Former Mosgiel man Warwick Issacs stood down as director of the Christchurch Central Development Unit last month after heading the rebuild of Christchurch following the 2011 earthquake. Al Williams recently caught up with him.
It has been a tough several years for Warwick Issacs.
His role with the Christchurch Central Development Unit has placed some delicate decisions on earthquake damaged buildings in his hands.
''Making decisions on demolishing damaged heritage buildings in the city was a significant challenge, '' he said.
Convincing the public and investors that the central city blueprint would become a reality, was also tough.
''The initial focus of my role was on demolitions and clearances of dangerous and damaged buildings.
''Now from my office I can see a new city rising with so much physical rebuild apparent; additionally, significant progress has been made on the repair and rebuild of horizontal infrastructure which is now past the half-way point.''
Mr Issacs has taken up a new role as chief executive at Stonewood Homes.
''Now that significant momentum has been generated in the rebuild the time was right for me to move on without it impacting the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) and the recovery.
''Stonewood Homes provides a great opportunity as it is a company with a long history and a great future.''
Launching the central city blueprint in 2012, a culmination of 100 days of non-stop work by a dedicated team of high-calibre people, was a highlight, he said.
''It was a nerve-racking time, as the blueprint was being launched by the Prime Minister so we were nervous about what everyone would think about it. However, the positive reaction we got after the launch was fantastic.
''The demolition of Grand Chancellor was very technical and a significant milestone for the overall demolitions programme.''
Raised in Mosgiel, he left school at 16 and joined the railways in Dunedin, like his father and grandfather.
In 1989 he got a job as corporate services manager with the Clutha District Council and a stint as the Buller District Council's chief executive followed.
In 2000 he moved to Timaru but he and his family now live in Christchurch.
''I could not have done this without them; our son moved away to university the week before the February 2011 earthquake and our eldest daughter is in Dunedin so we only have our youngest daughter still at home while she finishes high school.''
He had been impressed with how resilient Christchurch residents had been.
''After all they have been through these past four years, people are still so supportive, caring, tolerant, and very keen to help get the city back on its feet again.''
''I think we got the balance right between ensuring that those in the community who were significantly affected by the earthquakes were able to move on, while at the same time providing assurance that the Crown was committed to supporting the community and rebuilding Christchurch.
''Relationship management will be a huge aspect of the new chief executive's job and they will need to build strong relationships and get on well with people.''
He said within the next five years all of the red zone property clearances will have been completed, most of the anchor projects built, and major private sector developments within the retail precinct open.
''This will mean the current momentum that we can already see in the rebuild will continue well past five years and into the future.''
On reflection, he said there had been a lot of hard work.
''In the early days I led a team of incredibly hard-working people wanting to get the city back on its feet. This team worked long hours in ensuring property clearances in the central city and the red zone were completed quickly.
''Without their hard work we would not have been able to progress the rebuild as quickly as we have.
''The vision of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan is for central Christchurch to become the thriving heart of an international city.
''I consider that we are well on our way to achieving this vision.''
