Welcome to you all this afternoon. It is a real privilege to be here.
 
Today’s event marks the launch of the Youth Action plan, a document that is the result of young people engaging with young people about what they want and how we might achieve that together.
 
Community engagement lies at the heart of this plan, and I would like to acknowledge all those who have already put a significant amount of work into developing this approach. The Christchurch Youth Council has put in a tremendous amount of work and been a key player in seeing this plan created, and will also look to be caretaker of the plan moving forward.
 
The CYC are also developing a way to monitor progress and develop mechanisms to report back to young people throughout the city. This emphasis on meaningful feedback loops and constant engagement with young people will ensure that the voice of young people is heard. The great thing about this Action Plan is that it can be refreshed every year so it can stay relevant to young people and to the city as a whole.

I want to take this opportunity to make an important announcement. As part of the Christchurch City Council’s review into Community Grants Funding, it was proposed that a contestable Youth Initiatives Fund be established to replace a Youth Ideas Fund that simply hadn’t got off the ground.  This will get off the ground because you will a real say in running it.
 
The Fund will provide $50,000 of contestable funding in its first year to support projects that will provide direct benefits to young people in Christchurch. It is intended that the fund will be managed in a partnership between youth organisations and Council.
 
The youth organisations will agree on the criteria, framework and decision-making process for the allocations of funds, and the Council will administer the payments.
 
The Youth Initiative Fund will enable young people to decide for themselves where funding is best allocated, and empower them to determine their own priorities and desired outcomes, thus reiterating the aims and goals of the Youth action plan itself. I am so pleased to be able to announce such a meaningful contribution towards those goals.
 
This Action Plan is a great demonstration of how, if we actually take the time to ask, our young people will engage with civic issues.

Issues like transport, the environment, youth representation and a sense of belonging are recognised in the report as important issues facing the city. This shared learning approach which is embedded in the Youth action plan enables everyone to contribute to the development and regeneration of our ever-evolving city, which at its heart must be inclusive if it aspires to be dynamic.

While this report goes a long way to welcoming young people to the decision-making table, we need to ensure that this is an ongoing and constructive dialogue.
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Thank you once again to all those involved for all your hard work and perseverance on a very important goal of active representation and engagement for the young people of Christchurch.

I’d like to acknowledge Te Maire Tau, the Upoko of Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga, for the karakia

A special thank you to our brand new organisation, ChristchurchNZ for organising this event. I’ve been singing don’t rain on my parade all week. Unfortunately the weather is one thing we can’t control.

But we are absolutely delighted to host Emirates Team NZ and the Americas Cup here in Christchurch.  In 1995 the Auld Mug was paraded through our streets – and it is great to do so again today.  We want to honour and pay tribute to the whole team and everyone associated with the win. We especially want to acknowledge the members of the team from Christchurch and Canterbury - welcome home.
Can I also acknowledge Grant Dalton and in so doing acknowledge all of the people that play the different roles that have supported the team to victory – technicians, engineers, coaches, builders, chefs, physios. And can I acknowledge Kevin Shoebridge for responding to my emails.

Christchurch’s special claim to fame in the win comes from Milton Bloomfield who designed the cat’s steering wheel, so Peter Burling’s hands were clasped throughout on some local ingenuity.

Can I acknowledge Emirates as well - we are the smallest city in the world into which an Emirates A380 flies daily – we value our relationship very much.

Although Auckland may be the city of sails, Canterbury is the sporting capital of New Zealand – and we have a strong sailing community too with famous names such as Egnot, Mander, de Their, Philpott and of course Lyttelton’s Peter Lester.

It’s great to have representatives from the Waimakariri Sailing & Power Boat club, along with the Akaroa, Naval Point, Pleasant Point, Charteris Bay, Mount Pleasant and Christchurch Yacht Clubs here today.

So again, I want to pay tribute to Emirates Team NZ.  I want to acknowledge the respectful way that Peter Burling represented the team – I saw a true leader on the television screen after each race.  We were all proud of how you handled the international spotlight and how your grit and determination shone through.

Thank you to the whole team for making the trip down to Christchurch … you made it clear all along that you were very excited about coming here and that you wanted the celebration to go ahead in spite of the weather. 

Congratulations on an outstanding sporting achievement.  You have made us incredibly proud.

It is a real privilege to welcome you all here for the Australasia-Pacific Disaster Management, Recovery & Emergency Communications Forum 2017.  For those of you from out of town – welcome to Christchurch – and for those of you from overseas, welcome to New Zealand as well.
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I have taken as the theme of my welcoming address the words I found on your website.  Resilience: Saving lives today, investing in tomorrow.

As your programme highlights, “To build a resilient Asia-Pacific requires a paradigm shift from a response-recovery governance to a risk-sensitive development approach, and a stronger regional co-operation for managing trans-boundary disasters.”

People lie at the heart of this conversation – building resilient communities is not something governments can do for communities, but it is not something that all communities can do on their own. Co-operation and collaboration lie at the heart of a planning and decision-making environment that promotes risk awareness and risk reduction, together with better preparedness, readiness, response and recovery.  I have said many times that we prepare for the immediate response to disaster but not for recovery – and that’s where building resilience comes in.

I always start with this slide, because it’s such a great photo of me.  It’s the end of 2011 and the aftermath of the last of the large aftershocks that followed the 4 Sept 2010 and 10 months almost to the day after the devastating February 22 earthquake that claimed 185 lives, injured 100s more, destroyed buildings and damaged the land, leading the government to buy out around 8000 homes.

The headline – Good News. You’re more prepared than you think and the quote: actual emergencies look more like people coming together than cities falling apart – both come from the San Francisco emergency preparedness website. And they are very accurate.  There are things we do as cities or regions or communities that prepare us for an emergency, but what I have come to realise is that is true of preparedness for recovery too.  But we don’t always see them.

I attended a recovery seminar shortly after the February earthquake and heard one of the speakers say that it was vital to understand the pre-existing story – what was going on before the disaster struck.  He was referring to identifying pre-existing vulnerabilities, given that disaster can present an opportunity to address those.  I now know it to be equally true of pre-existing strengths – the building blocks of recovery and resilience.

My message today is how important it is to recognise these building blocks as preparedness initiatives when considering a Disaster Risk Management framework, because they can shape both the nature and the speed of recovery and build resilience at the same time. 

I didn’t know what I didn’t know on September 4 2010.  I’d never heard about liquefaction or lateral spread.  I spent the next 3 years learning as much as I could.  I discovered an entire body of knowledge on Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction including many of the issues that you have on your agenda.  Our own civil defence and emergency management plans were based on international best practice. But they were not seen as ‘fit for purpose’ in terms of what was regarded as an unprecedented event. There was a view that we were actually re-writing international best practice … on a day-by-day basis’. The image on the left is Feb 1931 in Hawke’s Bay in the North Island and the second is Feb 2011 in Christchurch.
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Many of the first people who died in Hawke’s Bay, were those who ran out of the buildings and were crushed in the rubble. 

We gained a lot as a country from this and subsequent disasters and WWII.  Our national disaster insurance scheme – the Earthquake Commission – our building code and our Standards Council.

But somehow the risks associated with unreinforced masonry, parapets and decorative features were not picked up. 

I remember meeting a man who had moved to Christchurch from Napier about 30 years ago.  He said he thought there was something different about Christchurch houses when he arrived – he realised it was chimneys.

So we didn’t know that we were exposed to earthquakes? We did.  Maybe like me everyone thought the big one would be Wellington.  But we had September – why weren’t we thinking about what we could do to de-risk our city? Maybe we knew to expect a one magnitude below and it hadn’t come – this was nearly 6 months later – maybe we thought a smaller magnitude earthquake couldn’t do more damage than the first one in the sequence.

I say this because it is so vital to learn the lessons of each experience and embed them into our regulatory frameworks, because people forget.

