Charity recruits for quake rebuild

Damage from the Christchurch earthquake. Photo / Pam Johnson

Christian aid group Habitat for Humanity is planning to recruit an army of tradesmen to rebuild the homes of uninsured Christchurch earthquake victims.

The nonprofit group, which uses volunteer labour to build houses for families in need, hopes to assemble a workforce of more than 600 to complete the job, which could take up to 18 months, The Press reported.

Habitat chief executive Pete North said yesterday a national appeal asking tradesmen to volunteer "time and skill" for two to four weeks would begin next week.

The group has built 364 homes in New Zealand since 1993, and last year helped construction efforts in Samoa after the tsunami.

"We sent 600 volunteers to rebuild Samoa, so we're hoping for a good response around New Zealand," Mr North said.

"I'm hoping we'll have at least 300 tradespeople, matched by 300 handymen. It would be nice to think there's that many people around New Zealand that would like to help."

- NZPA