E nga mana
E nga reo
E rau rangatira ma
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa
I wish to begin by acknowledging all who have gathered here today. Those who grieve for a loved one who died on the 22 Feb 2011; those who were seriously injured on that day; those who responded to the rescue effort; those who were traumatised by what they saw or were called upon to do; those who have experienced loss as a result of the earthquake and in this I include people who lost their home, their neighbourhood, their business, their job.
Today’s commemoration is especially for you and I welcome you all.
E nga reo
E rau rangatira ma
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa
I wish to begin by acknowledging all who have gathered here today. Those who grieve for a loved one who died on the 22 Feb 2011; those who were seriously injured on that day; those who responded to the rescue effort; those who were traumatised by what they saw or were called upon to do; those who have experienced loss as a result of the earthquake and in this I include people who lost their home, their neighbourhood, their business, their job.
Today’s commemoration is especially for you and I welcome you all.
I welcome all our distinguished guests here today, and would like especially to acknowledge and welcome His Excellency, the Hon Sir Jerry Matapaere.
His Excellency telephoned me last week after we experienced the 5.7 aftershock that took so many of us by surprise.
He wanted to know how we were all feeling, knowing that it would remind people of the experiences we thought we had left behind at the end of 2011.
I felt very reassured by his personal concern for our city, which was absolutely heartfelt; and this is my chance to say thank you Sir, and to invite you to address us.
The Governor General speaks
For three years now, Christchurch’s Botanic Gardens have provided us with a place of beauty and tranquillity to commemorate the events of five years ago.
But next year we will gather at the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial designed by Grega Vezjak, who has joined us today. Yesterday I joined him and bereaved family members to plant shrubs that will form an integral part of the memorial that is for all of us.
Significantly too, this will be the last time this public ceremony will be lead by the Mayor of our city – next year that special honour and responsibility will be handed over to the Earthquake Families’ Trust, who have asked to take on that responsibility.
This marks an important milestone in terms of restoring local leadership.
In the same way, in a few weeks' time, the emergency legislation that was put in place in 2011 will expire, and replaced with new laws the will promote local leadership and community engagement.
The role of the community comes to the fore as we shift from recovery to regeneration.
I originally chose the word regeneration because it represents restoration and new growth - honouring our past, while embracing whatever the future holds.
But we must acknowledge that there are still many people who have unanswered questions, people with unresolved insurance claims, people who are still living in the houses that were damaged 5 years ago – none of them with any certainty of when they will find closure.
Those that can assist them, can use this fifth anniversary to make a commitment to do so.
From a city point of view, it’s the lessons learned that we will gift to other cities and to future generations.
The strength of the community connections, which existed before the earthquakes, was the best measure of the speed of response and quality of recovery. The lesson is that you don’t have to plan for a disaster when you live in a community where neighbours know each other and respect the environment we live in together.
I know that people tire of the word resilience when they feel anything but; however for me it is the essence of communities coming together that is its measure.
Today we will again hear the Peace Bell chime – something that adds special meaning to this occasion.
The original World Peace Bell was gifted to the United Nations in 1954 by a Japanese Mayor.
Our Peace Bell, gifted 50 years later, like the original, is cast from the coins of the nations that make up the UN – so it’s sounding today will remind us of all the nationalities who experienced loss in our city five years ago.
There is a piece of pounamu that sits beneath the Peace Bell here that has a matching piece buried beneath the Peace Sculpture in the Nagasaki Peace Park. This symbolises for me the chiming of our Bell resonating in Japan.
Today is an emotional day for many people – so much has happened, yet so much remains to be done.
We need to be mindful that our experience has been traumatic for everyone and for many it will take more than time to heal. We need to respect that.
At the same time we have an incredible opportunity to reimagine what our city means to us and what it will mean for generations to come.
Ngai Tahu has a whakatauki [proverb] that says:
'Mo tatou, a, mo ka uri a muri ake nei', which means: 'For us, and our children after us.'
Let us claim our future – remembering our past, honouring those whose lives were lost or changed forever, acknowledging the significance of Christchurch being the final resting place of many from overseas and what that means for their families, respecting all who make Christchurch their home and creating for ourselves a sense of place where we all belong.
