Thank you for the invitation to be here today.

I would like to acknowledge Sir Richard and Lady Diane Hadlee, Stephen and Heather Boock, Canterbury Cricket Trust Chair Lee Robinson, Councillors Mike Davidson, Jake McLellan and Phil Mauger.

I have been looking forward to this day when we see our cricketing future secured by our cricketing legends, for the benefit of our cricketing of the future.

The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre joins the Hagley Oval as a world-class asset for our city. I know I have referred to the Hagley Oval as the jewel in the crown of post-quake Christchurch, so this must be the gold that forms the crown that holds the jewel.

The Centre will welcome young people, many of whom will go on to represent their region and their country joining the Canterbury teams, Black Caps and the White Ferns in the future.

Until now, our lack of an indoor cricketing facility has made it harder for our teams to train to the best of their ability, and this has been putting pressure on the facilities in Lincoln and Rangiora.

Now we have the best training facilities in the country – number 1.

And I want to acknowledge those who have worked hard - sometimes against the odds – to make this happen. Stephen and Heather Boock who started the ball rolling. And Sir Richard who lent his name and his mana to the campaign.

$4.65M was raised with donations from the New Zealand cricket community:
Major donors included The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Trust, Sir Stephen Tindall, Glenn and Lynne Ritchie and Mark Stewart and completes the Hagley Oval Cricket Precinct which has fundraised approximately $20 million in total since 2014.

I want to pay tribute to Lee Robinson – his leadership throughout has been inspiring. His record of delivery is what inspires the confidence that our generous philanthropists rely on. His ability to respectfully negotiate with those who didn’t see eye to eye with the development of the Oval has strengthened the relationships. And the fact that Ngai Tuahuriri was here is a measure of the respect with which he is held.

To all those who have championed this project, thank you. Thank you for your passion, commitment, and vision.

Thank you for your tireless work to develop a precinct that will benefit this community today and tomorrow with the future of cricketing secured for generations to come. What you have achieved here is remarkable.

​And on that note, it is my honour to invite Sir Richard Hadlee to join me in cutting the ribbon as we declare the Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre officially open.
Nō reira Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa

​Acknowledge
Hon Megan Woods
Ngai Tuahuriri representatives
Councillor colleagues
Business leaders
Venue clients and suppliers
 
 
I was invited to give the first official speech here at Te Pae five months ago, almost to the day – 17 December 2021.
 
It is not surprising I feel this year has been slipping away. It’s a shared experience.
 
I went back to my speech notes from last year and thought I would repeat some of them.
 
I remember when the government released its blueprint for the rebuild of our central city; it was hard to imagine the scale of a convention centre that could connect Victoria Square to Cathedral Square.
 
And here it is Te Pae, Ōtautahi Christchurch, the place where people will gather together for conventions, conferences, business events, trade exhibitions and meetings.
 
I said the other night that I was attending a conference in Sweden this week, and I am. I can manage the mornings – 7pm – 10.15pm, but not the afternoons. The advantage is that I can play back the sessions I am interested in, but what I love about conferences no Zoom experience can give me.
 
It's not the keynote speakers – I can watch them online – it’s the spaces in-between – it’s where you bump into someone you want to meet – it’s the chat about the keynote speaker – it’s the exploration of ideas that start to swirl when we are listening – listening together – and that’s what makes the magic of a conference.
 
And that’s what Te Pae is inviting here and all of you who are suppliers and contributors in one shape or another help make the magic happen.
 
The commitment to local produce and local suppliers – that’s what creates a unique experience that is ours and that we invite the world to share.
 
When I spoke at the earlier opening, I said people who come here will see our past meet our future – the juxtaposition between the two squares that now also reflect our pre-European history – and the outlook to our river as familiar to us today as Ōtākaro – the place of play – as it is the River Avon. 
 
This place is already known as Te Pae – as is Tūranga across the road – our extraordinary city library.
 
And across the other side of the river on Conservation Land, we see the last remaining example of the seat of Provincial Government in New Zealand – a category 1 heritage building. Its reinstatement will add enormous interest to the area.
 
And all around us we see the new architecture of our city, alongside that which we have been able to preserve, with an incredibly diverse and rich range of dining and venue experiences all within walking distance of here.
 
Our oldest city by Royal Charter is now our newest city as well.
It really is an exceptional location.
 
Our international airport means we are also a gateway to our region and the whole of Te Waipounamu.
 
This means that Ōtautahi Christchurch is now the complete package with today’s opening of Te Pae, the first new generation convention centre in Aotearoa New Zealand.
 
Coming together to celebrate not just the opening, but this time the operating of Te Pae, is an enormous pleasure.
 
I look forward to seeing Te Pae and our city go from strength to strength.
 
No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa
 

​Arapata Reuben, Rex Williams, Antony Shadbolt, Representatives from Christine Heremaia’s Family and Trustees of the Styx Living Laboratory Trust past and present.
 
I originally came here today, because as Mayor of Christchurch I wanted to acknowledge the significance of the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Styx Living Laboratory and the incredible partnership it has represented with the Council and all those with a passion for Pūharakekenui.
 
