Tuesday 13 September 2016

Council signs Christchurch resilience pledge

Mayor Lianne Dalziel will today sign a pledge to introduce a budget that commits at least 10 per cent of the Council’s 2017/18 spending to building Christchurch’s resilience.

The pledge, signed by Mayor Dalziel and 100 Resilience Cities (100RC) Asia-Pacific Associate Director Sam Kernaghan will be made as part of the official launch of the Greater Christchurch Resilience Plan. The plan is aimed at ensuring Greater Christchurch has the resilience to deal with future challenges.

Signing the pledge will give greater Christchurch access for up to US$5 million worth of goods and services from the 100 Resilience Cities Network that can be used to help Christchurch achieve its resilience goals.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel says the topic of resilience is particularly relevant for Greater Christchurch.

“We’ve faced enormous challenges as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes and we know we will encounter future challenges. This is not simply about preparing our infrastructure or our built environment and it’s not about bouncing back to the way things used to be. Resilience is about understanding the risks and challenges we face and developing ways to adapt and co-create a new normal.

“Empowering people and enabling them to participate in local decision making is vital in building resilient communities and a resilient city.”

In December 2013 Christchurch was among the first 33 cities selected internationally to join the 100RC network. Led by the Rockefeller Foundation, 100RC is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to physical, social and economic challenges.

Chief Resilience Officer Mike Gillooly says the plan is a result of two years of research and collaboration with a range of agencies from across the Greater Christchurch region.
“It provides a framework for city and district leaders to work together to enable and empower communities to face the future with confidence.

"Resilience thinking accepts that chronic stresses, such as poverty and homelessness, and acute shocks, like earthquakes and flooding, rarely happen in isolation. By considering shocks and stresses in the same strategy, a city is able to be more responsive to adverse events and be more effective in delivering core functions and services in both good times and bad.”

The Resilience Pledge will be signed during the official launch of the plan at the Christchurch City Council today.

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