Opening of Christchurch Children's Village - Te Ao Marama

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou.  Kia ora tātou katoa.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge: Rt Hon David Carter, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Hon Amy Adams, Hon Chester Borrows and Hon Peter Dunne Ministers of the Crown and the other Members of Parliament present; Dr Fiona Inkpen, Chief Executive of Stand Children’s Services; Board Chairman Wayne Chapman and your fellow board members – tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you for inviting Janine and me here to share this occasion with you.  As Patron of Stand Children’s Services I am delighted to be able to celebrate an event that marks both an ending and a beginning - the end of several years of fundraising, planning and building and the beginning of a new chapter in the continuing story of Stand Children’s Services.  It’s an exciting time and a cause for celebration.

Making sure we have a world strong with children and that our nation’s children have a bright future is something that’s very important to me.  Professor Bryan Gould, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waikato, once said “Every child should have a New Zealand childhood.”  I’ve referred to these words often.  We should all work to ensure every child in this country has a caring and well supported home environment, where there is encouragement, nourishment and the freedom to run and play?

Unfortunately there’s a gulf between what should be and what is.  Some children do not have the sort of upbringing we would want them to have, and remember, as being a traditional New Zealand childhood.  Some children’s reality is very different.  The circumstances some of these children face can be tough and in cases absolutely frightening. 

By offering these vulnerable children and their families a helping hand, Christchurch Children’s Village is helping to change their outcomes.  This purpose-built facility provides them with a place to stand together – a turangawaewae.  A place where they will be protected from further trauma, have their recovery supported and their wellbeing enhanced.

It’s no secret that what happens to us in our childhood can hugely affect the sort of adult we become and the life we go on to lead.  As the philosopher Plato said “The beginning is the most important part of a work.” These children have not always had the best beginning to their story, but here they have a chance to rewrite their early chapters, change the narrative and perhaps avoid the obvious ending that other people would predict for them.

The purpose of this building is amply reflected in the name we give it today: Te Ao Marama- the light of a new dawn.  It symbolises the new start offered to the children and families who stay here and the aspirations of Stand Children’s Services for the children and families they support – to walk alongside them out of the darkness into the “light”. 

However, Te Ao Marama also symbolises a commitment to the people of Christchurch in the wake of the 2010 and 1011 earthquakes.  Every new building that is opened here signals that the resilience and courage that saw the people of this region through the earthquakes and their aftermath remains strong.  There is indeed a bright future ahead for the people and children of Christchurch and Canterbury.

I congratulate each and every one of you for the part you have played in creating this facility.  Getting to this Opening Day will have been an amazing journey and one that would not have happened without enormous amounts of time, effort and resource from a host of people and organisations.  I take it that this support is an indicator of the high value that is placed on the work of Stand Children’s Services by the wider community.  It is work and a role that is important in our society and is both admired, and appreciated.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa