New Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister and the Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission Megan Woods wants to push for a commission of inquiry into botched EQC repairs.

The new Christchurch rebuild minister is determined to see a royal commission of inquiry into defective Earthquake Commission (EQC) repairs.

Megan Woods was named Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister and the Minister Responsible for EQC on Wednesday morning.

Woods said she "absolutely" wanted to push for a royal commission of inquiry into defective earthquake repairs.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Mike Rogers' and Georgia Scott's earthquake insurance nightmare began in March 2016 and has not been resolved.

Her EQC minister predecessor, National's Gerry Brownlee, said the natural disaster insurer reached "tens of thousands" of successful conclusions with homeowners, while homeowners locked in lengthy battles with the organisation believed an inquiry was needed.

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By the end of the 2015-16 financial year, EQC had fielded 10,492 calls to investigate supposed defective repairs.

DAVID WALKER/Stuff.co.nz A fire on the day Rodgers and Scott moved in revealed EQC repairs for the home's previous owner were inadequate.

Parliament's finance and expenditure select committee in March rejected a petition seeking an inquiry, but Woods was still determined to see a review happen.

On Wednesday, she said the new Government was "committed to having a royal commission into EQC and looking at what happened".

"We remain convinced that we can never go through this again – it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when another part of the country goes through something such as we've been through in Christchurch," she said.

GEORGE HEARD/STUFF Former EQC minister Gerry Brownlee says no one at any point had claimed "everything EQC did was perfect".

"We simply must learn the lessons."

Former EQC minister Gerry Brownlee on Wednesday said no one at any point had claimed "everything EQC did was perfect".

"I just have always resisted the blanket criticism of EQC and particularly [of] the many people who were doing good work.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ EQC acknowledged it got Scott's repairs wrong, but said any more payments were in her private insurer's hands.

"Too often the tens of thousands of successful conclusions to their work don't get mentioned, it's always the ones that do have a degree of difficulty to them that become almost the yardstick."

Michael Rodgers' and Georgia Scott's insurance nightmare began in March 2016, when a fire on the day they moved into their Heathcote Valley home revealed EQC's repair for the home's previous owner was severely inadequate.

EQC acknowledged it got the repairs wrong, but having already paid the $100,000 legal cap, said any further payments were in the private insurer's hands.

On Wednesday, Scott said the dispute had not been resolved and she believed an inquiry was "essential".

"Any other business operating that way would be investigated and I think that the mistakes are huge, they're not minor.

"It's just such a relief to hear that someone [who] may have the some sort of authority to do that is now in the seat, which would make a difference to thousands of us."

Brownlee said a royal commission was an "extremely high level investigation".

"I think people lose sight of the fact that EQC is essentially a Government underwritten insurance scheme," he said.

"I have maintained all along as minister my simple view was that EQC should always respond to the contracts they had with their customers and I'm of the view that they have done that.

"Yes, there are some lingering cases and more importantly there are some cases where there was a second look at work … all that does is reinforce the fact that it is a body that hasn't cut and run that remains there for all New Zealanders."

Meanwhile, Woods would receive a series of briefings from rebuild organisations such as Regenerate Christchurch and Ōtākaro over the next few days.

"One of the things that I'll be asking to do first up is to look at all the contracts around the anchor projects and to see the stage that they're at," she said.

Woods had already hinted at changes to the east frame anchor project – about 900 townhouses and apartments covering 14 Crown-owned hectares between Madras, Manchester and Lichfield streets and the Avon River.

The new minister would meet with Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel to talk about Labour's $300 million capital fund for the city.

"I need to … then talk to officials about how we're going to set that up, how it's going to work and what the processes around that will be," Woods said.

"The purpose of it will be exactly as we stated on the campaign – it's a capital fund that is designed to be in partnership with the council."

A royal commission is the most serious response to an issue of great importance and difficulty available to the Government.

It is independent from the Government and investigates why a situation came about and then recommends policy or legislative changes to prevent recurrences.

Its findings and recommendations, however, are non-binding.

The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission was held in 2011 and 2012. It reviewed the causes of building failure as a result of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, as well as the legal and best-practice requirements for buildings.

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