Jenny – Part 1

When I was a child, I just knew that we were in this community. Because of the Chinese habit of giving honorifics to all the adults, I thought everyone who was Chinese was a family member, and that was a very comfortable feeling. When I went to school at the age of five I spoke […]

Naenae – Part 1

My childhood was really difficult because I didn’t know exactly who I was as a person. It was the early 90’s, I decided I liked a girl, I got beaten up for that. My Dad’s white and of that generation. My Mum is Maori, we never talked about Maori heritage. When I found out about […]

Stephen

“I’ve been here for 75 years, 14 February.  My family’s from Normandy, France. They came in a ship – Comte de Paris. And Captain Stanley was there to meet them with a bottle of champagne, probably. Well, that’s my job.  And I’ve done every job in the books.  When we were young, we had to […]

John A

“I created a unique set of circumstances that I landed here in June 2016. As I flew into Christchurch, for the first time, I got this overwhelming sense that I was home. And I’ve never had that. I had a feeling, an energy, I don’t know, that drew me to this place. I had a […]

John

“Well I’ve always been interested in tourism but I had to retire before I got involved. I was in sales for a number of years but I started my working life on the railways, as a fireman making black smoke. When I was due to retire I came across the kiosk in Cathedral Square of […]

Nick

“I had always wanted to open a bar. It was a dream my father foresaw for me many years ago. He died four years ago sadly before OGB was opened. Post earthquakes I just wanted to bring heritage back to Christchurch and compliment the Old Government Building: OGB.” – Nick