Arising From The Rubble: How The Quake Changed Our Lives

A decade on, cantabrians still struggle with the tragic event

- Karyn Henger

Karyn Hengert 12.51pm on February 22, 2011 the city of Christchurch was thrown into mayhem when a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck, decimating buildings, killing 185 people and injuring thousands.

Over the following days and weeks, Cantabrians were left without power, running water, sewerage and other essential services as emergency teams worked round the clock to repair the region’s badly damaged infrastructure. Many lost loved ones that day, and all faced a great deal of uncertainty around the future and stability of their jobs and homes.

While some Cantabrians chose to stay, others left the area for good. All showed a resilience and stoicism that left the rest of the country humbled. Ten years on from that fateful day, the Weekly catches up with some of the survivors.

MARYANNE JACKSON ‘I lost 16 colleagues’

Maryanne Jackson, now in her sixties, worked as a receptionist in the CTV building. She was the only employee of Canterbury Television at work that day to get out of the building alive. Sixteen of her colleagues were not so lucky.

“The day started out like any other. Five minutes beforehand, I’d been upstairs with our general manager, planning a farewell for a colleague who was leaving that Friday.