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Stories of relocation to the Waikato: Spaces of emotion and affect in the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes, Aotearoa New Zealand A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography at The University of Waikato by GAIL ADAMS-HUTCHESON 2014 ii Abstract Emotion and affect are enmeshed in the lives of relocated Cantabrians. A project on the lived geographies of relocation disrupts the predominance of model based approaches in hazards and disaster literature. The previously taken-for- granted aspects of how people relate to one another and are in turn shaped by those relationships are of central concern. The research brings together the stories of people from 19 households who moved to the Waikato region of New Zealand as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes and aftershocks. It is argued that exploring relocation through the lens of emotion and affect can give rise to an understanding of the collective aspects of non-conscious, embodied and emotional life-worlds of relocatees. Semi-structured interviews, spontaneous focus groups and follow-up interviews were used to access emotional and affectual geographies and participants’ life experiences. Three main themes are addressed in relation to disasters: 1) bodies which are proximate and connected to other bodies; 2) sub-conscious and psychosocial aspects of relocation, especially ambivalence; and 3) the co-mingling of materials (buildings, architecture) with an emotional and affective sense of self. To explain each of these themes in turn, attention is paid to what bodies do to illustrate that proximity and connection are both present and desired by respondents in post-disaster and relocated spaces. The second theme of sub-conscious and psychosocial impacts explores how ambivalence exposes complexity and contradiction, which are tightly bound to the experience of relocation. The third theme of materiality is used to make clear how bodies and buildings are co- constituted. Homes, churches and other city buildings can become containers of memory inspiring feelings of dread, loss, and grief but also, comfort, belonging and identity. Emotion and affect, then, are critical to understanding the impacts of the earthquakes and relocation on people and communities, they are a call to think about complexity and are considered to be a large component of the human experience of surviving a disaster. iii iv Acknowledgements Academic work can only be considered as a collective endeavour. Supervisors, research participants, colleagues, friends, and family have all played an important part in the production of this doctoral thesis. I am most grateful to those who have, in their own special way, contributed to this research. Here, I thank a few people in particular. I am indebted to my supervisors, Professor Robyn Longhurst and Associate Professor John Campbell. It has truly been a privilege to have two experts, each with international reputations in their own areas of scholarship. Robyn and John have provided me with professional and personal guidance, academic advice and many levels of support. I have learnt a considerable amount from them both and take inspiration from their dedication, professionalism and energy. I really could not have wished for a better supervisory panel. I am particularly thankful to the participants who took part in this research. Their often traumatic stories have provided the basis for this thesis. The study has been an evolving journey, in that, the group Cantabrians in Waikato has been formed largely from the interview database. I have made long-term friendships along the way, and have been enriched for sharing what has often been a very difficult time when starting new lives in the Waikato. Alexis (pseudonym) thank you for becoming a great friend; you have shared so much, opened your heart and connected your family with ours. I have been very fortunate to be a student in the Geography Programme at the University of Waikato. There are several people in the Department who have, at different times and in different ways, provided invaluable assistance. Special thanks go to my colleagues Professor Lynda Johnston, with whom I work, and who has proofed articles and supported scholarship applications, many, many thanks. Cherie Todd and Elaine Bliss, for their assistance and friendship which is much appreciated. Other colleagues who have contributed to my academic v career over the years include Brenda Hall, Naomi Simmons, Max Oulton, Heather Morrell and Lex Chalmers. I would also like to thank the University of Waikato, the New Zealand Freemasons, and the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women (NZFGW) both nationally and the Waikato Branch for their financial support. I must also thank the editors and anonymous referees from the journal Area. A note of thanks goes to the New Zealand Geographical Society (NZGS), for supporting a postgraduate network to enable knowledge sharing. Finally I also want to acknowledge the special roles of my family and close friends. First to my husband, Blair and my two girls Baylea and Amber, you have all been there for me in too many ways to count, but I am ever grateful for each and every one of them. My parents, Yvonne and Alec, for baby-sitting, supporting and listening; you have my deep gratitude. Vicky Webb and family who came into our lives in the year of my Masters Degree to care for Baylea and have continued that dedicated love and attention for Amber, who adores you all – thank you. vi Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... v Contents ........................................................................................................ vii List of figures .................................................................................................. xi List of tables .................................................................................................. xii Chapter 1: Introducing emotion, affect and disasters ....................................... 1 Thesis outline ...................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: Christchurch earthquake sequence and its impacts ....................... 13 A tale of two cities ............................................................................................. 22 Was there an exodus from Christchurch? ........................................................ 31 Summary ........................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 3: Earthquakes and personal accounts: a renewed focus on geography and disasters ................................................................................................. 35 Embodying disaster research ............................................................................ 39 Looking at gender and disasters ....................................................................... 45 Disasters and mass media ................................................................................. 46 Challenging the continuity principle ................................................................. 48 Some terms and explanations ........................................................................... 57 Performativity of language and the body ......................................................... 64 Affect and things (the built environment) ........................................................ 72 Affecting context ............................................................................................... 73 Summary ........................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 4: Creating fluid and flexible methods ............................................... 77 ‘Participant sensing’ in Christchurch ................................................................. 79 Semi-structured interviews ............................................................................... 83 vii Focus groups ...................................................................................................... 89 Performance thinking: theory behind practice ................................................. 93 Affect, intensity and earthquake experiences .................................................. 95 Body language – unheard noises ..................................................................... 100 Empathy ........................................................................................................... 102 Analysis and presentation of findings ............................................................