Community Meeting Speech – Jim Anderton

I first want to pay tribute to the spirit of the City of Christchurch. The elderly man (even older than me!) sweeping up glass from the footpath of Selwyn St Village over the road from my electorate office – at 7am on the morning of the quake.

A neighbour carrying an elderly sick woman from her home across to his to look after her.
150 university students cleaning up the overwhelming mess in the neighbourhood streets of Hoon Hay and Halswell. Students often get a bad rap but their sense of community and responsibility on this occasion deserves high praise.

I also want to pay tribute to the many thousands of people who have helped during and after the first 7.1 quake – the Mayor, Civil Defence teams, the police, firemen and women, Red Cross and thousands of volunteers. They, as I said earlier, are all heroes.

The challenges which face our city now are at once a problem and a lifetime opportunity. We can rush it and risk getting the re-build badly wrong or we can engage with our whole community and bequeath a new heritage which will last for hundreds of years.

We must make sure that Christchurch is rebuilt by people who respect what Christchurch stands for. A people’s Mayor is just that – a Mayor who puts people first.

It is not a political left/right issue; it is simply an issue of priorities. We must look ahead not just for three years, but for a hundred.

Christchurch was founded by settlers who quite simply believed that they could build a better way of life than the one they had left. It was tough but inclusive – and visionary!
A case of we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper but we also expect you to do your bit.
It is a strong tradition which we have unfortunately started to see unravel at the mayoral and Council level over the last three years.

In the end, the Mayoral and Council elections, voting for which starts in just 5 days will come down to trust.

Trust that your vote will win you respect and a voice at the Council table – not more of the same three-year sideshow this Mayor and Council have provided, fuelled with your money and favouring the exclusive vision of senior managers, not elected representatives.
Christchurch deserves and needs better than that.

I promise to be a custodian of our tradition and heritage. I will renew and enrich them. We have both a sad and unique opportunity to rebuild Christchurch so that it is better than ever.

I do not believe that the people of this city want to throw over 100 years of unique vision away.

I know you respect a ‘fair-go’ society too much to run the risk of it being ruined. To those of you who are taking another look at what is on offer at this election, I ask you to look back to just 10 days and reflect on what you thought of the contenders then.

I have stayed true to my commitment to be the people’s Mayor. I believe that this is what we need, along with People’s Choice candidates to bring the way this city is run into the hands of the whole community of Christchurch.

The Mayor has given a good performance over the last 10 days – and deserves credit for that – but this election is about the last 3 years – and the next 3 and the years and years after that.

I want you all to think about that before you vote, starting next week.

THE ISSUES

What are the key issues we face?

• Helping children and families rebuild their lives
• Helping businesses re-establish their livelihoods
• Forging a unified vision for our future and the future of our city
• Preserving and rebuilding Christchurch’s Arts and Cultural heritage
• Affordable housing in the inner-city and rebuilding our neighborhoods
• Rebuilding our retail and commercial premises
• Making our city more environmentally sustainable
• Cleaner rivers, waterways, sewage and storm water separation
• A thriving private sector with a business-friendly Council in order to stimulate new job opportunities
• An important role for the community organization sector which is the glue that holds our society together
• The issue of ‘Christchurch City Bonds’ which will enable Cantabrians to safely invest in the future of their own city
• A three year action plan so that we can at least see the end in sight
• Learn from this disaster so that we can make our city even safer

THE PLAN

Beside the Canterbury Earthquake Commission being set up by Parliament as we speak, I have moved, with Ruth Dyson’s assistance, the following amendment to this legislation to be voted on tonight: “provide adequate statutory power to assist with the response to the Canterbury Earthquake, acknowledging that an important priority for the response is to enable the preparation and restoration of Canterbury’s architectural and cultural heritage”. I hope the Government accepts that amendment.

I would set up a ‘People’s Commission’ to rebuild our City, which I would chair as Mayor and involve Business and community leaders, all those with professional knowledge and experience and together open ‘People’s Forums’ for all to share in the ideas and decisions. We all need to be part of the solution as we work to rebuild our city.

I believe that as a matter of urgency the Turners and Growers site and the Henderson properties should be developed for inner-city housing with commercial and retail facilities – through a Council/ private sector partnership to help provide accommodation for around 1000 people.

We need to use our local knowledge, experience and expert professional architects, engineers, heritage and planning advisors to work co-operatively on a plan for our city.

I understand that the Mayor has announced earlier today that a Wellington architect will lead the reconstruction – I wish there could be some consultative processes in place so that such decisions can be made in a more considered and democratic way.

As far as money for this reconstruction job is concerned – if the Government of New Zealand has considered it important to throw $10 billion at motorway construction in Auckland, Christchurch deserves at least the same consideration in its hour – or year - of need.

The resources of the Earthquake Commission have to be looked at more imaginatively under the current circumstances.

CONCERNS

Finally, some concerns. I cannot understand why a new $116 million Council Building is put out of action by an earthquake and an Art Gallery, surrounded by glass is used as the Civil Defence Headquarters.

Was the new Council Building up to standard for use in an emergency? I have heard reports that it was not.

Why was there no use made of the secure and approved Civil Defence emergency centre at Environment Canterbury? Surely such co-coordination is an obvious step?

Why were we so slow in recognizing the needs of some of our hardest hit suburban areas?

We have survived a miracle this time. But we have to learn from this experience and all of the debriefings have to be full, frank and public.

Thank you for coming tonight. The rest of the evening is for your questions, comments and for recording with us at the end – at tables provided – any help you need. We will do our best to make sure it is provided.

ENDS

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