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.