Outgoing Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel closes her final Christchurch City Council meeting. Photo / Christchurch City Council
By Niva Chittock of RNZ
Christchurch's outgoing mayor shed a tear at her official farewell on Thursday.
Lianne Dalziel was one of four outgoing council members who gave their valedictorian speeches.
In the role since 2013, Dalziel described steering the city through the earthquake recovery, mosque attacks, fires, floods and the pandemic.
She was most proud of the city's response to the 2019 terror attacks, she said.
"Although I'll never forget the 51 shuhada, their families and all those injured and affected by what they saw that day, it is the response that I will always hold dear to my heart and something that represents the pride I have in our city in times of crisis.
"The way we come together and support each other - no matter what," she added.
A former Cabinet minister, she also remarked on the differences between local and central government.
"I learned quickly that council was very different from government," Dalziel began.
"Now I remember asking John Key, who was the prime minister at the time, how it would be if Cabinet papers were published a week before the Cabinet meeting, there was ill-informed commentary on the decision you were going to make for an entire week, the Cabinet meeting was live streamed and then the one person who disagreed led the news that night.
"I am not for one minute challenging the transparency and accountability that councils operate under. I think it's really important that the public can see in," she clarified.
It had been an immense privilege to serve the city she was born and raised in, Dalziel told the council.
She also talked about her journey into the role and thanked councillors, staff and supporters of her mayoralty.
"When I started, I said I had enormous optimism for the city and when I leave, I have exactly the same optimism for our future. We have turned the corner."
Dalziel received a standing ovation before closing the meeting for the final time.
- RNZ
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