I’m proud to be able to introduce our city, the place where I have lived my entire life, to Kiwi Time readers.
Christchurch has always been New Zealand’s garden city, but what that means in the 21st century is quite different from what it meant when I was growing up. Today our garden city is as much about striving for sustainability, food resilience, ecology, clean rivers and environmental protection as it is the wonderful parks and garden we can enjoy.
Christchurch is also the international gateway to our wonderful region of Canterbury and the South Island of New Zealand.
For outdoor enthusiasts, our region has an incredible amount on offer – we love being one of the few places in the world where you can be on a beach and a ski field within a couple of hours of each other.
The regeneration of our city is continuing to evolve and is brimming with opportunities – a place where anything is possible.
It’s a city that also embraces the many cultures that live or visit here. October 2018 marked the 45th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Christchurch and the city of Kurashiki in Japan. This association is the oldest of links that any city in New Zealand has with Japan. The relationship is entirely community driven, managed by a committee of citizen volunteers, with support of the Christchurch City Council.
Another cultural experience I look forward to every year in March is Canterbury Japan Day. This popular event in the city’s calendar draws over 20,000 visitors, and is organised by the Japanese Society of Canterbury. It is a free event which showcases Japanese culture in an authentic way.
So please come and visit Christchurch, our city of opportunity, and the Canterbury region, where there’s more to life every day.
Lianne Dalziel
Mayor of Christchurch
この記事は、ニュージーランドの日本語フリーペーパー「KIWI TIME Vol.105（2018年12月号）」に掲載されたものです。