17 August 2016 ‘Never give up’, quake survivor tells students

An earthquake survivor and academic who was instrumental in changing New Zealand’s building safety legislation has issued a “call to arms” to her students to work hard at making a difference in the world.

Lincoln University senior lecturer Ann Brower recently spoke to a group of second year students about the ordeal she suffered as the sole survivor on a bus of 13 people who were crushed by the unreinforced masonry of a Colombo St building during the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

Speaking to students of Lincoln’s LINC 201 Sustainable Futures course, she also discussed her role in lobbying officials to change existing building laws, which eventually led to the Government passing the Building (Earthquake-Prone Buildings) Amendment Bill.

The bill, passed in May of this year, prioritises remedial action in areas where future risk is deemed to be greatest and forces building owners to fix parapets, facades and other non-structural elements first.

Dr Brower, whose area of expertise is public policy, campaigned for several years to see this change made.

“Changing New Zealand’s Building Act was not in my life plan. But extraordinary events can change ordinary life plans,” Dr Brower told the students.

“My experience during the earthquake changed me from an economically-oriented political scientist focused on South Island land reform into a reluctant activist for law reform of unreinforced masonry buildings in New Zealand.”

Dr Brower encouraged the students to follow her example and advocate for change in their areas of interest.

“I’m not here to tell you what your vision for the world should be. I’m just here to share ideas about how to implement your vision.

“In order to be effective as advocates, we need to understand politics. Put your vision out there. State it clearly and state it strongly.

“Be honest and be blunt. Bluntness is not a beloved trait of my compatriots, but it is devastatingly effective in politics.” 

Dr Brower also painted a vivid picture of her harrowing quake experience.

“As I felt myself being crushed brick by brick, pound by pound, bone by bone, I passed through the gates of hell, visited the dark place, and shrank from the bright light.

“I heard and felt the involuntary death throes of a 14-year-old boy, a 78-year-old woman, and others in between. My leg, my hand, and my soul will never be the same.” 

Several of the students said they were moved by Dr Brower’s lecture.

“In regards to what Ann has achieved, physically recovering from her injuries as well as having the emotional strength to advocate the change in law, was inspiring,” said Robyn Pritchard.

Student Nick Beattie felt that the lecture highlighted “the incredible resilience of a woman who refused to let a truly horrific event conquer her”.

“Instead she used it as fuel to make change. Ann was unrelenting in her mission to make buildings in New Zealand safer, to be the voice for those who had fallen victim to the earthquakes.

“Ann has shown us that you can actually make a difference.”

Student Kim Whitwell said she found Dr Brower’s lecture engaging on an emotional level.

“This can be hard to do in a lecture setting with a high volume of students. Her recollection of what she went through and how she used those experiences to motivate change was both inspiring and important for us to hear as students.

“It is easy to be disheartened when things don’t go right the first time we try, but the fact that Ann stressed that she was turned down on more than one occasion, but kept persevering, was something to keep in mind throughout our journeys in both university and life.”

Some of the material from Dr Brower’s lecture is based on a journal article to be published in the New Zealand Universities Law Review. The article was co-authored with Lincoln University Students Association President Danyon Thomas, a third year Environmental Planning student. The research has been funded by QuakeCoRE, a national collaborative centre of excellence.