Within New Zealand the new gallery marks us out as the city with the courage and vision to make a major investment in celebrating and encouraging the arts.

The art community likes to keep the focus on the work, while the business community tends to like to make us look at the branding and sponsorship around the arts. Somewhere between the two extremes lies the truth, which is that the arts are a hugely powerful economic force in their own right. Art and culture have been identified as major economic forces worth encouraging in this century. We have made that investment.

It is worth bearing in mind that the most limitless economic resource of all is our imagination. By celebrating and showcasing what has been done we also encourage our own people to look at the possibilities still to be realised.

After the impending opening the links that will build between the gallery and the arts and broader community will grow stronger and more productive. It will build from the discovery of this stunning new venue where we can all enjoy more fully the great cultural wealth that this city already has.

For our cultural environment it will prove to be a major step forward in forging our own strong identity.

It is worth noting that in our increasingly similar, over-branded, homogenised global society it is more and more our cultural identity that defines us on the world stage. Our new gallery gives us the status and venue to ensure we can do so strongly and convincingly.

It will enhance our own cultural environment so well it will help us all to bring a more appreciative eye to the wealth of natural beauty we already have.

I believe that by celebrating and enjoying our artistic wealth we will also increase ourlove and appreciation of our natural environment.

From a social perspective I believe the new art gallery in a way puts the arts in Christchurch on Main Street. It is no accident that the new expansive building is closer to the real heart of the city. It is part of a deliberate move to make the arts more open and accessible to more people.

Christchurch has a wonderful track record for making what is the preserve elsewhere of elites become more democratic and openly available. Our world-class libraries and sport venues have made both knowledge and wellness move within the easy of reach of everyone.

It is a tradition of fairness and generosity that helps make Christchurch stand out nationally, and internationally.

The new Christchurch Art Gallery does the same for the arts. It is a hugely important point. We now have a venue that gives the people of Christchurch a unique chance to enjoy, take part in and grow through the arts.

We must make sure we seize this chance. A city that takes a keen interest in the arts is a truly creative city. Creativity is the key to financial, emotional and psychological wealth. The new Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu is ultimately an investment in us — our past, our present and our unlimited potential for the future. I hope to see you there.