Members of Ōamaru's Whitestone Civic Trust stand outside some of their properties in Harbour Street in 2011. In the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes the trust saw a substantial $65,000 increase in its insurance premiums, on the basis that their buildings were earthquake hazards. The trust had a policy of strengthening its buildings to make them safer but did not have the resources to do them all at once. This was true for many owners of historic buildings, raising the question that if retaining historic buildings was a public good, then the public should contribute more to their upkeep.