The firm represented 46 owners of uninsured property in ‘red zones’ created after the February 2011 quake. The Crown sought to buy insured owner’s properties for the 2007 Rateable Value, but offered the uninsured owners, only half the value of the land alone. The action addressed the Crown’s right to acquire citizen’s land for less than fair market value and raised constitutional, property and human rights issues. The group succeeded before the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in a first round of judicial review*.
*Quake Outcasts v The Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and Chief Executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recover [2016] NSSC 166