I wanted to congratulate you on all your achievements of the past 20 years and everyone who has contributed along the way. The phrase it takes a village to raise a child comes to mind – because for me, it takes a community to restore a river.
 
I knew that the Christine Heremia Field Centre was to be officially opened today as part of the celebration, but I didn’t know her or enough about her. To have a facility named for a council staff member means she had brought more to the place than her work.
 
And that wasn’t just the strategic approach to getting council to purchase the land in parcels. Christine was the one who introduced into Council the integrated planning approach when it came to land drainage and stormwater management - built upon values such as landscape, ecology, recreation, heritage and culture - that we now take for granted today. A councillor who was quoted at the time said, "This is the kind of planning that I hoped would occur with local government reform".
 
It saddens me to say that it has taken another set of reforms – not all three waters – but stormwater and its role in restoring ‘te mana o te wai’-that has opened my eyes to the significance of the leadership of people like Christine, and why we need to work hand in hand with mana whenua. Understanding what this place meant for Ngai Tuahuriri has been key to creating the vision for the future.
 
Protecting this precious ecosytem - Ki uta ki tai – from source to sea –the Living Laboratory it offers to present and future generations – a place to be - and when we come together, that is the promise that this place holds for you and me.
 
2040 seemed a lot further away when the Styx Vision 2020-2040 was written, but it is even more relevant today.
The Trust was established 20 years ago to develop the 'Living Laboratory" that focuses on learning and research in the Styx River catchment. It goes without saying that knowledge about the Styx River ecosystem and the impacts on it is essential to protecting the river's values.
 
If we we writing a report card, this wouldn’t be an achieved, it would be an excellence.
 
But even though I say this, this is not where it ends. This is an inter-generational commiment that we must ensure is passed on.
 
So today, we are not only celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Styx Living Laboratory Trust, we are also celebrating 20 years of commitment of communities partnering with mana whenua and all the experts, so that there is a sharing of traditional knowledge, local knowledge and technical, scientific and ecological skills and expertise.
 
And I can’t think of a better way to do this than for the Trust to open the Christine Heremaia Field Centre today.
 
Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei – for us and our children after us.
 

I am very proud to be the first patron of the programme. I will be stepping back when my terms as Mayor comes to an end.

One of the Mayors of Greater Christchurch will be invited to take up the role.

The reason I supported Generation Give from the outset is because I believe in philanthropy and know the importance of growing future leaders who understand its importance.

The opportunity you are being offered through this programme is amazing. And I can say that because I have seen what happens as a result of the journey you are entering.

The incredible sense of achievement that young people feel handing over cheques – not to an online appeal – but to people who lived and breathed the charitable cause the young people had chosen.

​You will learn valuable skills that will be useful for your own future – I know you will never forget the importance of philanthropy.

Your excellency Ambassador Kowal, Ministers, Members of Parliament, council colleagues, from the city and Waimakariri, Representatives from Australia and other parts of New Zealand, distinguished guests and members of the Polish community.

Can I thank the Ambassador for making this special visit to celebrate what is an important occasion not only for the Polish community but also for the city.

I remember the celebrations of 145 years of Polish settlement back in 2017 – it feels like more than 5 years ago, but that is a reflection of the times we have been living in.

Our city has lived and breathed crisis for over a decade and we know the effects of the disruption this causes people’s lives.

And when we look to your side of the world and the memories that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine must be invoking, and the generosity of the Polish people to their neighbours, all I can say is our hearts are with the Polish people as they are with the people of Ukraine at this time.

We have experienced here in our city, man’s inhumanity to man, and I truly hope for the sake of us all that there is a generation of leaders coming who will say no more – no more violence, no more war.

A celebration of this magnitude - 150 years since Polish settlers first came to Aotearoa New Zealand - is something of which the Polish community can be very proud.

You have truly made your mark.

I loved the fact that we were able to celebrate the market gardening tradition that transformed the peat marshes of Marshlands to the food basket of our city, with the naming of Polish Settlers Place and the commemorative plaque we unveiled five years ago.

I loved joining you that year in Akaroa at the Church of Saint Patrick built in 1865 just seven years before the first Polish settlers arrived in Lyttelton.

When we think back to what it must have been like to arrive here with no knowledge of English, and the success that we celebrate today, it is clear that they were a determined and driven group.

And this is very much reinforced by the numbers of people who live here who are descendants of the original group.

Your Polish heritage and cultural and national identity have survived through times where it wasn’t as easy to maintain unique identities, culture, language or faith. The social pressures that drive assimilation were high back then and, in some respects, remain so for many migrants and refugees the world over.

I would like to commend the ‘Between the Rivers Trust’ and the Polish Association for keeping this connection between Christchurch and Poland alive and active.

And thank you to Winsome Dormer for your incredible leadership as the Honorary Consul for Poland. You have been enormously generous in promoting the special relationship we can all feel today.

And thank you for allowing me to share in so many occasions with the Polish community of Ōtautahi Christchurch. It has been an honour and a privilege.

​Congratulations on your anniversary, as we look forward to the future with a wish for the peaceful resolution of the conflict that I know troubles us all from the part of the world from where your community’s journey commenced 150 years ago.