2 November 2018

Sir Michael Cullen has officially started as the new Board Chair of the Earthquake Commission.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the Board, management and the teams across EQC in my new role.

“I have joined EQC as the organisation continues to undergo a great deal of change and is also making a great deal of progress in settling claims for people across the country.

“Overall, the number of unresolved Canterbury claims continues to reduce and settlement times are improving. We are also close to completing the programme of claims lodged with EQC for the Kaikoura earthquake.

“This means we have the capacity to focus on working with our partners to develop our readiness to respond to future natural disasters and support research and public education.”

Sir Michael acknowledged that there is still work to do in settling Canterbury claims and improving EQC’s claim management processes.

“EQC is continuing to implement the recommendations that were made in the Independent Ministerial Advisor’s report and this is a key focus for the Board, management and our staff.

“This work has enabled the organisation to focus on the changes needed to develop and improve the service and communication that we are providing to claimants. A recent KPMG audit of the IMA recommendations confirmed that those that EQC had responsibility for have been met, and are monitored for effectiveness.”

Sir Michael paid tribute to Dame Annette King for leading EQC over the past six months.

“I would like to thank Dame Annette for her time and contribution as interim Board Chair. She has supported the changes this year and the efforts of the teams to ensure that claims are being settled efficiently and so New Zealanders can recover after natural disasters.”

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