Minister Officially Opens Quake City

15 February 2013

Minister Officially Opens Quake City

More than 300 Canterbury community, Government and local business leaders attended the launch of Quake City in Re:START Mall last night.

Officially opened by the Minister for Earthquake Recovery, the Hon. Gerry Brownlee, Quake City was well received, much to the delight of Canterbury Museum Director Anthony Wright.

“Opening Quake City is another step forward for our community,” he says.

“We’ve received overwhelming support from across the community. People have loaned or donated objects to go on display in the attraction, and our major sponsors EQC, The Press, Fletcher Construction Ltd, Placemakers Riccarton, Opus International Consultants Ltd and Warren and Mahoney have made significant contributions. The Canterbury spirit has been strong throughout.”

Mr Wright says Quake City provides not only a place for reflection and education for locals, but also a point of interest for domestic and international visitors to the region.

“Quake City serves to engage, inform and educate visitors on the seismic events that have ruptured our region since September 2010,” he says.

“We’ve used large-scale sensitive imagery, iconic objects, sound and film to enable visitors to reflect on what we have endured for the last two years, and praise those who went above and beyond to help during the aftermath of the quakes. We can also learn more about the science of earthquakes and look forward to the future as Christchurch’s rebuild gains momentum.”

Mr Wright says the Museum has worked hard to develop the attraction over the last six months, and sees Quake City as a significant example of the Museum’s role in the community - to preserve Canterbury’s history and taonga for generations to come.

“From a Museum perspective, Quake City is a testament to the Museum’s talented exhibitions, curatorial and collections team who have been working 24/7 over the last six months to ensure the attraction is a success. It showcases our ongoing commitment to Christchurch and the wider Canterbury community as we develop a plan for our Museum for the next 100 years.”

ENDS

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