Today, in Queenstown, hundreds of transtasman construction industry delegates will
hear keynote speaker New Orleans district manager Perlina Thomas, of Louisiana Associated General Contractors, comment on the municipal and community impacts of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and on the resurrection of Christchurch.
Ms Thomas said Christchurch was further along with its demolition of ruined buildings than New Orleans, to the benefit of public safety, crime prevention and insurance policy holders.
Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated $81 billion in damage and ravaged coastal towns in Mississippi, as well as Louisiana's largest city, New Orleans.
Ms Thomas said yesterday the aftermath exposed a mayor, a governor and a president all inexperienced with disaster recovery.
Christchurch and New Orleans residents would share impatience with the progress of their respective rebuilds.
''There's a concern when you have people come in from other places, and the local people directly affected by the disaster have more confidence in people they know,'' Ms Thomas said, commenting on how Christchurch contractors should operate.
Organisers said about 500 transtasman representatives were attending the 2013 New Zealand Contractors' Federation and the Civil Contractors' Federation joint conference in the Queenstown Events Centre until tomorrow.
