a report released by the auditor-general in february 2017 was critical of cera's performance, citing tensions with christchurch city council as one of the reasons for delays with implementing projects. cera was praised for the effective production of the christchurch central recovery plan, but then was "less successful" with the implementation of the various projects that the plan had identified. the minister who had been responsible for cera, gerry brownlee, dismissed the report as "unbalanced", while the mayor of christchurch, lianne dalziel, stated that she "always believed the recovery should be a collaborative partnership between the crown and council".