Opening Antarctic Summer Season
October 2003
Ambassador Swindells, Dr Wharton, honoured guests and visitors
to Christchurch. Like many cities in today's marketing-driven world
we do have a slight case of what could be taken as multiple personality
disorder on the branding front. We are both the City that Shines
and also promoted offshore as Fresh Each Day.
We are the world's Best Garden City. The American-based Bible
of local government magazines "Governing" visited here
a few years back and pronounced us the world's Best Run City. Given
they had only ever run cover stories on two topics outside the
States before that was a very tempting title to try and run up
the flagpole for keeps.
However....amongst this grab bag of titles one of them with the
most historic resonance has to be that of Christchurch as the Gateway
to the Antarctic. This historic role is both a key part of our
city and increasingly one of the major hooks we use to reel in
the tourist dollars. It has been a tie that has had enormous benefits
for Christchurch and its people, both economically and on a personal
level.
This year, when television had a go at presenting a history of
New Zealand rock and roll, the Deep Freeze programme came up time
and time again as a crucial conduit and catalyst for the birth
and evolution of rock and roll in New Zealand. Some people like
to sneer at popular culture, I'm not one of them. A cultural tie
like the musical one between our nations has probably done a huge
amount of good for all of us over the years.
I said a year or two back at an earlier speech to start the Antarctic
season that it is also worth noting that what has become a ritual
event was not always this easy. There were the sheer practical
problems of the pioneering days and also the careful negotiations
that led to the peaceful development of the
Antarctic.
It is worth pausing to reflect that the development of Antarctica
has shown us that there are times when humanity does not choose
to take the path of discord and division. There was time when Antarctica
had all the potential for unleashing one of the last great bouts
of conflict between nations for control of an undeveloped area.
For one of the first times humanity managed
to step back from that brink. Instead the foundations for peace
were
laid and have been honoured ever since.
It is an almost unique chapter in the history of humanity.
It is
a chapter that perhaps holds out the hope that we may eventually
find similar ways of achieving peace in other situations. In
Christchurch where so many ties, economic, personal and cultural
have been forged on this foundation it is a lesson we believe
should be treated with the utmost respect.
As climate change and extreme weather events become more common
we are all under increasing pressure to learn more about the role
and place of the poles in world weather patterns. As a very near
neighbour of the ozone hole we have perhaps more of a vested interest
than many in getting some answers to these questions. Antarctica
is too precious a part of our planet to be treated with anything
less than respect.
Our city, the National Science Foundation and their support staff
have all played a crucial role in preserving that respect. On behalf
of the city of Christchurch I welcome you all to the start of another
summer programme.
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