It is also very human to think that you are the only person in the world who has had to confront a particular issue or challenge. But the truth is there is much we can learn from the experience of others.  The regional co-operation that you have identified as so important is absolutely vital.

This slide shows the two recovery models – Queensland and Christchurch – both 2011.  The message from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority was communication, communication, communication – communication is vital to community engagement, understanding risk and building confidence and trust.
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It seemed to me early on that we needed to focus on building community resilience, not only with respect to a particular event, but also in case the decision-makers don’t get the recovery framework right. 

So what is resilience? I created this Tui Billboard to reflect how many local people react to being described as resilient. And that’s because well-meaning people use the word resilient, when they mean stoic or simply to reflect the scale of what we’ve been through.  I have come to know resilience in community or city terms not as a destination, but as a journey.  The definition that the 100 Resilient Cities Network uses is the ability of a system, entity, community, or person to withstand shocks while still maintaining its essential functions and to recover quickly and effectively. It’s beyond survival – it’s about the ability to adapt and to thrive in the face of acute shocks and chronic stresses.

This word cloud highlights the words Creativity, Flexibility, Diversity, Adaptation, Community, Respect, Change, Strength and Hope, Experimentation and Persistence.
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At the community level these all speak to the building of social capital.  I always say that a community is not defined by the co-location of houses – that’s a suburb – a community is defined by the relationship between people who belong to the community – be it based on place, identity or interest – and the decision-makers that can affect their community – be that local or central government or both.

So what builds that social capital?
I have used Project Lyttelton as an example – it has Welcome Bags for new community members, community gardens, farmers market, runs festivals, fruit and vege collective – the list goes on, but most importantly it has a timebank.  You don’t need a civil defence group when you have a community that already values other members contribution equally – hour for hour not based on dollars.  And here are the reasons why this builds social capital.

Timebanking is based on 5 Core Values:
1.We are all assets. We all have something to give. The real wealth of  a society is its people. Every human being can be a contributor, no  matter who they are and what their experience in life has been.

2.Redefining Work: Some work is beyond price. Work has to be redefined to value what it takes to raise healthy children, build strong families, revitalize neighbourhoods, make communities work, advance social justice, and make the planet sustainable. That kind of work needs to be honoured, recorded and rewarded.

3.Reciprocity: Helping works better as a two-way street.  The question: “How can I help you?” needs to change so we ask:  “How can we help each other build the world we both will live in?” 

4.Social Networks: We need each other. Networks are stronger than individuals. People help each other re-weave communities of support, strength and trust. Community is built upon growing roots, building trust and creating networks.

5.Respect: Every human being matters. Respect underlies everything we value.  Respect supplies the heart and soul of community. When respect is denied to anyone, we all are injured. We must respect where people are in the moment, not where we hope they will be in the future.
SLIDE

I haven’t picked up on every example of pre-existing and emergent community leaders. It’s a truly wonderful legacy.

ACTIS – as with the Lyttelton Project, ACTIS had been practising grassroots community development for a decade when the earthquakes struck.  The truth is that this community would have taken much longer to respond and recover if it had not been for this community trust that had the confidence of the community and the capacity to sit at the table with central and local government.

The Avon-Otakaro Network – was established to enable the community to be directly involved in the future of what is called the Residential Red Zone – over 7000 properties were once part of the river and estuary side communities that were affected by the earthquakes.

Sam Johnson will always be associated with the emergence of the Student Volunteer Army that played such an important role in engaging students in the response effort after the earthquakes.  The spirit it engendered has become an integral part of the University of Canterbury’s curriculum.

Gap Filler – is just one of the emergent groups that give life to vacant spaces and have given meaning to the phrase the art of recovery.
The Ministry of Awesome is awesome – the introduction of new ideas and new ways of working has spearheaded innovation and creativity as part of the transition and embedded them into the future Christchurch.

CanCERN – Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Network – was a vital mechanism for bringing a range of community and residents groups together so they had a voice that could influence the decision-makers.  Their motto was “The wisdom of the community always exceeds the knowledge of the experts.” I personally think that this was a reaction to being excluded and I will come back to that in a minute.

I like this quote. Never let a serious crisis go to waste.  It’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before – that’s the real message.  And there is opportunity – as long as we are prepared to seize it.

We have seized the opportunity to develop a resilience plan with four major goals.

We are connected communities living in adaptable places
We are a community that participates in shaping our future
We are prosperous by sustaining the vitality of the natural environment, fostering innovation and attracting people.

We understand our risks to be better prepared for future challenges
There are many elements to achieving these goals but I think that you will see that all of them are about mutual actions.

Resilience is not a top down exercise, but nor is it grassroots up alone.  It has to be both. I said I would come back to the CanCERN motto – the wisdom of the community always exceeds the knowledge of the experts – I believe it should say – the wisdom of the community when combined with the knowledge of the experts always exceeds what one can offer without the other.

Each of these goals requires a clear shift in how we engage people, not as taxpayers or consumers, but as citizens with rights and responsibilities.  Focusing on community led organisations and community leaders feature throughout the plan.

For me one of the great lessons of our experience is that leaders will always emerge from communities and they must be engaged as soon as possible.  They already have the trust of their communities and trust is the one ingredient that we cannot do without if recovery is to be successful and if we truly want to build resilience. And as you’ve seen many of them are already there. They should be treated as a critical part of the resilience of the city’s social infrastructure in the same way we treat our physical infrastructure – the buildings, roads and pipes. We need to be able to rely on both after disaster strikes.

The biggest opportunity Christchurch has ahead of it, lies in the shift from Recovery to Regeneration.

Regeneration is a wonderful word – it blends the concepts of restoration and new growth. The old recovery model, with the spaghetti junction image, has been disestablished and we have a new regeneration framework, which has community engagement at its heart. And that in of itself will continue to build resilience.

The future of what is called the Residential Red Zone is one of those amazing opportunities a city could ever have to rethink an area of more than 600ha – half of it is twice the size of Hagley Park.

So thank you for choosing Christchurch for this forum.  You can see that I believe that building resilience to disasters is the path forward – and that it is the only way that we can save lives today while investing in tomorrow. We must learn the lessons of our experiences and we must be willing to learn the lessons that others have experienced. That is how we build resilience within our communities and cities and how we build resilience within our region.
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So welcome to Christchurch and welcome to one of the most important conversations we need to have. 

Ada’s election was remarkable in many ways. It was 1917 and New Zealanders were at war. Ada was uncompromising and outspoken in her condemnation of the war. But it is perhaps not the things that Ada was opposed to that saw her elected to Council, but the things she so vigorously campaigned for - votes for women, equal educational opportunities for girls and women, prison reform and improvements to the charitable aid system.Dr Megan Woods, representing women Members of Parliament, thank you for getting leave from Parliament to be with us today. Former Councillors Carole Evans, Dr Anna Crighton, Sue Wells, Sally Thompson and Claudia Reid. Present councillors, community board 
members and guests.

Thank you for gathering here today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a significant 

milestone not only for our Council but for the women of Christchurch – the election of Ada Wells as the first woman to serve as a Councillor on the Christchurch City Council.
I would like to extend a special welcome to Bruce and Diana Carey who have joined us here today. Bruce is Ada’s grandson and we are delighted and honoured to have him here with us. I would also like to acknowledge their Son and his wife Richard and Toni Carey and their daughter who is Ada's great great granddaughter.

She was well known in Christchurch through her active leadership and participation in a number of national and community based organisations and she was tireless in her fight for women’s equality and economic independence.

Ada’s election was described in The Star on 5 May 1917 as “about the most solemn and important happening of the past week so far.” The same article also reported that “the news caused great perturbation amongst the rest of the councillors…and they were to be found gathered in little knots gloomily debating whether a lady member should be called a “councillor” or whether she would be referred to as “councilloress” or “councillorine.” Many of the “old brigade” feared that they would no longer be able to smoke in the chamber and regretted that they had offered themselves for re-election!

