Speech: Another Milestone for Aranui

Hon Lianne Dalziel

MP for Christchurch East

Aranui Earthquake Support Centre Opening

Tuesday, 8th May 2012

ACTIS, Hampshire St, Christchurch

10.00am

Another Milestone for Aranui

To our Kaumatua Rev Sandy Kaa & Samuga Vili – thank you both for being here for Aranui on this special day where we celebrate another milestone.

I acknowledge Linda Stewart, chair, and Tim Baker & David East from the Burwood-Pegasus Community board.  I know that others would have been here too except for a clash with a council meeting – Cr Glenn Livingstone and Cr Peter Beck particularly asked to be remembered.  Can I also apologise for my colleague Rino Tirikatene, MP for Te Tai Tonga, who is in Wellington, as Parliament is sitting today – Gabrielle is here representing him today.

May I acknowledge Rotary International and all my fellow Rotarians who are here – thank you for choosing Aranui for this gift that has made today possible – the opening of our own Earthquake Support Centre.  Given the history of the building that it now inhabits, it is truly a gift in every sense of the word, and we thank you.

The same goes for the Ministry of Social Development representatives, who are here today, who have invested in the operational funding for the Centre.  It is not easy to find this kind of funding, so we need to turn to government and they have been there, as they have been in the past, ready and willing to make another investment in Aranui.  I acknowledge the government and thank them for this.

I have said on several occasions now that the community in my electorate that is the most prepared for recovery is Aranui.  People are often surprised when I say this because of the memory they have of what Aranui used to be like.  I grew up on the other side of town – Papanui – and we didn’t think very much of Aranui and its Hampshire Street gang.  But that has changed as a result of a transformational approach to community development that this community has led.

Aranui is well-prepared for owning their recovery as they have a vehicle to represent the collective community voice in a way that no other community has – the Aranui Community Trust (ACTIS) is well-used to being a decision-maker in partnership with central and local government.  And partnership is the important word.  Look who is here today – the police not as enemies but as partners – the same for the churches and the schools – our voice of welcome from the future of Aranui, the children of Wainoni Primary School.  This is a community of purpose – look at the vision painted on the wall:

“Aranui: A community of hope and opportunities, where families matter”

ACTIS has paid staff, a strong governance board and a physical base that belongs to the community.  Aranui has been modeling community development for 10 years, with ACTIS leading the effort.  Since the earthquake they have organised weekly then fortnightly hub meetings so that all the community groups, churches, NGOs know who is doing what – this isn’t something they have been asked to do; they simply knew it needed to be done – so there were no gaps and no duplication wasting time, money and energy.

I have often been asked why this model, if it is so successful, hasn’t been replicated throughout New Zealand.  The answer is that they were part of a pilot for a form of funding that governments don’t like – devolved funding.  I am not criticising the present government when I say this.  It was a Labour government that introduced and then ended the pilot called the Strengthening Communities Action Fund (SCAF).  And it was a terrible mistake to end it.  I hope that people will notice what has been achieved here in Aranui and realise that this is a model that works and reintroduce it.  Governments must learn to trust the people - it is critical to recovery and all of the international experience says so. 

Today is another milestone on the journey to recovery and I congratulate and thank everyone who has been part of making it happen.  It is an enduring gift, because although it is an Earthquake Support Centre today, when the recovery journey is over, the community will find another use for this asset because it belongs to them.  Thank you.