Today at assembly we hosted Christchurch Mayor, the Honourable Lianne Dalziel. It is always rewarding to be able to put strong woman leaders in front of our students

Lianne is serving her third term as Mayor after serving for 23 years in the New Zealand Parliament, the last four terms as MP for Christchurch east. She served two and a half terms as a Cabinet Minister in the fifth Labour government (1999 to 2008) under the leadership of Prime Minister the Rt Hon. Helen Clark. As Minister she held a number of portfolios – immigration, commerce, food safety, women’s affairs, senior citizens, and associate roles in justice and education.

At the time she was elected as Mayor in 2013 in the post- earthquake recovery she said: " What I learned is that it’s not a paint by numbers exercise and that even with all of the offers of help, the future of Christchurch is one we must create for ourselves." She has commented as well that the partnerships developed post- earthquake, weaving the two strands of our history – pre and post European settlement – had created a real opportunity for us all. “Ōtautahi Christchurch is a city of opportunity – we are open to new ideas, new people and new ways of doing things – a place where anything is possible”.

Today’s speech focused on a message of hope in the face of social issues around diversity, race, gender, culture and religion. She delivered a strong message around empowering young people to foster inclusion and understanding and expressed a belief that this generation could make a difference. We are very appreciative of her making time in her busy life to visit us and thank you to Ahna Pahaerding for contacting the Mayor's office to make this happen. 

At the assembly today we were also pleased to appoint Elsie McRobb as our new Manakura Prefect. The new appointment is tinged with both sadness and joy for Elsie and her peers. We lost Kate Gutry, the previous Whanau Prefect, early in the year and we remember Kate’s strong vision for what she wanted to achieve in 2021. Elsie, as her friend and peer, will honour that vision and also bring her own gifts and plans to the role and we wish her all the best for the remainder of the year. It was lovely that Elsie’s mother and grandmother were present to pin the leadership badge on our new leader, alongside the Mayor.

Ngā mihi nui

Christine O’Neill