Since Ada’s historic election victory women have continued to serve as city councillors – some of us have even been elected to the mayoralty! Today we are also re-instating the Camellia Room in honour of all of the women who have been elected to Council. The Camellia Room at the previous Civic Offices in Tuam Street was the initiative of Dr Anna Crighton and we are delighted to see it revived. The portraits of the earliest seven female councillors have been installed in time for today’s commemoration and we will gradually to add others until we have a comprehensive gallery of the women of council once again.

Since Ada’s historic election victory women have continued to serve as city councillors – some of us have even been elected to the mayoralty! Today we are also re-instating the Camellia Room in honour of all of the women who have been elected to Council. The Camellia Room at the previous Civic Offices in Tuam Street was the initiative of Dr Anna Crighton and we are delighted to see it revived. The portraits of the earliest seven female councillors have been installed in time for today’s commemoration and we will gradually to add others until we have a comprehensive gallery of the women of council once again.

On the Kate Sheppard memorial, where Ada is depicted with other leaders of the
suffrage movement, the plaque acknowledges the “women of spirit” who campaigned for the vote. Ada was undoubtedly a woman of spirit, of courage, of compassion and commitment and we are proud to celebrate her contribution to public life in Christchurch and to be 
following in her footsteps in serving our communities.

Ada Wells died in Christchurch on 22 March 1933. So she missed the election of the first woman to Parliament by 6 months.  In her obituary it was said of her that:

​A cause might be despised, obscure, rejected, she not only helped it all the same, she helped it all the more, and in the dark and stormy days of unfounded truth she was always to the front.
A wonderful way to dedicate this Camelia room in her memory.

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​I'd like to acknowledge Alexandra Davids and all members of the Keep Christchurch Beautiful Trust. 

As Mayor I am the patron of a number of Trusts. There are very few duties associated with being a Patron, but when I am asked to say a few words, I really like to do so. I may have the honour of this role as patron, but it is you who I want to honour and pay tribute to for all that you do. 

Keeping Christchurch Beautiful has been a particular challenge over the last few years - nature did some real damage to properties and unrestrained, nature in the form of weeds does not make for a beautiful environment befitting our country's Garden City. 

Your aim is one that we should all sign up to - To encourage civic pride and the promotion of beautiful Christchurch. 

I love your beauty spot challenge. I was so inspired, when I went for a walk on Sunday, I took a rubbish bag and I cleaned up as I went. It was a great feeling. 

I remember seeing a FB post a couple of years ago that showed an overflowing bin - this was the Council's fault according to the post - no-one mentioned the mindless vandals who kept piling on the rubbish even though it was ending up on the ground. And yes I use the word vandals deliberately - they are no better than those who scratch windows and slash tyres - someone has to clean up after them and yes it costs money. 

Communities that refuse to turn a blind eye to people dumping their rubbish - who report and clean up - they will end up with a community they can be proud of. And it's not the council shirking its duty - it's the community taking back the power to define who they are. 

Thank you for what you do. It matters now more than ever that we Keep Christchurch Beautiful! 

I would like to begin by acknowledging Hon Nicky Wagner,
Local MP Hon Ruth Dyson, List MP Nuk Korako, Deputy Mayor –Andrew Turner and my fellow councillors – Raf Manji, Phil Clearwater, Tim Scandrett, Deon Swiggs.
Banks Peninsula Community Board chair – Christine Wilson and deputy, Pam Richardson.
Chair of the CCHL board Jeremy Smith and Lyttelton Port Company chair Trevor Burt.
A special welcome also, to Tony Petrie, Cruise NZ.
 
This is a very exciting day for our city. I'm going to cut to the chase...today I am very happy to announce a new $56 million cruise ship berth at Lyttelton.

This is great news for the city, the region and the country.

The cruise industry looks at the total package that is Destination New Zealand and there has been a glaring gap in the Destination South component of that and that is Lyttelton.

In saying that I want to pay tribute to Akaroa. This special part of the Peninsula that came into Christchurch's boundaries just over a decade ago, has carried a huge load so that we were not lost to the cruise industry and that tourists could still experience the magic of this special part of the world.

The pressure on Akaroa has been tremendous and, although I think it will always be a destination for the boutique cruise ships, today's announcement will come as an enormous relief.

The new berth here at Lyttelton will be the first custom built cruise ship facility for Christchurch and will be able to accommodate some of the largest cruise liners from around the world, including the  MS Oasis of the Seas which is 362 metres long, weighs 225,282 tonnes and carries around 5,400 people.

The development we are announcing here today will be even better than what we had before the earthquakes when cruise ships would berth at Cashin Quay 2.

In the year before the earthquakes, the 2009-10 season, 50 cruise ships visited Lyttelton - in the past year the number can be counted on one hand.

We have had to watch the rest of the country enjoy a tourism boom over the last 6 years. And although the valiant efforts of our Airport Company and CCT have really helped us keep our heads above water, we won't regain our share of that boom as of right.  This is an investment in our future.

This decision not only brings 150000 cruise passengers back into the city per year, it also puts our city back on the map in brochures and cruise publications as a must-see city - a destination in our own right.

Finally I would like to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that has gone into both the cruise ship berth and the wider Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan. Thank you to the working party which was set up to investigate options for hosting cruise ships in Lyttelton.

As part of the process a business case was carried out to determine the value of the cruise ship industry to the city and the region. And as a result of that work the decision was made to fund the project through the Lyttelton Port Company.

The cruise ship berth represents a massive investment in the future of Christchurch and the wider region. Cruise ships bring both vibrancy and economic activity into the city so it is great that Christchurch will have a dedicated facility.

Bringing cruise ships back is another step forward to revitalise Christchurch and also Lyttelton. Once again, we have been able to improve facilities to future proof the city rather than just replacing what was there before.
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I've been repeating this quote. Never let a serious crisis go to waste - it's an opportunity to do things you didn't think you could do before. Out of every disaster comes opportunity and this is one hell of an opportunity.
 

​It is an honour and a privilege to address you this morning.
Your theme of UN+Represented invites a discussion about groups in society who struggle for a voice in government – let alone an equal voice – and what that means for women. 
I note on your Facebook page that you also raise the issue of the freedom of the media. I am very interested in that question, because the important role of the ‘fourth estate’ is in my view constantly undermined by the commercial imperatives that now seem to control what the public get to see and hear.  In addition, the role of social media as a disruption to the fundamental protections of ‘fairness, accuracy and balance’, and the lack of moderation over even the identity of contributors to the public discourse, create a challenging environment for any government.
But I will stick to my brief.
Coming together as a Model United Nations enables you to consider issues from a range of perspectives that will help prepare you for what will be an increasingly complex and challenging world, where future events are unpredictable. 
It is vital that we all understand why it is so important that all perspectives have a voice when it comes to confronting these challenges.
And this must not be viewed as a skillset required solely for the decisions taken by the United Nations. Understanding the importance of diversity at the decision-making table, is vital for taking on these challenges at the national, city, business and community level as well.
Let me focus on the importance of having women at the table, and why I have used the expression ‘Women hold up half of the sky’ as the name of this presentation.

​There couldn't be a better place than Christchurch to explore this theme – the home of Kate Sheppard – the leader of the Women's Suffrage movement, who won New Zealand the status of the first country to grant women the right to vote.

Every year her memory is honoured by the Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust awarding a scholarship to a young woman determined to make a difference. Determination is a characteristic of a great leader who never gives up – it was the third petition that won the day. 
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I’ve highlighted a couple of quotes: “all that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome” which is about human rights, and “The question for me is whether we can keep Earth a safe, pleasant place for humankind and the ecosystems we rely on”, which is a reference to the importance of the future of our planet, something that is even more important today than it was in 1893.

