The government's offer to buy uninsured earthquake-damaged property in Christchurch for half the land value isn't fair, opposition parties say.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced the offer on Thursday, and it applies to uninsured houses and vacant land.
The owners of 50 uninsured properties that were occupied when the February 2011 quake hit were not eligible for the government's previous offers, but will now be offered 50 per cent of the rateable value of their land.
"If owners decide to take this offer, the land and any buildings on it will become property of the Crown from the settlement date," Mr Brownlee said.
"What the owner chooses to do with any buildings on the land up until that day is entirely up to them."
The same offer will be made for 65 uninsured parcels of vacant land within the residential red zone.
NZ First says the offer is unfair.
"This will put these people in an impossible position and many will be unable to move on and find alternative homes," earthquake recovery spokesman Denis O'Rourke said.
"There is no satisfactory rationale for this - the government is using bully-boy tactics."
Labour's earthquake recovery spokeswoman, Lianne Dalziel, says Mr Brownlee "sneaked out the announcement" just before the big news about the schools rebuild in Christchurch.
"Offering just half the rateable value for land is not on," she said.
"The full rateable value for other land owners in the red zone was nowhere near the market or replacement value. Half that amount adds insult to injury."
NZN