All earthquake victims should be treated as VIPs

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has serious questions to answer over why dozens of vulnerable claimants were allowed to fall through the cracks at the same time as EQC was tracking high profile/ VIPs, Labour’s Earthquake Commission spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove says.

“Just days after Mr Brownlee admitted he was unaware of at least 85 cases involving vulnerable elderly residents and that he had demanded information from the Commission (an independent Crown entity) on Labour Members of Parliament – which was wrong – we now learn so-called ‘high profilers’, including journalists, television personalities, sports stars, and presumably others were flagged for reporting purposes.

“Gerry Brownlee needs to explain why the high profile category was created, what information was collected, what the so-called reporting purposes are, who the information was reported to, did this include information on his political opponents, and on whose instructions the Commission acted.

“Every person affected by the earthquakes should be treated as a VIP and priority status should be given to the most vulnerable, like 85-year-old Dot Boyd and the other 85 elderly folk Mr Brownlee and the Commission conveniently forgot about.”

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