Few causes promoted by the United Nations have generated more intense and widespread support than the campaign to promote and protect the equal rights of women. The Charter of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco in 1945, was the first international agreement to proclaim gender equality as a fundamental human right.
Since then, the Organisation has helped create a historic legacy of internationally agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Today a central organising principle of the work of the United Nations is that no enduring solution to society's most threatening social, economic and political problems can be found without the full participation, and the full empowerment, of the world's women.
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That is an incredibly powerful statement when you think about it. Without the full participation of women, we will not find enduring solutions to the challenges we face.

Only one woman sat at the table when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was crafted in 1948 and that was Eleanor Roosevelt. There are many of her quotes that will be familiar to you – “A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water” and “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”.  But it is this one that asks the question that you have asked me to address : “Too often the great decisions are originated and given form in bodies made up wholly of men, or so completely dominated by them, that whatever of special value women have to offer is shunted aside without expression”
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What is the ‘special value women have to offer’?  In my view it is our experience of the world – our world view - that makes our contribution invaluable.
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I attended the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai in March 2015 –20 years after I attended the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing.
If there is one thing that was reinforced both times, it was the need for women to be at the table when decisions are made.
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UN resolution 1325 specifically identifies the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

The challenges we face are greater today than they have ever been – disasters – caused by natural events or man-made - climate change and extreme weather events from storms to droughts, extreme violence, terrorism, income inequality.

If women don't sit at the table when the decisions are made about how to combat all of these, they are condemned to continue to be their greatest victims.

That was the message in 1995 and it was exactly the same message in 2015.

There is a slogan that has been developed within the disabilities movement – nothing about us without us.
If we don’t engage women in initiatives designed to address peace and security, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and sustainable development, then I fear for the future of our planet.  President Obama spoke about climate change as an imperative not to leave to our children and children’s children a planet beyond their capacity to repair. We will do that if women remain absent from the decision-making tables of the world.

The reasons why can be seen when we think of different leadership styles and what they bring to the table.

I remember going to a forum a few years ago where young people were asked to describe leadership and the usual words were offered: (Click) strong, decisive, authoritative, inspiring, responsible. But my experience is that this is the heroic model of leadership.

In the emergency response period following a disaster, people often look for this form of leadership – it's the command and control model and it can be comforting, someone else taking charge, knowing what to do.

But there is another way to define leadership and this definition ties in with my experience once the immediate crisis is over and we begin the process of recovery.

Wisdom, courage, faith, moderation and justice describe a kind of leadership that is (Click) respectful, engaging, empathetic, inclusive and intuitive.

Why do I think of women when I hear those words and yet we don't necessarily think of women when we look for leaders? Have we had the image of the heroic leader drummed into us to the extent that we don't see that these are the qualities that build trust and empowers others to step up?
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Or have we forgotten something else Eleanor Roosevelt said: (Click) “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”

So where is the tangible evidence that we truly believe women hold up half of the sky?

And why do people stand in the way of programmes that are designed to improve women’s participation?

There is a difference between equality and equity as this simple graphic highlights.
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Equality is sameness – giving everyone the same thing. It only works if everyone starts from the same place. Equity or Justice encapsulates the notion of fairness.  Giving people the same opportunity.

​And I’m sure you would have seen this cartoon before. For a fair selection, everybody has to face the same exam: Please climb that tree.

Helen Clark made a statement on International Women’s Day, which has been devoted to Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.

“Globalization and technology change are driving that change. It’s important that women are able to succeed in this new world of work. 
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As it is, a global wage gap persists, with women earning on average 24 per cent less than men. Women are only half as likely as men to have full-time waged jobs with an employer. Women are over-represented in vulnerable and informal work, often without social protection, and are under-represented in management in the corporate sector, holding only 22 per cent of senior business leadership positions.

A disproportionate load of unpaid work is a constraint on women in the workforce. Women are estimated to do as much as three times as much unpaid work as men do – from caring for children, the ill, and the elderly to growing and preparing food.

In communities lacking ready access to basic services, investments in water and sustainable energy would save women the time they currently spend gathering water and fuel. Changing gender stereotypes so that both men and women contribute to care work is also important in achieving gender equality. 

Access to new technologies is important for women in all societies – for access to information and to services, including for banking. Girls should be encouraged to study science, technology, engineering and maths, subjects which open up many opportunities, and more corporate effort is needed to promote women’s participation and advancement in the technology sectors.     

In the 173 economies covered in the World Bank’s 2016 report on Women, Business and the Law, 155 have at least one law which discriminates against women. There are still countries where women do not have the right to divorce, inherit property, own or rent land, or access credit. This is a huge constraint on women’s economic empowerment. 

The time is now to resolve to clear away the barriers to gender equality in the world of work and all other spheres. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development urges that no one be left behind. That means leaving no woman behind – anywhere.”

​And there is nothing but good that come from ensuring diversity at the table.  This is Canadian research, but it is repeated wherever it is analysed. Having women at the decision-making table improves every aspect of the business: 
•Strong financial performance
•Ability to attract & retain top talent
•Heightened innovation
•Enhanced client insight
•Strong performance on non-financial indicators
•Improved board effectiveness

I often quote JK Rowling's speech that she gave at Harvard University's Commencement back in 2008. If you haven’t seen it, you must. She talked about the benefits of imagination, not as the pathway to her successful writing career as would be an obvious assumption. 

She talked about her time at Amnesty International and meeting asylum seekers, whose stories haunted her at nights.  Imagining the horrors they and their families experienced created empathy – one of those characteristics of leadership.

She said:
“Amnesty mobilises thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have. The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners.
Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers, to save people they do not know, and will never meet.

My small participation in that process was one of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life.”

She spoke of the privilege and the burden of being Harvard graduates and the influence they would have not only on their country but on the world:
“If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change.

We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”
​
It really is worth watching the whole address http://ed.ted.com/lessons/j-k-rowling-speaks-at-harvard-commencement

It’s sometimes hard at your age to think about these issues in the context of what you would do.

Malala was born on 12 July 1997 in Mingora, a town in the Swat District of north-west Pakistan. Her father, who ran a school in Swat, was known as an advocate for education in Pakistan, which has the second highest number of out of school children in the world. He had become an outspoken opponent of Taliban efforts to restrict education and stop girls from going to school.

Malala shared her father’s passion for learning and loved going to school. In 2009, as the Taliban’s military hold on Swat intensified, Malala began writing a blog about the importance of education for girls under a pseudonym. Her identity was later revealed and when, in 2011, she received Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize, she became a target for the Taliban.

On 9 October 2012, as Malala and her friends were travelling home from school, a masked gunman entered their school bus and asked for Malala by name. She was shot with a single bullet which went through her head, neck and shoulder.

Malala survived to become a global advocate for the millions of girls being denied a formal education because of social, economic, legal and political factors, co-founding the Malala Fund with her father.  She became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December, 2014, contributing her entire prize money of more than $500,000 to financing the creation of a secondary school for girls in Pakistan. https://www.malala.org/

Conclusion
Malala was 12 years old when she wrote her blog, putting her life at risk and was 15 years old when she was shot. What would anyone of us have done?

I am ending with this inspirational youth leader as I believe she portrays a depth of courage that belies her age. In her early teens, Malala was aware of the social and economic impact of girls' education and was willing to risk her life to empower girls to raise their voices, to unlock their potential and to demand change.

I fear that those of us in the developed world, who joke about our first world problems, have lost the sense of purpose that drives someone like Malala.
​
If women are to hold up half the sky then we need women of purpose to stand up and be counted in every sphere of life and we need men, good, strong men, who understand why they need these women at their side. 

Cost effective award goes to: eHaus Pathenay and Architectural award goes to George House in Wanaka by Rafe McLean.
​
I am here in my role as Mayor of Christchurch. This is not a role I held at the time of the earthquake sequence which began 6 & a half years ago. 
 
