Commission report handed over

The Royal commission of inquiry into the Canterbury earthquakes was completed yesterday, with the third and final part of its report handed to Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

The commission, chaired by High Court judge Justice Mark Cooper, was established more than 20 months ago.

It heard months of evidence, taking testimony from dozens of witnesses, including bereaved family members, building collapse survivors, engineers, architects, designers, contractors, academics and civil servants.

Sir Jerry will pass the third part of the report to the Government, which will decide how and when it is released.

The full report is seven volumes. The final part is three volumes on the collapse of the CTV building, which was addressed in eight weeks of hearings.

The commission does not determine legal rights and liabilities and its recommendations are not binding.

In a statement released yesterday, the commission said it would not be commenting on the contents of the report.