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa.
E nga mana
E nga reo
E rau rangatira ma
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa
I wish to begin by acknowledging all who have gathered here today. Those who grieve for a loved one who died on the 22 Feb 2011;
those who were seriously injured on that day;
those who responded to the rescue effort;
those who were traumatised by what they saw or were called upon to do;
those who have experienced loss as a result of the earthquake and in this I include people who lost their home, their neighbourhood, their business, their job.
His Excellency telephoned me last week after we experienced the 5.7 aftershock that took so many of us by surprise.
He wanted to know how we were all feeling, knowing that it would remind people of the experiences we thought we had left behind at the end of 2011.
I felt very reassured by his personal concern for our city, which was absolutely heartfelt; and this is my chance to say thank you Sir, and to invite you to address us.
The Governor General speaks
For three years now, Christchurch’s Botanic Gardens have provided us with a place of beauty and tranquillity to commemorate the events of five years ago.
But next year we will gather at the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial designed by Grega Vezjak, who has joined us today. Yesterday I joined him and bereaved family members to plant shrubs that will form an integral part of the memorial that is for all of us.
Significantly too, this will be the last time this public ceremony will be lead by the Mayor of our city – next year that special honour and responsibility will be handed over to the Earthquake Families’ Trust, who have asked to take on that responsibility.
This marks an important milestone in terms of restoring local leadership.
In the same way, in a few weeks' time, the emergency legislation that was put in place in 2011 will expire, and replaced with new laws the will promote local leadership and community engagement.
The role of the community comes to the fore as we shift from recovery to regeneration.
I originally chose the word regeneration because it represents restoration and new growth - honouring our past, while embracing whatever the future holds.
But we must acknowledge that there are still many people who have unanswered questions, people with unresolved insurance claims, people who are still living in the houses that were damaged 5 years ago – none of them with any certainty of when they will find closure.
Those that can assist them, can use this fifth anniversary to make a commitment to do so.
From a city point of view, it’s the lessons learned that we will gift to other cities and to future generations.
The strength of the community connections, which existed before the earthquakes, was the best measure of the speed of response and quality of recovery. The lesson is that you don’t have to plan for a disaster when you live in a community where neighbours know each other and respect the environment we live in together.
I know that people tire of the word resilience when they feel anything but; however for me it is the essence of communities coming together that is its measure.
Today we will again hear the Peace Bell chime – something that adds special meaning to this occasion.
The original World Peace Bell was gifted to the United Nations in 1954 by a Japanese Mayor.
Our Peace Bell, gifted 50 years later, like the original, is cast from the coins of the nations that make up the UN – so it’s sounding today will remind us of all the nationalities who experienced loss in our city five years ago.
There is a piece of pounamu that sits beneath the Peace Bell here that has a matching piece buried beneath the Peace Sculpture in the Nagasaki Peace Park. This symbolises for me the chiming of our Bell resonating in Japan.
Today is an emotional day for many people – so much has happened, yet so much remains to be done.
We need to be mindful that our experience has been traumatic for everyone and for many it will take more than time to heal. We need to respect that.
At the same time we have an incredible opportunity to reimagine what our city means to us and what it will mean for generations to come.
Ngai Tahu has a whakatauki [proverb] that says:
'Mo tatou, a, mo ka uri a muri ake nei', which means: 'For us, and our children after us.'
Let us claim our future – remembering our past, honouring those whose lives were lost or changed forever, acknowledging the significance of Christchurch being the final resting place of many from overseas and what that means for their families, respecting all who make Christchurch their home and creating for ourselves a sense of place where we all belong.
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa.
E nga mana
E nga reo
E rau rangatira ma
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ra tatou katoa
I wish to begin by acknowledging all who have gathered here today. Those who grieve for a loved one who died on the 22 Feb 2011;
those who were seriously injured on that day;
those who responded to the rescue effort;
those who were traumatised by what they saw or were called upon to do;
those who have experienced loss as a result of the earthquake and in this I include people who lost their home, their neighbourhood, their business, their job.