I knew very little about disaster response and recovery and little about disaster risk reduction. It's been a steep learning curve.
 
What I know now is that with disaster there is always opportunity.
 
When so much of the built environment has been damaged or destroyed, the opportunity to build back better is too important to miss. 
 
I remember listening to a Mayor of a town destroyed by a tornado saying 'I'm no greenie, but if you're going to build back, why wouldn't you build back green?' All their rebuilt civic buildings are platinum green buildings.
 
We didn't require people to take advantage of this opportunity- I'm not going to speculate why central govt took this stance other than to say that there is an increased upfront cost. 
 
But for the people who live in the homes and the tenants of commercial buildings, their running costs are considerably lower when that investment is made. The city would have required higher standards if we had been allowed to.
 
But the opportunity has not been completely lost because many people and developers have voluntarily taken the opportunity to build back better. 
 
The Passive House is starting to gain traction in both NZ and Australia and demonstrating that excellent indoor air quality, exemplary comfort and energy efficiency truly fit for the 21st century (and climate change!) is entirely possible and desirable.
 
Awards such as these will help promote excellence and gain public attention. These are only the second time the awards have been held and already the number and quality of entries has significantly increase.
 
I Look forward to seeing greater uptake of Passive House in both countries, as is happening around the world with places like NY City and Vancouver adopting it as the standard to ensure resilience and to mitigate the effects of climate change.
 
And if there is anything I have learned, it is that resilience lies at the heart of disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and sustainable development. 
 
Congratulations to the winners of these awards but more importantly to the Passive House movement for making a difference 

 
Dr Jonathan Coleman, Minister of Sport and Recreation 
Mayor Sam Broughton from Selwyn 
Christchurch City Councillors and Community Board representatives 
Mike Knell, Chairman, New Zealand Community Trust 
Kirsty Way, SKY TV 
The local and national representatives of the sports which are partners in the project: 
- Athletics Canterbury and Athletics New Zealand; 
- Tennis Canterbury & Tennis NZ; 
- Rugby League CanterCbury & Rugby League NZ 
- Hockey Canterbury & Hockey NZ 
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen 
 
Sport and recreation has always been a big part of this city and region's cultural fabric – Canterbury is after all the sporting capital of NZ. 
 
In that context, today is a really important milestone not only for the city, but also for the region. 
 
Of course we cannot think about today, without thinking about the loss of the QEII facility as a result of the February earthquake. And like Nga Puna Wai will become, QEII wasn't just a local community asset, it belonged to the nation. I will never forget Dick Taylor winning the 10,000m, something that apparently took everyone except his coach by surprise. 
 
I attended the IPC Athletics World Championships just a matter of days before the Feb 2011 earthquake. It was a magnificent facility. 
 
The point that I am making is the loss of QEII hit the city. It has put pressure on other facilities and our future champions have had to travel great distances to keep up the level of competition they require.
 
Ngā Puna Wai is a prime spot in Christchurch’s growing southwest, and will enable our neighbouring communities in Selwyn and in Waimakiriri to readily access the new sports facilities as well. 
 
On this occasion I can't think of a better combination of portfolios for a Minister to have - Health and Sports & Recreation. The two go hand in hand.  The connection between sport and recreation and health and wellbeing could not be more aligned.
 
The wonderful thing about Ngā Puna Wai is that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.  There may be competition on the track, but off the track collaboration will be the name of the game. Nga Puna Wai will be a model for how partnership works, allowing codes to share facilities – car parks, changing rooms, administration, storage and support spaces. 
 
And now with the athletics track less than a year away from completion, today will become the catalyst for future development. 
 
I watched the Christchurch Adventure Park go from approval to opening in 10 months. This was a 2 year project. But they showed 100% grit and determination and they delivered a world class facility in world record time. I mention them today because they are equally determined to get back on their feet after the devastation of the Port Hills fire. And I believe they will do it.
 
My challenge to you is to do the same - deliver the region a world class facility in world record time.
 
We are launching today's milestone with a race. I want our council team to take on a race against time or we will lose a generation of young people to sport we simply cannot afford to lose. 
 
It is now my great pleasure to invite Minister Coleman, Mike Knell of the New Zealand Community Trust and Kirsty Way of Sky TV on stage to officially present the generous donations that they have made
- Sport NZ (Minister Coleman) 
- NZ Community Trust (Mike Knell) 
- Sky TV (Chris Major, SKY Director of Government Relations) 
 

Welcome to everyone.

Humphry Rolleston has talked about the extraordinary nature of the past week.

In many respects it has encapsulated in a short space of time the devastation and the opportunity that has been our collective experience since the earthquakes struck.

I’ve been quoting the Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emmanuel, who once said never let a serious crisis go to waste – it’s an opportunity to do things you think you couldn’t do before.

In my first term in office as Mayor, I and the whole council realised that we had to do things differently if we were to take advantage of that opportunity.

We spoke of our city as one that was open to new ideas, new people and new ways of doing things – a city where anything is possible.

The desire to support that sense of possibility led us to establish a development company, capable of partnering in commercial terms, in a way a council cannot.

The desire to re-engage our communities in the future of their city, led us to sit down with central government to co-design a new direction – Regenerate Christchurch was born of that.

Late in 2015, we realised that we needed a way to channel the generosity and goodwill that lay behind the flood of donations that came our way after the earthquakes and a way to form enduring relationships with corporate partners.

We formed the Steering Committee as Amy has mentioned and she was a critical part of that team, which also involved:

• Cr Andrew Turner
• Cr Raf Manji
• Cr Tim Scandrett
• Louise Edwards from the Rata Foundation, and
• Dr Karleen Edwards

Thank you all for your hard work to get to this point.
We also had external support, which has helped shaped what I believe will be a lasting legacy for Christchurch.
​
And thank you Humphry for taking on another leadership role in this city at this time.

It is my great pleasure to announce that the first gift is going to support the betterment of our city’s new Central Library, which will not just be a library, but rather a 21st century knowledge centre that will connect Christchurch people locally, nationally and internationally.

A total of $2.5 million has been gifted by Spark, TSB Bank and Southbase. This does not in any way contribute to the building costs. These funds, and the relationship with these City Partners will enable additional programmes and experiences to be offered in a way that will ensure that the Knowledge Centre is the digital heart to our new city.

Whenever I tell the story of what we are creating to connect Cathedral Square to the Performing Arts Precinct and the Convention Centre, I say it will be at the forefront of new thinking. Technology and experience. No longer defined by its walls, this new generation centre will include online resources, embrace social media and allow for collaboration in a way we could not imagine before.

Engagement, Community, Identity, Discovery, Innovation.

From the minute people enter this centre they will be engaged in whatever experience they choose.

Our world has changed.

And I hope the people of Christchurch embrace the city Foundation. It is not of government; it is not of council; it is of and for the city.

New Zealand’s first city established by Royal Charter in 1856.

New Zealand’s oldest city is becoming New Zealand’s newest city.

And the Foundation is the platform for ensuring that everyone can contribute to our shared vision of what that can mean.
 
 

​E nga mana e nga reo e rau rangatira ma tenei te mihi kia koutou i te kaupapa o te ra tena koutou tena koutou kia ora tatou katoa
E nga manuhiri o nga hau e wha
E nga waka o nga tai e wha
Nau mai taute mai

Greetings and welcome to everyone gathered here today – to our visitors who have travelled from the four winds, to all who represent the four oceans, welcome to this place
Your Excellency the Rt Hon Governor General, Rt Hon Prime Minister of New Zealand, New Zealand, Australian and Japanese Ministers, Members of Parliament, my fellow Mayors, members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests - families and friends of those whose names are engraved on this memorial and everyone who has gathered today - I welcome you at this time to this place. 

I wish to begin by acknowledging all who grieve for a loved one who died on the 22 Feb 2011;

This place is for you.

