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| January 2001 |
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Keeping the dream alive
I said publicly quite a few times last year that the original vision of the Christchurch settlers for a cohesive, caring community where everyone could realise their own potential was a startlingly democratic set of ideas for their time. While this vision was of course tinged by the class concepts of the time, it amounted to a dream of a much more open society than that in the England the pioneers had left. One of the most amazing things about this set of ideas was of course the fact that it was powerful enough to attract people into what was then a very dangerous journey just about literally around the world. Equally impressive is the fact that this vision is still largely intact in Christchurch —a city that has become known for innovation, compassion and an active community focus. It’s a tradition and set of values that I am proud to support myself as part of the gift from the past to our present and future. One of my aims for this year is to encourage active debate in Christchurch on how we can build further on the firm foundations of both compassion and respect for initiative we have inherited and maintained from the pioneers. www.christchurchmayor.org.nz |
