Presented by: Dr Ann Brower, Senior Lecturer in Geography, UC Science

At 12.51pm on 22 February 2011, 12 people seated near Ann Brower died. The Christchurch city bus she was riding was crushed by the parapet and facade of an unreinforced masonry building on Colombo St during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The earthquake caused widespread damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people in New Zealand’s fifth deadliest disaster.

“I'm the only one left, the lucky 13th. My leg, my hand, and my soul will never be the same. I broke more bones than the surgeons were willing to count, spent two months in hospital, and most of a year off work. I walked, slept, and dreamed in a fog for four years. It cost half a million dollars to save my left leg. I treasure that leg, scars and all, but still feel the earthquake in every step,” Dr Brower says.

“On 8 May 2016, Parliament passed a new Building Act, complete with a ministerially titled ‘Brower Amendment’ that halved the remediation time for unreinforced masonry parapets and other falling hazards.”

In this free public UC Connect lecture, Dr Brower, a senior lecturer in Geography at the University of Canterbury, will share her personal journey – from the earthquake, to the Bright Light, to the Dark Place, to the hospital, to the Dalai Lama, to the halls of Parliament.

She will also share the lessons she’s learned about how “we Little Guys can make a difference”.

“The lessons come from my training in political and economic geography, from my research in high country land reform, and from my earthquake experience.”

Dr Ann Brower holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College, California, a Master’s degree in Forest Science from Yale University, a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Her specialist area is resource management and environmental decisions, particularly in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

More information

UC Events
Email: events@canterbury.ac.nz

Website: www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect

The Little Guy’s Guide to Making a Difference: Lessons in Politics from the Christchurch Earthquakes