150th Anniversary of Provincial Govt

26 September 2003

Tonight's one of those reminders that as things change they can also remain the same. Here we originally had the seat of local government when we had a federal model that gave the regions greater control over how they lived and regulated their lives.

A mere 150 years later with the new local Government Act we are again a region and city charged with the task of taking more control of how we live and regulate our lives.

The Provincial Government was pioneering in a largely pre-Industrial society, we are pioneering again in what many think is the post Industrial society. At least we get to face our challenges in rather more comfortable circumstances. On a less big picture note it is worth making the point that the recent changes in local government make this new centre more relevant than maybe any of us expected when the project started. It outlines a chapter of our history that in many ways we are now re-visiting in practical terms.

This Interpretation Centre will provide a great learning facility for students, visitors and tourists about this fascinating part of our early colonial history. I'm told the Centre and displays will outline the social, political and architectural history of Provincial Government and the buildings that still remain here from that era.

Our Provincial Chambers are the last extant Provincial Council buildings left in New Zealand. They are one of those Christchurch heritage gems that we need to make more fuss about. They are the finest example of Victorian Gothic revival architecture left in the country.

It is great to know that the new centre is going to bring much of this history to life, with film, touch screens and other audio and visual displays. There are also nice "ordinary" little treasures like the silver tea service given to Mrs Potton, the Bellamy's housekeeper when the provincial government was dissolved.

The family returned the service to us in 1992 and it is now ready to go back on display.

Of course for a "hands on" type like myself one of the biggest draw-cards has to be the superb scale model of the whole complex that has been made for the display. I understand that it took Andrew Cudworth of the Design Group a whole nine months to build. Tomorrow this will all open up to the public, 150 years to the day since the first meeting of the Provincial Government.

That meeting took place just a wee way across town on the present site of Cathedral Grammar. It is worth noting that the Irish must have already been loitering in Canterbury as the site was described at the time as a "desolate tenement all by itself in a potato garden.'' That's an elegant Pacific garden by Hibernian standards.

It has been one of those happy accidents of our history that these buildings have survived long enough to now be recognised as the treasure that they are. The efforts that have gone into putting this Centre together have been both major and also respectful of the huge historic significance of this site to us all. Over the years these buildings have been another parcel passed between the Regional Council, now ECAN,and the Christchurch City Council.

Since we took back control in 1993 we have had a carefully planned programme for conservation and restoration underway.

Today the buildings are vested in the people of Canterbury themselves as a wonderful memorial to the early European Canterbury settlers. This new Centre brings all these efforts to retain, respect and restore our collective history in a wonderful way. Perhaps the only question left of an inmate of Tuam Street is "when can we move back in?''.