To each of you who was seriously injured on that day;

This place is for you.

To everyone who has experienced loss as a result of the earthquake - your home, your neighbourhood;

This place is for you.

To all the first responders and members of the emergency services and defence forces from New Zealand and overseas;

This place is for you.

And for everyone who reached out to help us in our time of need;

This place is for you.

On the 6th anniversary of that fateful day, we gather at Oi Manawa The Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial.

This is the place where we can come to reflect as individuals, as families, as communities, as a city, as a region, as a nation.

We reflect with sadness on all that we've lost.  We think of those courageous people who were the first responders on this day. And we reflect with gratitude on all those whose lives are dedicated to the service of others who continue to defend our city at times like these. 

This is a very special place for the families who lost loved ones.

Six years ago I attended some of their funerals.

I remember the Mayor at the time, Sir Bob Parker, giving a solemn undertaking that in time there would be a place for recording the names of those who had died.

Now is the time and this is the place.

No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa

​Women Leading Campaigns - E tū

When Susan invited me to speak to you today, I said yes immediately.  The time I spent as a union delegate and then working for this union – then the Canterbury Hotel, Hospital, Restaurant Workers Union – were some of the most important years of my life in terms of who I am today. And I am still a financial member.

The purpose of today’s seminar is to help prepare you as women leading campaigns, which means having the confidence to speak out and stand up for what you want to achieve.

People assume I have always been confident to do so myself. I haven’t. I used to be wracked with anxiety when I stood up to speak. No matter how prepared I was, I was always nervous. It goes right back to my teens.  Entering a secondary school speech competition, I stood on the stage and could not recall the first line – cigarette smoking is the greatest single preventable cause of death in society today.  I can recall it now, but not then.

I say this because confidence can be learned and we all have within us the capacity to confront our fears and overcome them. The earthquakes proved that to many of us.

So what can I share about leadership?

I was given a necklace by my former staff when I left Parliament – it has a large bead and three smaller beads.
The large one reads: "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud". It is a quote from the well-known philosopher, Coco Chanel.

That quote is really about how important it is to speak out for what you believe in. Often that requires courage. Especially when you are raising an issue that is controversial or challenging.

I remember when the government of the day brought in the Employment Contracts Act.  They used words like ‘freedom of choice’.  How can you argue against freedom of choice? It is a common tactic to hide the reality behind language like that.

The three smaller beads speak to community, resilience and leadership. These are words I thought I understood, but didn't truly appreciate until after the earthquake.

Community is not the co-location of houses – that's a suburb. It's the relationship between the people in those houses and their relationship as a group with decision-makers – that's community. And of course community is not limited to location or place – it also refers to communities of identity and interest. A community’s social capital is not measured by socio-economic status; it is measured by the strength of those relationships.
A union is a community.  By joining together, you build your capacity to influence decisions that are made in your workplace and through your union as an organisation with industry associations and governments – local, national and international.

Resilience is not strength in the face of adversity – that's stoicism; something we Cantabrians have in spades. Resilience isn't just about maintaining critical functions and bouncing back into shape after something occurs. It’s about the capacity to recover in the long-term better than ever before and if necessary to adapt to a new environment or new conditions.

But more importantly, it is about the capacity to co-create a new future.  That requires those of us, in decision-making positions, to let go of the need to stay in control.

We need to share decision-making through partnering, facilitating and supporting. Co-creation is something I now recognise as the true hallmark of a resilient city.

And finally leadership is not a position you hold – it is a mark of character.

People often look to the heroic form of leadership after a disaster – command and control - it can be comforting to have someone else taking charge, knowing what to do. But as I’ve said it’s not what builds resilience and it doesn’t allow for co-creation.

The leadership necessary for the long haul is based on qualities like these – engaging, respectful, inclusive, empathetic and intuitive.

I often make the point that we automatically think of women when we use these words, but we don't always think of women when we think of leaders. The question I pose is whether we have had the heroic form of leadership drummed into us for so long that we don't see the qualities that are essential to bring out the leadership in others. And that is critical to winning campaigns or achieving your goals – no-one can do it alone.

The message I take from my necklace is 'courageous leadership that speaks truth to power and enables communities to co-create the environment in which they live will build resilience in the true sense of the word'.

What a powerful message to carry in a necklace.

I thought I would read you an extract from my Maiden Speech in Parliament on the 19th December 1990:

“I spent my early working-life in another institution in my electorate, Christchurch Public Hospital. I have wonderful memories of the warmth of the kitchen---not the kind of warmth generated by the ovens but the friendliness and kindness of my fellow workmates.

My political consciousness was heightened as I learnt first-hand about the oppression of those people who are given low status simply because of the work they perform. In order to perform its functions properly a hospital must be clean and the patients must be fed properly. Yet workers who perform those tasks are not treated as equal contributors to the overall service.

 I have often relayed the story of an incident that occurred that clearly illustrates that point. I arrived at the hospital late one afternoon. I had arranged to go out directly after work so I was dressed up for the occasion. A group of doctors stood blocking my way. One noticed me coming and said: ``Good afternoon''. They all stood back for me, they smiled, and their conversation halted as I passed through. I returned within minutes and approached the same group but this time I was wearing a green smock and I was pushing a trolley. No one moved. I said: ``Excuse me'' but no one heard.

After I had repeated ``Excuse me'' three times they grudgingly moved to one side. This time there was no ``Good afternoon'' and the conversation continued. That taught me a very clear lesson. I had become invisible and no one could hear me simply because of the uniform that I was wearing.

 I said “I see my role in Parliament as being the face of the invisible people and the voice of those people who cannot be heard.”

When women are invisible, no matter the role they are undertaking, there are huge consequences, which is why it is important that all our perspectives are heard.

I attended the re-opening of The Women’s Centre on Friday.  It came very close to closing after over 30 years.  I made reference to the era in which it opened.

1975 was the beginning of the UN Decade for Women.  Here in NZ, the United Women’s Convention of that year brought thousands of women together to strategise about a better future. When I became involved in the union movement in the early 80s, we were debating the Working Women’s Charter.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was established in 1984.  In fact I remember Anne Hercus leading public workshops for women around the country. I went as a young union woman in my mid-20s as part of a collective of union women determined to ensure that women’s rights embraced vulnerable, low paid women workers, whose choices were not always as clear-cut as the choices others could freely make.

I said we’d come a long way since then. But I fear that in some ways we are slipping back.

Don’t think that the results of the American Presidential election had nothing to do with gender, nor the race for the UN Secretary-General role.

The absence of women from these leadership positions damages the decision-making process itself. Think of those leadership qualities: engaging, respectful, inclusive, empathetic and intuitive.

I attended the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai in March 2015 –20 years after I attended the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing.

If there is one thing that was reinforced both times, it was the need for women to be at the table when decisions are made.

The challenges we face are greater today than they have ever been – disasters – caused by natural events or man-made - climate change and extreme weather events from storms to droughts, extreme violence, terrorism, income inequality.

If women don't sit at the table when the decisions are made about how to combat all of these, they are condemned to continue to be their greatest victims. That was the message in 1995 and it was exactly the same message in 2015.

And it is true in every sphere of life. If we don't have diversity at the Council table, the boardroom tables, the management tables and the Cabinet table, then we don't get the benefit of the range of perspectives and insights that we all bring to the table. That's how to tackle complex issues – no single perspective can resolve complexity.

So how is this relevant to you?

You are involved in major campaigns on pay equity and the living wage. To be successful, you each need to take on a leadership role. These things don’t occur because someone else delivers them.

And they are harder to achieve when people don’t join together in the community that is taking these issues on – the union.

Having the confidence to have conversations with the people you work with.  Being prepared with answers to the questions they may have.

