Ep 21: Lianne Dalziel: “Looking back to understand, not to blame”

Lianne Dalziel's three terms as Mayor of Christchurch included the savage experience of the 2019 mosque attacks. But as a citizen of Christchurch and, for an extended period, as a local Member of Parliament, she's also experienced earthquakes, fires, and more. That direct, lived experience, is very significant. In the process of responding to a critical event, she says, "the early decisions are best made at the local level." She reflects here on resilience and on learning lessons and takes issue with some of the terms that get used. The term "unprecedented" is one. "There are always precedents." In the case of the mosque attacks the use of the term "lone-wolf terrorist" tends to cloud rather than clarify.In framing any Commission of Inquiry it is important to publicly consult when drafting the terms of the inquiry lest it appear that government departments are being protected – a consequence that might undermine trust. And to engage those directly affected, at a time when they are ready to engage. She compares overseas experiences of ongoing inquiries – in Australia and the UK – and our failure to examine the work of recovery after the Canterbury earthquakes and the central government impact and decisions; to ask what worked and what didn't. But lessons are not learned until they're embedded and, in a time of social media and division, she stresses that we look back "to understand and not to blame."