Wellbeing after a managed retreat: Observations from a large New Zealand program

Managed retreat programs aim to relocate households out of harm's way. In New Zealand, as elsewhere, managed retreat initiatives generate a highly polemical and emotional debate within affected communities, and between them and the government. Given the fraught implementation of managed retreats, understanding what happens to residents who are displaced by these programs is of immense importance. We examine the wellbeing of the people who were forced to move as part of a large managed-retreat program that was implemented in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the 2011 earthquake the city experienced. We consider three indicators of subjective wellbeing: quality of life, stress, and emotional wellbeing. Our aims are: (1) to describe the wellbeing of the relocated residents after they were forced to move, and identify which factors are correlated with their well-being; (2) to describe the subjective experience of the residents in their communication with the government and in their relation with the community; (3) to identify the effect of economic factors (household annual income, homeownership, and financial impacts) on their wellbeing; and (4) to relate these findings to possible policy lessons when designing managed retreat programs. We found that demographic factors, health conditions, and the type of government compensation the residents accepted, were all significant determinants of the wellbeing of the Red Zone residents. More social relations, better financial circumstances, and the perception of better government communication were also all associated positively with a higher quality of life, less stress, and higher emotional wellbeing.