Christchurch’s mayor Phil Mauger is a big fan of creativity and wants to build momentum in the local art sector by encouraging more participation in the arts. We spoke to him about his thoughts on where Ōtautahi is headed and why he’d like to see the city become a ‘mini -Melbourne’…
You’ve talked about Christchurch being a creative powerhouse – but can you tell us what that looks like to you?
We’ve always been a leader in the arts. A lot of significant artists have come from Christchurch. New Zealand’s only two Booker Prize winners were raised here. So historically, we have a huge range of creative people from here – everyone from Len Lye to Scribe. So, it’s in our DNA. We have to nurture that. We love it, we’re different, we have all sorts of art on offer, just look at all the street art. We even have statues standing in the river! We have SCAPE art, all over the city. Some people might not like everything, but in general it gives the city a real difference, and a lot of people have come to Christchurch to live, just for that reason.
It makes a city vibrant doesn’t it?
It does. We’re very lucky that we have a lot of new buildings – we have Te Pae (the convention centre), the art gallery, the arts centre, all sorts of things – and there’s a lot of people who come here and think ‘wow, this is a city on the move’. It’s very exciting to be Mayor of Christchurch, to just be a part of Christchurch, and help with this creativity that we’ve always had but we’re trying to bring it out to the fore.
And creative cities really help to bring people in, don’t they? We see that in Austin, Texas and the way that city brought in a lot of young people once it invested in creativity. Do you see benefits in a city that really invests in creativity?
Absolutely. Not everyone wants to come to a country to go skiing. The arts attract cultural tourists and people coming here get on the tram and go around and look at all the street art around the city which increases visitor spend – they might stay a couple of nights and that makes the restaurants and hotels happy – so it’s good for everyone.
And you can have a mix of sports attraction and art – For instance, Melbourne has an equal mix of sports and arts – so do you think you can have both?
I couldn’t agree more. I would like to hope and think that we can be a mini-Melbourne. We have restaurants and laneways, the tram and the river, so we’re a bit Melbourne-like already. But I think Ōtautahi could easily be the sports and arts capital of New Zealand. And actually, we’re well on the way.
In terms of your own perceptions, how has Ōtautahi changed since the earthquakes? Do you see a difference in terms of art around the city?
Absolutely. For one we’ve got our university having the highest intake of students it’s had for two years in a row. Young people want to come here to create things and learn, and some of them will eventually go away on their OEs but hopefully many of them will return and live here because all the creativity here makes the city a vibrant place to live.
Can you tell us about Council’s relationship with Ngāi Tahu in the art we see around the city?
We’re really concentrated on that, and we’ve put a lot of emphasis on Ngāi Tahu stories and narratives around the city in our public artworks. You can see some in the weaving patterns around the river, for example. And that’s just one example. It’s very important to us and it’s very important to the city’s identity.
What other specific things has Council done to encourage participation in arts?
In the last Long Term Plan, we gave $300,000 to a group that had been doing street art. You might have seen the fantastic 3D mural on the back of Riverside? It’s absolutely outstanding. That group of people said “Look, if we can get a little bit more money, we can do more of this stuff.” Of course we have a very good art gallery, we have Ravenscar House, we have the museum, all these sorts of things, but one of the best things about street art is that it gets it out in the public eye so people can see it by just walking around.
You’ve also invested in Toi Auaha and the Arts Centre recently?
Toi Auaha, which was old Rolleston house, now houses studio spaces for artists and public spaces for workshops. It was owned by the Council, and we were looking at selling it on the open market, but this was a much better use for it – it’s right across the road from the Arts Centre so it’s hand in glove stuff, it fits well.
There’s been a lot of thought in designing new buildings – in celebrating creativity in the builds. I’m thinking of the Justice Precinct and Tūranga as two examples– they’re almost artworks themselves, aren’t they?
Yes, they are. They absolutely are. That brings creativity out in the public eye. But the other thing we do of course, is public programming and events like Electric Avenue, Tīrama Mai, Sparks – there’s all sorts of things that really draw people in. Christchurch is really becoming a destination – it’s extremely pleasing.
Can you tell us about some of the new facilities Council has invested in that are coming online soon?
After the earthquake, Gerry Brownlee had a 100-Day Plan which talked about putting in different precincts in the city and I thought to myself way back then, ‘oh this can’t possibly work,’ and I tell you what, it certainly is working. We get so many people coming to the city with the new convention centre Te Pae and seeing the new Te Kaha stadium being built – all in easy walking distance. We have Parakiore nearly up and running. Look out the window at Tūranga and you can see the new Court Theatre right in the centre of the city, so it’s very, very exciting.
I understand you have a fondness for street art?
I do, but I also love some of the SCAPE stuff – particularly the piece in Little Hagley Park which is an illuminated photograph on a billboard by Nathan Pohio. It’s really fantastic. It really resonates with me.
Where do you see Christchurch in 2023 in regard to arts and creativity in the city?
Well, we’re on a roll, and I definitely don’t want us to lose that momentum. I want to see it continue to grow and I want us to be able to assist people in any way we can to make it an even better place than it is now. It’s great now, but we want to keep that going and make it even better.
And perhaps let the rest of New Zealand in on the secret that Christchurch is the home of arts and creativity?
Well, we already know this! It’s only a matter of time before the rest of New Zealand starts to realise it too.