Chris trotter got it right here. Note too that most of the MOW buildings did not go down in the earthquake. But that old Government Life one in the Square certainly was NOT a good idea.
Maybe it is time for a revolution | Stuff.co.nz:
Did anyone pause to wonder why the huge snowstorm that cut the power supply to so many thousands of Cantabrians a few years back didn’t wreak more havoc on the region’s energy infrastructure?
No. Because we take the excellence of its engineering and the gold-standard quality of its construction completely for granted. It never occurs to us that a privately owned construction company – mandated to provide a healthy rate of return to its shareholders – would never have provided this nation with such a robust and reliable system.
The Rogernomes couldn’t get rid of the Ministry of Works fast enough – and for very good reason.