If you aren’t from Christchurch, there’s a good chance you may be a little fuzzy on what the phrase 'Anchor Projects' means. In my mind, the phrase has become a buzz word for the rebuild. In an effort to start again as a city to be reckoned with, the Government and the Christchurch City Council devised 12 major anchor projects, delivered to the public in 2012 with great fanfare and a 4.8 billion dollar price tag.

On paper the city looks like it will be a buzzing, if slightly boring metropolitan. But as fabulous as the plans may appear, how long will the process take to materialise into a tangible asset?

In fact it could be argued that many of us will never see the great precincts rise from the ashes of the earthquake, our phoenix moment could well be eclipsed by road cones, dust and the frustration of everyday life in Christchurch.

Two reports released this year indicate the Government and Council are financially struggling, with the cost of the rebuild underestimated and a surprise 1.2 billion dollar black hole of debt on the Council’s leger. There’s been concern that these money troubles will halt the rebuild still further and only vague assurances that they won’t.

The Government’s also been accused of investing in ‘nice to haves’ rather than things that affect Cantabrians every day. Spending 100 million dollars on the Avon River precinct is surely a slap in the face to those families living in temporary accommodation four years on from the earthquakes.

But in fact most of the big ticket items have faced controversy; many have asked who will actually use the $284 million dollar convention centre, announced this year, when research shows that convention centres overseas rarely break even.

Should we then be investing in something that locals will actually use, like a stadium? But herein lies another issue, should we build a new stadium, when we could (decision pending) use the original earthquake damaged AMI stadium. Then we have to decide what to do with the temporary stadium, which got a two million dollar cash injection to stretch out its life until 2022.

We were sold on another anchor project, the Cricket Oval, on the basis that it would give us a financial injection; in theory would a stadium not do the same?
Some of the city’s Anchor Projects are pushing ahead though, the Justice and Emergency Services precinct is off the ground and expected to be up and running in 2017. While the Bus Interchange has had the concrete laid down and is set to open next year.

Surely the issue is that the Council and Government are spending money that no one seems to have, on things that people might not use, to entice visitors from outside of Christchurch back into the city. Yet all of the new bars, restaurants and offices are on the edges of the city. Will we end up with a flashy new city, filled with tumble weeds when everything’s eventually finished?

Mayor Lianne Dalziel is certainly hoping her catch phrase for 2015 will catch on – ‘Christchurch, it’s happening’. But I don’t think I’m alone when I ask, what exactly is happening?