Christchurch Earthquake: A Tragedy that Forges Brotherhood

A broadcaster in Christchurch described yesterday as “the darkest day” in New Zealand’s history outside of wartime. It was unmistakably tragic and horrifying, and the people of Christchurch need every prayer and ounce of support we can give them. But as the ground turned liquid and the walls around us crumbled and the steeple that literally defined the city crashed to earth, a miracle occurred in Christchurch yesterday. The U.S.–New Zealand brotherhood was forged anew in a way none us could have foreseen.

The undefeatable human spirit so perfectly embodied in the proud and resilient citizens of Christchurch was shared by the largest ever official U.S. delegation to visit New Zealand. We were there in Christchurch for the fourth Pacific Partnership Forum, a meeting of top U.S. and New Zealand officials, business leaders, and thinkers. In fact, the day before the earthquake, I presented the new CSIS report Pacific Partners: The Future of U.S.–New Zealand Relations (http://csis.org/publication/pacific-partners) to a group that included Prime Minister John Key, Foreign Minister Murray McCully, members of the cabinet and the opposition, as well as Kiwi business leaders and a group of 20 plus future leaders. The American delegation was led by former U.S. senator Evan Bayh and former U.S. trade representative Susan Schwab and included figures such as Richard Armitage, Clayton Yeutter, Chris Hill, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Mariko Silver. Add to that an eight-member congressional delegation led by Representative Don Manzullo (R-IL), who chairs the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee. This was also the largest U.S. congressional delegation to visit New Zealand.

This talented and experienced group of people spent a day and a half probing and exploring an agenda called “the power of partnering,” presented by the host NZ-U.S. and U.S.-NZ Councils. I could feel the relationship moving in a historic direction, building on strength, and beginning to overcome the institutional reticence born of a treaty-busting disagreement over nuclear-related issues in the 1980s.

Yesterday, the delegates from both countries embarked on a clever program innovation and split into eight groups for smaller, more focused luncheon meetings hosted at various venues around Christchurch. Thankfully, the U.S. congressional delegation departed for Wellington after breakfast on the fateful day. But the rest of us fanned out around the city with our hosts. Over 80 souls committed to enhancing ties and delving into various aspects of the relationship.

At 12:51 p.m., our worlds shattered. Literally. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake, epicentered less than 10 kilometers from the city center and only 5 kilometers deep, turned stone to rubble and liquefied the ground. At my lunch venue, an architecturally compelling 100-year-old bed-and-breakfast off Latimer Square, the chandelier shattered on the table, and the walls threw pictures, plaster, and bricks as the structure shook violently.

We were lucky to escape. Chris Hill, a recently returned U.S. ambassador to Iraq, told CNN last night that the quake was scarier than anything he’d experienced in Baghdad. Amazingly, all the delegates—American and Kiwis, spouses and staff—survived. Many of us walked through rubble to meet at AMi Stadium, the site of the Rugby World Cup Quarterfinals, and rallied under the guidance of John Allen (New Zealand’s secretary of foreign affairs) and Kurt Campbell to get organized for evacuation by the Royal New Zealand Air Force on one of their U.S.-made C-130’s. We all loaded into jump seats and flew to Wellington, with the likes of a former New Zealand ambassador to the United States shoulder to shoulder with a U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs.

With the practical and intellectual frameworks now in place, the horrific earthquake on February 22 has destroyed a city but not its heart, and it has created a new fraternity of Kiwi and American leaders who are and will ever remain committed to one another, to the relationship, and to helping the city of Christchurch and its incredible people heal, recover, and get on with living.

I am thankful to be alive and grateful to all who helped us, as well as to those committed to working to transform this partnership with my Kiwi brothers and sisters.

Ernest Z. Bower is a senior adviser and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Commentary is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

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