3. Health 3.1. Both the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and the Canterbury District Health Board have reported to the Human Rights Commission that, in line with international literature there has been an increase in serious mental health conditions 18 months to 3 years post events. Higher incidence is reported. The Health Board comments that many people seeking mental health services for the first time do so because of multiple ongoing factors such as unresolved insurance claims, high rental costs, flooding change of jobs, relationships difficulties all related to the earthquakes. 3.2. Child and Youth Community Mental Health services also report7 an increase in mental illness/distress amongst young people. The clinical director of Child Adolescent and Family Mental Health Services said: “Since the earthquakes, Canterbury has been a provider of an adverse environment and adverse experiences. General community stress levels have been and are currently high. Dealing with mental illness is likely to involve variable levels of support from the grown-ups in the community. Unfortunately that is no longer possible to the same level that existed before.” 3.3. The director also expresses concern about the increase in child poverty in Christchurch. 3.4. Wellbeing indicators published by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority8 as at 2014, state that greater Christchurch residents who report a deterioration of their quality of life in the last twelve months are: people living with a physical health condition; people of Maori ethnicity and people from lower-income households (less than $30,000). Similarly, groups reporting higher levels of stress include those living in temporary accommodation, people living with a physical health condition or disability Maori, renters and those who have moved house since the earthquakes began. 3.5. Social Connectedness indicators used by the Earthquake Authority included: volunteering; a sense of community with others in the neighbourhood and having someone to turn to for help during a difficult time. A number of groups are identified as being better socially connected are those over fifty years old, and those with a higher household income (over $100,000). Those identifying as being less connected are: young adults, people living with a physical health condition or disability and people living in temporary or rental accommodation and those who have moved house since the onset of the earthquakes, and people from ethnic minorities of Pacific, Asian or Indian ethnicity. 3.6. Family violence indicators from police data suggest an increase after the first earthquake in September 2010 but subsequently no increase after the February 2011 earthquake and “comparatively low levels of offences” in the four months following. However, rates of reporting family violence to the police nationally is very low at 18% so it is difficult to conclude these figures reflect actual level of family violence or changes to reporting rates. Women’s refuges are quoted as supporting the view that rates of reporting may have been affected by the earthquakes as “victims were less able to seek help due to many stressors, including damaged homes, lost employment and more frequent risk behaviours such as hazardous drinking.” 9 The Human Rights Commission notes the absence of gender reference in comment on family violence apart from citing the experience of women’s refuge. 7 Canterbury District Health Board (2014) CDHB Mental Health Update for the Human Rights Commission 8 Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (2014) Canterbury Wellbeing Index 9 CERA (2014) Canterbury Wellbeing Index Offending patterns at p2