25 Oct 2022

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Mayor Phil Mauger says he is determined to make Christchurch and Banks Peninsula the best place to live, work, invest and play in New Zealand.

In his first speech to the newly sworn-in Christchurch City Council, Mayor Mauger spoke of his desire to work collaboratively with all Councillors to get the best outcomes for the district.

“In the past fortnight we have already met as a team to get to know one another – to understand what we all want to achieve and to share our ideas for how we, as a city, can move forward. We must all be pulling the rope in the same direction for the best interest of Christchurch,’’ Mayor Mauger said.

“Christchurch is on the cusp of realising the investment of the past decade. Our new facilities, our relative housing affordability, and our location as the gateway to the South Island and the Antarctic put us in a strong position to attract new businesses, new families and more investment.

“But as a Council we must be delivering for our community and providing the services that underpin a strong and growing city. Too few Cantabrians have faith in us to deliver or make good decisions for our city. We must turn this around and show people that they can have confidence in us to do our jobs,’’ Mayor Mauger said.

“I want to make Christchurch and Banks Peninsula the best place to live, work, invest and play in New Zealand. I am prepared to do what it takes to help to put Christchurch on the map and ensure we are not forgotten as the second largest city, especially by central government.’’

Mayor Mauger said he knew what it was like to grow up in Christchurch, to raise a family here and to do business here, and he wanted his kids and grandkids to be able to do the same in the future.

“I know with our different experiences, our range of skills and our united dedication to Christchurch, by working together we will make our city the best place to live, work, invest and play in New Zealand,’’ he told the Councillors. “Let’s get on with the job.’’