has also been appointed as an independent ministerial adviser tasked with speeding up Canterbury EQC claims.

Seven years on from the Canterbury earthquakes there are still 2600 claims unresolved.

Ms Woods said that figure was not good enough and today's appointments would work on a plan to speed up the settlement process for the outstanding claims.

She expected to get reports back within the next four to six weeks.

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