United Future NZ National Conference

Saturday 1 November 2003

Good morning, and welcome to Christchurch.

Christchurch is a city that sometimes seems to have as many identities as the National Party has leaders. The Business Roundtable named us the "The People's Republic". Much to their annoyance we adopted it with pride.

A few years ago we earned the title of the World's Top Garden City. Sadly, during the last election the American local government magazine "Governing", put us on their front cover

as "the world's best run city”. I say sadly because in the context of an election campaign the media rapidly decided it was a cunning plot on our part and refused to give this amazing compliment publicity. Oh to be that cunning.

The truth was that it was just a bolt of good fortune pretty much out of the blue based on what this city has done in recent years. I have mentioned some of our titles as a city because all of them reflect something central about the nature of Christchurch I think is relevant to your conference here this weekend.

To throw one last title into the mix I think we were very well summed up by a Management magazine feature earlier this year who summed us up as "Cutting Edge Conservatives." They said Christchurch was a business model built to last.

We have got to this point by rejecting the extremes that have ruled the roost in national politics at times over the last 15 to 20 years. Our core belief as a city is that the city should work for the people, not the people work for the city.

Our rates are the lowest of any metropolitan city in New Zealand because we never sold the family silver off. While

much of the world was busy privatising we were instead metaphorically polishing the family silver.

We held onto the idea of common good ownership of key assets while insisting these assets give us a good rate of return. Because of the dividend flows are rates our about half what they would otherwise need to be.

We have also held onto our rental housing stock and built it up so it is now the second largest rental housing provider in the country after Housing New Zealand. The only difference is that we never charged market rents.

We stuck to an old fashioned view that people are entitled to live in affordable dignity in old age or ill health because it is a shared core belief of this city. Although the earlier religious flavour may have gone to be replaced by a broad secular consensus we are still very much a city that believes we are, and should be prepared to be our brother's keeper.

I believe anyone who thinks they are onto a winner by reviving the cult of the individual is wrong. I think it is electoral suicide. What the public crave more than anything is both leadership and people willing to make a stand for what we

could call the cult of the community. Kiwis are not extremists. They do not like it. It upsets their sense of fair play.

It reminds many of us of why our forbears came to this country in the first place. Many of them came here to get away from extremes. Extremes of poverty and wealth. Extremes of prejudice. And the ever popular extremes of religion and politics.

When national politics finally de-regulated itself and bought in MMP the verdict of the voters on extremism was made even
more clear. Parties and politics can run on extremist planks if

they want the only thing is they also have to accept they will only ever be marginal players, unwelcome guests at the feast, if you will. Or if you like the balance of power................ or the prospect of the balance of power will only ever go to the balanced.

Today as a centrist Mayor of an implacably centrist city I thought I would end my welcoming notes by telling you a story about how we have been trying to build a plan that will allow Christchurch to enjoy major economic growth in the future.

To map that out we need to go back to the starting lines of

local government. We had to ask ourselves who are we advocating for, and where does the process of a healthy, prosperous city have to start.

I suspect members of United will not be surprised to hear we kept coming back to the conclusion that the key to economic and social well being has to start with the family.

The family is the key building block we have to support, nurture and encourage if we are to have any real prospect of building a sustainable healthy society. Without well families

we have concluded the hope of a well society will be doomed the remain just that....a hope.

Like you, I have heard the many hair splitting, angels on pinheads arguments about just what defines a family. I think the people pushing this line are missing the point. For most people a family of some sort is still the primary economic and social unit in their lives.

One of the great things about Christchurch and our rejection of extremes has been we have never lost sight of that fact. It is what we base our actions and decisions on.

I'll close by just telling you that earlier this week I was talking to some senior students at one of our local high schools. They told me that the biggest block to their wanting to do anything in politics or society was that they felt powerless and locked out. I'm going back to those kids to try and persuade them that they are wrong.

The easiest way to turn people into passive consumers who enrich others while short changing themselves is to listen to those siren songs of cynicism and defeat. They are simply not true.

People crave community, commonsense and at least the knowledge that their family does count in the scheme of things.

It is a challenge all of us in politics, local, national and international must hear and respond to.

Welcome to Christchurch. A family friendly city that I think you may feel quite at home with.