Roger Sutton- Plenty to enjoy this summer | Canterbury Opinion | Local Voices from Canterbury, New Zealand

Happy New Year.

I think I'm not alone in feeling that Mother Nature ripped us off just before Christmas with those two large shakes on December 23.

It certainly added stress over the Christmas holiday period, but I hope you were all able to find ways to relax and enjoy at least some of the holiday time.

These ongoing quakes are naturally making us all feel anxious. So for me personally it was reassuring to hear from GNS Science and Tonkin and Taylor experts just after New Year, where they explained what they have learned from the most recent shakes.

Kelvin Berryman from GNS says the science points to the current sequence of earthquakes decreasing over the coming months, and a lot of the stress has already been released on the fault lines closer to the city. As earthquakes move further away from the city, their impact should lessen as will their magnitude.

He said these are upsetting events rather than dangerous or damaging events and while we may experience aftershocks for a while, they will become undetectable over time. Of course that doesn't make everyone's worries just disappear, so it's important to reiterate CERA can help with a raft of support services. A list of these can be found on our website www.cera.govt.nz/support-and-assistance

On a positive note, summer is delivering us some lovely hot days- perfect for getting out and about to the range of free family events around the city. ``Lazy Sundays'' are a personal favourite of mine and happen at different locations each weekend. Relevant information is on the website www.summertimes.co.nz.

And, of course, it's January so that means Busker Festival season- this exciting and fun annual event runs until January 29 and there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the antics of these very talented performers. This year there is extra assistance to help people get to the events, particularly from the eastern suburbs, so we are grateful to Solid Energy for its generosity in putting on some free buses.

Of course we are approaching the first anniversary of the February 22 quake, that horrible day that will no doubt be forever etched on your minds as it is mine. The city council will lead what will be a very important commemoration.

And while this will be a sombre and, for some people, a painful day, it will also be a chance for us as a community to take a collective step forward.

We have already shown ourselves to be resilient and determined and I have every confidence that as we commemorate what tragedy has gone before, we will join together in looking towards a bright and strong future.

Take care over the rest of the holidays, if you have them, and remember sunscreen if you are out and about in the sun! 

Roger Sutton is chief executive of Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. If you want to comment on his column email us.