Gerry Brownlee

Gerry Brownlee, the Minister responsible for coordinating the Government's recovery response to the Canterbury earthquake, says the Government is working on a suite of streamlined measures to deal with the large volume of claims arising from the earthquake.

"We have been working over the last two days with insurers, the Earthquake Commission, banks and local government to ensure the process of paying out claims to people who have suffered damage is done as quickly as possible," Mr Brownlee says.

The plan has four broad categories with the goal of delivering a speedy payout.

The categories are:

1. Claims for property and contents damage or loss where there has been no structural damage to the building will begin to be paid out from early next week.

2. Claims below $100,000 but where there is structural damage to the building will be subject to a fast-tracked process, the details of which will be announced early next week.

3. Claims with damage over $100,000 will be managed by a single point of contact for the homeowner.

4. For claims that involve only damage to chimneys the Earthquake Commission will join with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to offer the installation of a clean heat appliance as part of restoration.

"I want to acknowledge today to the community spirit of all the parties who would usually deal with major claims, often over many months, who in this extreme circumstance are banding together to create a special process for those unfortunate Cantabrians who have suffered damage to, or have lost their homes," Mr Brownlee says.