Deputy Mayor Yang, Dongguan city, Guangdong province
And other representatives from Dongguan and the Expo organising committee

Cr Jimmy Chen
Consul-General Jin and representatives of the Chinese Consulate
Steven Ma and Members of the New Zealand Guangdong General Association of Commerce
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
 
Da jia hao! It’s my pleasure to welcome to Christchurch our distinguished visitors who are here to promote the Maritime Silk Road Expo.

We all know that the Silk Road is an ancient route that connected the East and the West.

As it has been said the greatest value of the Silk Road was the exchange of culture. Art, religion, philosophy, technology, language, science, architecture, and every other element of civilisation was exchanged through the Silk Road along with the commercial goods the merchants carried from country to country.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, an initiative of President Xi Jinping, has created a modern-day equivalent, capturing the essence of the connectivity of the ancient routes – this time it travels from China’s coast to Europe through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean in one route, and from China’s coast through the South China Sea to the South Pacific in the other.

Clearly New Zealand has a keen interest in this initiative.
But even more importantly, does Christchurch with our port and airport making us the international gateway to and departure point from the South Island.

That’s why there are representatives here from a range of business organisations including the Canterbury Development Corporation, the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and the New Zealand China Trade Association.

Deputy Mayor Yang, allow me to welcome you to our city once again. You and your office have my thanks for the work you are doing to prepare for the Maritime Silk Road Expo, as does the Chinese Consulate here in Christchurch and the Guangdong General Association of Commerce.
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I look forward to learning more about the Maritime Silk Road Expo. And I wish all of you great success with tonight’s event, as well as with the Expo itself in October!

It is my honour and privilege to welcome Sir John Armitt to Christchurch in his role as the President of the Institution of Chartered Engineers or ICE as it is known.

Without going through his extensive bio, Sir John was awarded the CBE in 1996 for his contribution to the rail industry and received a knighthood in 2012 for services to engineering and construction.

He has continued to be a major influence on infrastructure policy in the UK and in 2013 he led a review into long-term infrastructure planning - known as the 'Armitt Review'.

This was when I first met Sir John - before I was Mayor.  Even then I was looking at the kinds of opportunities that would get things moving here in Christchurch. I talked to people around the world who had the knowledge and experience that seemed to be lacking in certain circles back here.

I was particularly interested to meet him as he had been the Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority. I mention this because I was particularly inspired by the Olympic story – three separate stages – the development, the delivery and the legacy.  Each stage had legacy in mind.

The Games Village would become people’s homes.  The Games facilities would become spectacular community assets, but not all would be required.  Not much call for Polo in that neck of the woods, so that was a temporary as opposed to permanent facility.  The local authorities, and there were four involved, were engaged throughout the process from start to finish. 

And the commitment to health & safety was paramount with no lives lost in the building of these facilities that utterly transformed this part of East London.

We are exceptionally lucky to have someone of Sir John’s calibre here.

Sir John you are here at an interesting point in our history and we will value your perspective.  Sunday was the 160th anniversary since by Royal Charter we became New Zealand’s first city.

There is something about being NZ’s oldest city which is becoming New Zealand’s newest city.

And maybe in that phrase there is an ambivalence.  The old and the new – the past and the future.

From the present we look back, we honour our past and all that it has meant to us.   From the present we look optimistically to the future, remembering what has gone before and we are determined to make the most of the opportunity that lies ahead.

But we must learn from our past, including our recent experience – remember the phrase ‘those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it’.

My concern is that there is a fear that we will look back to blame and hold people accountable for mistakes that are inevitably made.  But look back we must, in order to understand. 

We learn as much as from what we got wrong, as from what we did well.

And learn we must.

There is a real sense at the moment that we have experienced a real tragedy, but what would make it worse would be to ignore the incredible opportunities we are now offered.

We are inspired by the sense of possibility that such an environment creates.

It was Edward de Bono, who said:
“If you do not design the future, someone or something else will design it for you.”

Christchurch is at a unique moment in its history right now and we have a chance to ‘design our future’.

In this, your presidential year, you are exploring the theme: “civil engineers shaping ourselves and our world”.
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Christchurch is a great place to do just that. So welcome Sir John and thank you for being here.
 

​On Sunday I officiated at a special citizenship ceremony to mark the 160th anniversary of the City of Christchurch. We were New Zealand’s first city, by royal charter signed by Queen Victoria in 1856.
 
I made the point that New Zealand’s oldest city is becoming New Zealand’s newest city. How good is that?
 
Blackwell Motors has had a long and proud history in Christchurch since they were established in 1923.
 
Like the rest of the city, they have faced huge challenges since the 2010 and 2011 earthquake sequence which destroyed their Cashel Street dealerships.
 
But Blackwells has come back from those challenges – stronger and better than before.  That doesn’t happen by chance. And it says a lot about the team that has made Blackwells the company it is today. 
 
The reason that I wanted to be here was to acknowledge the importance of that team – my husband doesn’t come to many events with me, but he wanted to acknowledge that as a former union official, he recognised those qualities back then as my own union did. 
 
Having being Mayor for three years, with a strong government presence, I know mutually respectful relationships can achieve a lot more for than if we spend time in bitter disputes.  Working to solve problems together is what builds those relationships.
 
Blackwells has always been such a company. So congratulations to you and your affiliate Oakwood Properties – tonight represents your commitment to Christchurch.
 
We celebrate the new Blackwells tonight, built on a solid foundation not only in terms of the physical building, but also on their history in Christchurch – the oldest and newest city in New Zealand.