Birthday bash was just superb
Christchurch’s 150th birthday bash in Cathedral Square was just superb. For the thousands of people young and old who thronged to the city centre it was a real celebration of our city, and of our potential.
We have earned a name for doing public festivals and celebrations well and I have to say I have never seen it so true as when Christchurch turned 150. The people of Christchurch had a wonderful weekend; they got to celebrate the city and themselves in a great tide of energy and enthusiasm that wiped away all the winter blues.
It was a glimpse not only into our past but into our future; a more diverse and multi-cultural future than our founders had in mind but one that will be vital and industrious enough to meet with their approval.
In my job I take part in many public celebrations and this must have been just about the best ever. I thought that the support for the “birthday party” was simply amazing.
There were probably tens of thousands of Christchurch people who came into the city centre to join the fun. It was just wonderful to see such a huge number of kids leaving the Square happily holding onto their slice of the great cake. What a cake it was; at 150m long there was no quarrel that it was New Zealand’s largest birthday cake.
The entertainment was great, the public spirit even better and it was a real reminder of how good we are as a city at these sorts of public events. Having said that, I must thank the Council staff and the team at the Cathedral for the enormous amounts of planning that went into this weekend. A big thank you also to Divine Cakes & Deserts for the delicious birthday cake and to Air NZ for giving away trans-Tasman flights to those people who dressed up as Christchurch icons.
It all added up to a great celebration of the fact that Christchurch can lay claim to being New Zealand’s first official city. That’s because Queen Victoria herself signed the Letters Patent on 31 July, 1865, so Christchurch would qualify as the seat for an Anglican Bishop.
That founding document, the Letters Patent — four pages of copper plate script on vellum — will be on show at the Canterbury Museum until the end of October.
The trip in time from the formality of the original Royal Letters Patent to the wonderful community spirit of the 150th birthday party this year is a long one.
I think the sight of a happy, healthy city at play is one that would have thrilled the original founders of Christchurch. It was great. Long may the city thrive. Kia Ora, Nga mihi mo to ra whanau. Happy Birthday Christchurch.
Mayor of Christchurch
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