I remember standing on a street corner during the 2005 election campaign and hearing a question that I had never heard someone ask out loud before – ‘what’s in it for me?’ An elderly woman fixed her steely gaze on this young woman and said ‘we don’t ask that question here – elections are about the country not the individual’.

Your union campaigns are no different. They are about the greater good, the kind of work we are expected to perform, along with the remuneration we should expect, free from gender discrimination, which is what pay equity and the living wage are about.  These issues are about defining the country we aspire to be.

The strength of your union is based on the quality of your leadership.

Have confidence in yourselves and you will succeed.
 

Many thanks to Andrew Keeley for inviting me to be here today.  Julie and I were thrilled to be picked up in a pink stretch limousine. I don’t usually get the opportunity to travel in such style so thank you for that.

I have brought Julie Villard with me to introduce her to you all. She is the welcoming face of the Council's recently-launched Eco Design Advisor service, which offers a free two-hour session where advisors can consult on a range of projects from new builds to home renovations and retrofits. I couldn’t think of a better opportunity to let such an influential gathering know about what we can offer. Please feel free to have a chat to Julie this evening.

It is a significant occasion that has brought us all together. Home Ideas is celebrating its 30th Anniversary here in Christchurch.  Formerly located in the city centre, it has been here for a number of years.

I haven’t asked about post-earthquake numbers, but I can say that my husband and I spent a lot of time in Mandeville St when we had to move into a home that required renovating alongside EQC repairs. 

We loved the opportunity to look at different options in one place. Home Ideas is filled with good ideas, with its permanent exhibition of products and services relating to the home renovation and building sector.

I’m told that visitors often arrive at the Home Ideas Centre at their wits’ end. Building or renovating is extremely stressful under normal circumstances, let alone after you add an earthquake or two to the mix.

How many of us have had to deal with large insurance corporations, building companies or government departments before? A lot of us didn’t really know where to start or from whom to ask for advice.

At the Home Ideas Centre the exhibitors are the experts and they work really hard to alleviate this stress, so that home owners, buyers or renovators can get advice, compare products and services, all under one roof.

And now we have a new offering, which is what tonight’s all about. Eight well known builders in Canterbury have created a mini street of houses right here at the Centre to help those who are planning a new home.

Created in-situ, visitors can walk into a room and experience each builder’s unique style, craftsmanship and design.

Each one has crafted a segment of a house that they feel best represents their company’s position in the market.
In that respect, the Street of Houses seamlessly connects home builders and home buyers, which should be particularly helpful for those who are building for the first time.

This is a fantastic concept for considering a range of Building Solutions and Home Matters!

But most importantly, and why I’m here as Mayor, it’s the first of its kind in New Zealand.

The new Christchurch is a city of opportunity.  We are open to new ideas and we love to be the first to give things a go.
We are New Zealand’s first city – established by Royal Charter in 1856. So New Zealand’s oldest city is becoming its newest city and this is one more example of what that means.
​
Congratulations.
 

E te where e tunei tena koe
E te papa ki waho tena koe 
E nga mate haere, haere, haere
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu, E te iwi o tawahi
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa
​
I would like to acknowledge:
​
Upoko Dr Te Maire Tau;
The Chair of the Runanga, Claire Williams; and the families of Ngai Tuahuriri and Tuahiwi Marae for hosting us this morning.
Mayor David Ayers, Mayoress Marilyn Ayers and Waimakariri District councillors Dan Gordon and Peter Allen
Local Member of Parliament Matt Doocey;
Christchurch City Councillors Jimmy Chen, Phil Clearwater, Anne Galloway, and Glenn Livingstone.
Dr Surinder and Mrs Archna Tandon from the Multicultural Council & Kevin Park from the Migrant Centre
And the Registrar-General of the Department of Internal Affairs, Jeff Montgomery.

Each year, we commence the year’s citizenship ceremonies with a Waitangi Day ceremony conducted on a marae.

Every three years I join Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu at Onuku Marae, one of the three places in the South Island where their forbears signed Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

I have also been honoured to conduct two citizenship ceremonies at Rapaki Marae.

Today is special. Absent the Peninsula, the city of Christchurch falls entirely within the rohe or area of Ngai Tūāhuriri, but their Marae falls within the Waimakariri District.

Therefore, I must thank not only Ngai Tūāhuriri, but also Mayor David Ayers for making today possible and for granting me permission to wear the city’s chains of office in this district.

We have also established the Te Hononga Council - Papatipu Rūnanga Committee, which formalises a mutually respectful way of working together with our five Papatipu Runanga. Dr Te Mairie Tau co-chairs this committee with me. So it is particularly fitting that we are here today.

For the Christchurch City component of this ceremony, we have 38 candidates from 17 countries becoming New Zealand citizens on Waitangi Day 2017. They are from Fiji, India, the Philippines, from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Samoa, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Korea, Kenya, China, Slovenia, Romania, Malaysia, Nepal and the United States of America.

I will now ask candidates taking the Oath of Allegiance to stand.

With the Bible or your other Book of Faith in your hand, please repeat the Oath after me, saying YOUR name.
“I,………………. / Of Christchurch, New Zealand / swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance / to her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of New Zealand/, her heirs and successors according to law, / and that I will faithfully observe the laws of New Zealand / and fulfil my duties as a New Zealand citizen. / So help me God.” /
Followed by those taking the Affirmation.

I,…………….. / Of Christchurch, New Zealand / solemnly and
sincerely affirm / that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance /to her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of New Zealand, / her heirs and successors according to law, / and that I will
faithfully observe the laws of New Zealand / and fulfil my duties as a New Zealand citizen.” //

Thank you. Please be seated.

As your names are called, please come forward. I will present you with your certificate and then we will pose for the official photograph.

You will also then be presented with a native tree for you to plant, to symbolise putting down your roots in New Zealand, and a book published by the Department of Internal Affairs, called ‘Choice – Whiriwhiria – the New Zealand Citizenship Story’. Councillors will present these to you.

(Official presentation of certificates)
May I be the first to officially congratulate you as New Zealand citizens. I hope you will always remember this occasion.

The fact that you are gaining citizenship on Waitangi Day makes this even more significant, as it is today that we reflect on our bi-cultural nationhood that has enabled us to celebrate the diversity of our multi-cultural society that we have become.

I remember when I became Mayor, I was asked by the City Library to write what Waitangi Day meant for me so that they could share the message with the children who were learning about the Treaty of Waitangi, our founding document.

It caused me to reflect on my own experience. I said when I was a child we didn't learn anything about the Treaty at school. As an adult I became ashamed at how little I knew.
I said I was pleased that young people today learn about our shared history with Maori, good and bad, and not just the history of the European settlors.

The Treaty in modern times has served as the basis for resolving grievances that arose when its principles were not honoured.

Every settlement begins with a statement of the facts (gleaned from a consideration of all the evidence by the Waitangi Tribunal) and an apology for the wrong that has been done.

It is easy to explain to children the importance of people owning up and saying sorry when they have done wrong. In this case the wrong was done by the Crown, which lives on in the form of the Executive arm of government, which is why the apology is recorded in the Act of Parliament that confirms the settlement.

I have been reflecting on the importance of owning up and saying sorry. During my time in Parliament, the government acknowledged two non-Treaty historic wrongs and apologised for them.

The first was 15 years ago, when the Prime Minister apologised for the poll tax and other discriminatory practices that were applied only to the Chinese migrants, many of whom originally came to mine for gold.

The second was to apologise for New Zealand's early administration of Samoa covering the influenza epidemic of 1918, the shooting of unarmed Mau protesters by New Zealand police in 1929 and the banishing of matai (chiefs) from their homes.

The apology was delivered by the Prime Minister in Samoa on the occasion of their 40th Anniversary of independence.

In recent times we have reflected on the life of Nelson Mandela and his gift to his nation of truth and reconciliation.

