by Metropol | September 17, 2025 8:45 am
She might be eligible for her bus pass, but former Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel has no intention of retiring anytime soon. From climate change to pay equity, there’s too much to do. “Yes, I’ve hit the golden age, I’ve got my gold card, but for me, 65 is too young to retire,” she says.
It’s been a poignant month for Lianne. Five years ago, on 7 August 2020, her beloved husband, lawyer Rob Davidson, passed away after a battle with prostate cancer at the age of 69. Five years later, she found herself once again standing under the same tree in Christchurch’s The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora where she and Rob had exchanged their wedding vows 25 years earlier. This time, it was a graduation ceremony. The former Member of Parliament has completed her Master of Laws in international relations and politics (ILAP) with First Class Honours at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury (UC).
“It feels like life comes full circle but also keeps moving forward. It’s been a tough year. I took studying for my Masters very seriously and worked very hard but it was incredibly valuable. I got to know a lot of new people. We’ve got our own WhatsApp group, and we made a quiz team.”
Will she continue on to do a PhD? “I don’t know if I want to commit to another three years, but who knows, I’ll leave all options open.”
Lianne was elected Mayor of Christchurch in October 2013, with a margin of almost 50,000 votes over the next candidate, businessman Paul Lonsdale. She was sworn in with past mayor Vicki Buck as her deputy. At the 2019 local election, she won the mayoralty for a third time with a clear majority of 44,811 votes.
In 2022, though, in the wake of Rob’s illness and passing, Lianne chose not to seek re-election. She had spent nearly a decade leading Christchurch through its post-earthquake recovery, but after years of public service, it was time to hit pause and regroup. “I wanted to travel a bit, go to Ireland for a wedding, see some friends, just do more personal things,” she says. “I also went to Scotland, we had some of Robbie’s ashes, and we buried them with his grandfather. He didn’t know his grandfather, but Robbie always knew of him, and had found the grave. So, we buried his ashes there, which was nice.”
LONG-TERM RECOVERY
Despite her personal journey, Lianne’s sense of purpose hasn’t faltered. Pursuing her Master of Laws led her down a path of intense study on international relations, law of the sea, and indigenous rights. Her dissertation, focusing on long-term disaster recovery, stems directly from her experience during the Christchurch earthquakes. “We tend to focus on the immediate response to disasters, but the long-term recovery is just as crucial, if not more so,” she explains. “It’s something that was sorely lacking in the aftermath of the quakes. We need to be better prepared for what comes after the sirens stop.”
This insight into disaster recovery, coupled with her previous work leading Christchurch through its earthquake recovery, has made her a passionate advocate for both climate change preparedness and equitable disaster planning. “I know the risks we face as a seismically active region, but climate change is adding new layers of uncertainty. Rising sea levels, more extreme weather events, it’s all going to impact us. We need to start thinking long-term, which is the lesson we learnt with the earthquakes.”
Is this lifelong political animal looking to the upcoming elections and wishing she was standing? That would be a hard no. “I’m definitely happy not to be involved. I don’t know how the election will go, but nobody can ignore the impact of climate change any longer. It may take some years before the sea level rises, but the sea level will rise. We must be as prepared as we can possibly be for all the eventualities, including increased frequency and severity of storm events.
“Our city is well placed because it now has much more resilient infrastructure. This has been one of the benefits of the earthquakes, but there are still elements of our city, which is built on a swamp, that we need to be very conscious of. The council is now doing great work on adaptation planning, including Banks Peninsula and Lyttelton Harbour, these are just some of the areas where we will be exposed in the future.”
No stranger to speaking up, Lianne’s advocacy for issues like pay equity continues unabated. Recently, she joined a ‘people’s select committee’ pulled together by Dame Marilyn Waring, to hear evidence on the recent pay equity changes. “It’s a frustrating issue, especially when the government rushed through legislation without proper consultation,” she says. “But we’re hearing from those affected, we’re documenting it, and that’s important. History matters.”
So, what’s next for someone who has already given so much of herself to the city and the country? She wants to stay active, contributing to causes that matter, whether it’s consulting on disaster recovery or ensuring that the next generation’s leaders are ready for the challenges ahead. “I’m not interested in working for anyone else.
I don’t want to be tied to a clock or a schedule,” she says. “But if there was a call for help with an inquiry or a review, I’d be up for it. I believe we need to learn the lessons of our experiences, what we get right and wrong, and I’m willing to help.”
NEW CHAPTER
Outside of work, Lianne is loving life in Christchurch. She’s joined a book club and a wine club and was a frequent patron at the recent WORD Festival.
“I love Christchurch, and I love the fact that I live in the centre of town, not far from Hagley Park. I love the Botanic Gardens and the fact that everything is within walking distance, so I walk everywhere. And I’ve lived here long enough that I can’t help but show it off when I see tourists wandering around looking lost,” she jokes. “I’ll offer to take their photo, give them directions. I’m basically an unofficial tour guide.”
Lianne also admits to being quite addicted to podcasts. I ask what kind of podcasts she had become addicted to, true crime? History? Pop Culture? No, none of that. Lianne, predictably, loves political podcasts. Her favourite is UK-based The Rest Is Politics, and its US counterpart.
Whether it’s politics, study, community, or just strolling through the city she helped rebuild, for Lianne, 65 is the beginning of a new chapter.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/catching-up-with-lianne-dalziel/
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