Govt. offer to uninsured Red Zoners – generosity or cunning plan?

Last week Minister Brownlee issued a media statement that uninsured Red Zoners would be offered 50% of the value of the land and the house was theirs to do what they liked with until the 30th of April 2013. The statement is here.

There have been mumblings from different quarters as to whether the offer was too generous, or too low to be equitable. I suspect both parties have missed the point of the exercise.

Until this offer was made the government and CERA were faced with the prospect of the uninsured staying put, and CERA having no means to move them on except by siege tactics. Now that the uninsured have been made parties to the government offer process,  maybe CERA will feel they can force them out with some sort of legal basis for their actions.

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