It was a nation’s chance for restorative justice – the chance to speak the truth, acknowledge what had been done, own up and take responsibility for personal actions, whether directed or otherwise, and to express sorrow and regret – a genuine apology for the wrongs that have been committed against others.

Recording the history – laying down the truth - and apologising for wrongdoing is at the heart of our Treaty settlement process here in New Zealand.

It is a firm foundation for building enduring relationships and creating unity.

Every one of you has your own story about what has brought you here. It is the culmination of those stories that adds another chapter to our nation’s history.

Each one of us or our ancestors made a journey to make Aotearoa New Zealand home - by waka, by ship or by plane - it is that journey that we all have in common and that is one of the foundation stones of our nation.

Sharing the stories of our journeys that brought us here enables us to build understanding which also builds enduring relationships and creates unity.

That is why being here at Tuahiwi Marae on Waitangi day is so special.

Some of you have had to give up your citizenship of your place of birth in order to take up citizenship here.

Let me say that as new citizens none of you severs your ties with your home of birth; you bring your language, your culture and your history with you, and you nurture them in your children.

And we, the wider community, are enriched by your experience and all that you bring with you.

And you gain another home – a place to stand – as a citizen of New Zealand.

Congratulations to each of you. I wish you well on the next stage of your journey.

No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa.

Minister Hon Simon Bridges
MP Megan Wood
Kaikoura Mayor Winston gray 
Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton
Mohammed Hikmet and the team from HMI Technologies
Malcolm Johns & the team from CIAL 
Councillors and other guests​

I would like to begin by thanking HMI Technologies and CIAL for enabling our city to become an early adopter of innovative technology. And I would like to acknowledge Vick Buck in particular who has been at the forefront of supporting innovative and disruptive technology. 

This event more than any other speaks to who we are as a city.  We were New Zealand’s first city established by Royal Charter in 1856. So we are New Zealand’s oldest city and we are becoming its newest city.

Christchurch is well known as New Zealand’s Garden City.  What that means in the 21st century is more about sustainability than gardens. Today is about that sustainability and who we are. We are the home of innovation and creativity.

Our university can claim some of the great minds of the 19th and 20th Century starting with Ernest Rutherford.

The Hamilton jet was designed here, as was the Montgomery mooring system, the Brittan superbike, Dynamic Controls, the Yike Bike, the Martin jet pack – the list goes on.

I remember when our electricity lines company went looking for the best radio technology in the world to make itself more resilient in a post disaster environment, they found it across the road - Tait electronics. 

I went to a 100th birthday party on Sunday and talked about the changes the gentleman concerned had seen in a century and how the rate of progress he would have observed had increased exponentially over the past two decades. That rate of increase will continue on that exponential curve.

And that’s what today is all about. Being at the front end of the curve. Not being a fast follower, but being a leader.

Autonomous electric vehicles are part of the future and they are coming ready or not; I’d rather be ready.

Christchurch has become a city of opportunity. We are open to new ideas, to new people and new ways of doing things.  A place where anything is possible.

But as I’ve highlighted it is our history too.  It is who we have always been.
The significance of attracting this project to Christchurch at this time cannot be over-stated.

We have invited central government and the private sector to partner with us and our communities on trialling anything that will better prepare our city and our nation for the future.

It’s no longer about whether we succeed or fail; it’s what we learn along the way and what we can see as the next opportunity on the horizon that makes this an incredibly exciting time in our history.


Welcome aboard – it’s going to be a crazy ride

I am invited to many events – too many to attend all of them. So I guess I should explain why I accepted this invitation and asked Cr Deon Swiggs to accompany me.
First, I enjoy the opportunity to celebrate progress. Travel accommodation has been hit hard in Christchurch, so these will be welcome additional beds within the central city.

Second, this is not just any accommodation – the Eco-Villa is the way of the future. In our invitation here, we have been told that the original building has been radically up-cycled and freshly renovated with heaps of love and craftsmanship.

I despair of the central city buildings that could have been repaired and renovated that were demolished simply because they weren’t in the right place. It’s important to always remember that the greenest building is the one that’s already standing.

And third, tonight speaks to who we are as a city.  We were New Zealand’s first city established by Royal Charter in 1856. So we are New Zealand’s oldest city and we are becoming its newest city.

And this event represents not only pride in our heritage, but also the application of modern techniques, which will equip us for the future.

I went to a 100th birthday party on Sunday and talked about the changes the gentleman concerned had seen in a century and how the rate of progress he would have observed had increased exponentially over the past two decades. That rate of increase will continue on that exponential curve.

Unless we understand the importance of our environment and take steps such as this to create opportunities from existing resources, then we will miss the opportunity to become a beacon for sustainability.
​
So that’s why I came.  I came to say thank you for reminding us what’s important. And that’s what I’d call real progress.

​Local MP, Hon Ruth Dyson
City Councillors, Community Board representatives
The Summit Road Society, including John Goodrich and Paula Jameson (great-granddaughter of Harry Ell)
Janice Thornton (tenant of the Sign of the Kiwi)
The whole team who worked on this restoration
Distinguished guests one and all,
 
I am delighted to be here to today to join you all in celebrating the reopening of the Sign of the Kiwi and to pay tribute to the people who have made this happen.
 
In June this year the building will be a century old, a tribute to Harry Ell, who was the driving force behind the Summit Road and the rest-houses, of which the Sign of the Kiwi was the third after the Sign of the Bellbird and the Sign of the Packhorse; architect Samuel Hurst Seagar, whose interest in vernacular domestic architecture insisted on it blending with the surrounding environment and not disrupting the panorama of the hills; and Charles Calvert, who not only built it, but also advanced much of the money required for the build.
 
I hadn’t realised that the Sign of the Kiwi was a tollgate to assist with the costs of constructing the Summit Road and the stone section of the original tollgate forms part of its Category 1 historic place listing, which was obtained in 1989. It was interesting to note that the Heathcote County Council forced Harry to shut down the tollgate in 1932 but the Halswell County Council let him establish a new one in their county.
 
WWII was not kind to the Sign of the Kiwi, when it fell into disuse, and was closed by the Department of Lands & Survey in 1940. It transferred to the CCC after 1948 and used as custodian’s house. In 1989 the council began restoring it to its former glory and it once again operated as a tearooms and information centre – until the earthquakes struck.
 
So that’s the history.  And now it’s my role to thank the team behind what has been a wonderful restoration project. We have lost so much as a city that every such restoration means a lot to us all, and to have played a role in this project, must give each and every one of you a real sense of pride.
 
A big team at the City Council must be thanked. here are too many to name them all, but I did want to single out Richie Moyle  - CCC Programme Manager – Heritage Rebuild, John Radburn, Project Director and Mike Suttill – Senior Project Manager.
And I will acknowledge everyone in the Council Heritage, Regional Parks and the Project Management teams who have supported this project and thank you for your efforts.
 
Can I also thank: Conservation Architects Tony Ussher and William Fulton, Ian Domigan, Senior Engineer, Jet Li, Engineer, Sarah Harding, Engineering Geologist, Carol Caldwell, Fire Engineer and Stuart Pearson, Electrical Engineer
 
I would also like to thank Cook Brothers: Grant Harris, Regional Manager, Tony Morley, Project Manager, Michael Mathieson, Site manager and Ross Mosley, Quantity Surveyor and all their contractors: Dunn’s Stonemasonery, Caltec Electrical & AV Ltd, Clyne & Bennie Plumbing, Bromley Steel and The Stone Company.
 
And finally I would like to thank Canterbury Roofing Contracting; McTavish Decorators and last but not least, the painters, Subby solutions and Superior Painters.  You have all done a great job.
 
Seager once said “It is not necessary that we should build grandly or expensively in order to attain that wished-for harmony between Nature and Art. It is only necessary that we should build simply and truthfully…”
 
The Sign of the Kiwi embodies these ideals and remains a beautiful example of New Zealand architecture, so special to us all.