Sister Cities Conference Welcome Speech

Thursday 25 March 2004

Good morning. While it is hard to speak after the Prime Minister, I can at least do so by reminding you that I am Christchurch's Mayor. Helen may lead the nation but I have the pleasure of leading the smaller city state of Christchurch.

Of all the New Zealand cities, Christchurch can make the firmest claim to being a strongly engaged world citizen. We have the historic claims as one of the key crucibles of the peace movement and the nuclear free movement in recent decades. Much further back in our history we also helped develop the ideas that led to the establishment of the World Court.

Right now in our history Christchurch is even more of a trading city than it has ever been. While some of New Zealand’s other cities may engage with the world for diplomatic reasons, for us it is our economic life that is at stake.

We are a trading city grown wealthy, literally, off the sheep's back, and other rural products, along with an increasing amount of intelligently transformed manufacturing. We are in fact the undisputed hub of new and high technology development and manufacture in New Zealand. We are a smart city that also has many of its economic roots still firmly

anchored in our soil. This mixed economy has one common thread. Much of it goes overseas.

We have a vested economic interest in open and fair trade within the world community. As much as any other city in the Pacific Rim region, we have a powerful economic incentive to be hugely supportive of the pursuit of peace and understanding. Neither of these intellectual and spiritual commodities have been seen to trade well on the global stage in recent years. That is a tragedy for all of us.

Groups like the Sister Cities and the Mayors for Peace are on the absolute front lines of the efforts of so many of us to try and bring peace, prosperity and tolerance to as many people

on this planet as possible. I believe, despite recent evidence, that it is a battle we can, and are winning. It is an effort we should all be prepared to make.

Christchurch is also known as the Gateway to the Antarctic. It is worth pointing out as a gatekeeper that in the Antarctic story we have already written a new chapter for humanity. This last frontier has been explored and visited in peace and by mutual agreement has not led to conflict for control and dominance. We have shown that it can be done. It is a lesson I hope we can all keep in mind.

What I do know is that our efforts here during this conference will help strengthen the cause of peace and of prosperity.

I will conclude by greeting just some of the many special people who have come to help make this conference the success I know it will be:

* Jeremy Dwyer, president of Sister Cities New Zealand

* Nancy Hubbert of Sister Cities International

* Madam Li, leader of the Youxie Delegation

* Jan Teasdale of the Australian Sister Cities Association

* Mr Suun and the Gansu Delegation

* Mr Kim from the Korean Local Government Association