EQC denies red tape for tradesmen

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has denied claims by the Master Plumbers Board that its bureaucracy is preventing urgent work in Christchurch being completed.

Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers (MPGD) said earlier this week that many of its Christchurch members, committed to helping the city get back on its feet, had cash flow problems due to EQC's claims system.

Master Plumbers chairman Mark Whitehead said there was "festering discontent" in Christchurch about payment delays for earthquake-related work and he urged the EQC to start paying plumbers directly.

But EQC denied it was behind in payments and chief executive Ian Simpson said there had only been problems with some invoices that had not had the correct details.

"We are absolutely up-to-date with our payments to contractors after the September quake...it is not right to suggest there is a widespread problem here," he told Radio New Zealand.

The commission's preferred approach was for contractors to contact it for payment directly rather than go through the homeowner.

Mr Whitehead also said the EQC's requirement for a quote for any work estimated to cost over $2000 needed to change as the threshold was too low. He proposed a new threshold of $4000 -- roughly the cost of a water cylinder and associated pipe work.

The EQC announced today it would begin a new rapid assessment process of all Christchurch houses over the next eight weeks to prioritise needs and urgent repairs.

There have been over 58,000 claims after the destructive magnitude 6.3 quake in February and Mr Simpson expected that number to at least double.

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