March 2023

Newsletter
From the Board
Message from President Mayor Grant Smith
Kia ora and welcome.
It feels like the sector is finally coming back and great
to see international activity happening at all levels.
Around the country we are welcoming and farewellingschool students and trips, international students totertiary institutions, researchers and academics backinto universities and CRI’s, as well as a notable increasein business delegations and activity.

Planning is underway from the GCNZ Board
to organise and host three regional one-day
Forums, one in the South Island, another in Wellington
and another in northern New Zealand. These, along with
the national Conference and Awards Dinner, being hosted
by Marlborough District Council on November 7th & 8th,
will make for a busy calendar.

In this newsletter, there’s a range of interesting stories
and reports from around the country, including updates
from; Nelson, Whanganui, Hutt City, Palmerston North
and Cambridge. We learn the history of the Cretans
Association of NZ, Gisborne thank New Zealand andtheir Sister Cities partners in time of need, and we
acknowledge Emeritus President Hiromi Morris and her
citation from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Finally, we look forward to seeing as many members,
Councils or organisations present at our AGM on Tuesday
2nd May at 12.30pm at Wellington City Council, either inperson or online. The meeting papers and agenda will besent to all in the near future.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mayor Grant Smith, JP, GCNZ President

Appreciation to CLAIR, Council of Local Authorities forInternational Relations, Japan Local Government Centre
by Hiromi Morris, GCNZ Emeritus President
I recently returned to Japan for the first time since
the COVID-19 pandemic closed the borders for the last
three years.
In taking this opportunity I made a courtesy call to
Mr Tamotsu Okamoto, Executive Director of CLAIR
Headquarters, and Mr Katsunori Kamibo and Mr
Hiromoto Akaiwa, former Executive Directors of CLAIR
Syeney, in Tokyo.
I expressed our sincere appreciation for our longestablished relationship and asked for their continued
support to our new President Grant Smith and GCNZ. To
at last meet them in person was beneficial.
I also passed Grant's letter to Mr Okamoto.

Save the Date
AGM 2023

Back: Mr Akaiwa, Mr Kamibo. Front: Hiromi, Mr Okamoto

02May

12.30 - 1.30pm, Tuesday 2 May
Wellington City Council
The Terrace 16.02, Matairangi Room
Lunch provided

GCNZ Newsletter / March 2023

New Zealand, Australianand British dignitaries
along with members of
the Greek and Cretan
communities of New
Zealand at the GreekNew Zealand Memorialin Wellington in 2022 tocommemorate the Battleof Crete.

A brief history of the Cretans Association of NZ
By Vasilis (Bill) Giannakakis, President, Cretans Association of New Zealand Incorporated
The Cretans Association of New Zealand was formed tosupport the cultural and social needs of migrants fromthe Greek Island of Cretans to New Zealand.
These migrants had an active social life aimed atmaintaining and strengthening their ties with theirmotherland. The Association was formalised in 1960. Prior
to this there was several other Greek Associations thatthe immigrants of Crete were members of. The earliest
being the Pan-Hellenic Association of New Zealand thatwas formed in 1929 by the earliest Greek residents of
Wellington, New Zealand.
A large influx of Cretans to New Zealand took place inthe fifteen-year period of 1955-1970 so that by the late1970’s more than a thousand Cretans were living in New
Zealand. More than three quarters of them moved to
Wellington where many Greeks had settled. There are
now well over 10,000 people of Greek descent in New
Zealand. The Association focuses on maintaining theSpiritual and Cultural Links of the Cretans who had
migrated here acting as an incubator of Cretan Music,
Dance, Language, Food and Faith.
In 1984 a formal Sister City relationship was establishedbetween Hania in Crete and Wellington. This was tocelebrate the contribution of the Greek and Cretan
communities in Wellington as well as honour theenormous personal sacrifices that the Cretan Civilian
population made during WWII in supporting New Zealand
Defence Force personnel. During the period of the Battleof Crete and the ensuing occupation the Cretan Civilians,
at great personal risk, fed, housed, clothed and sheltered
NZDF including many members of the famed 28th Maori
Battalion who were evading the Nazi Forces on the islandfor over three years.

Australian and British Government officials as well as
NZDF Personnel.
In 2022 at the Battle of Crete commemorations in
Wellington then Mayor of Wellington, Andy Foster signed
an agreement confirming the Mayor of Wellington asa perpetual Patron of the Cretans Association of New
Zealand in honour of the sacrifices that Cretan civilians
made during WWII.
The Cretans Association of New Zealand continues togrow with the Association now being led by the children
and grandchildren of those who had migrated to New
Zealand after WWII, maintaining the Cretan traditions
here in New Zealand and adding to the inclusive and richdiverse cultural identity of Wellington.
In September 2023 a delegation of approximately 35
Cretan & Greek New Zealand Youth are travelling toHania to honour the Sister City relationship and toensure that the relationship forged through the mutualsacrifices between the two cities remains strong well into
the future.
In January 2024 the Cretan Federation of Australia and
New Zealand’s annual conference is scheduled to be heldin Wellington with hundreds of delegates from all overAustralia and New Zealand expected to descend upon
Wellington and showcase Cretan Culture.

In 1994 the Cretans Association of New Zealand cameunder the auspices of the Cretan Federation of Australia
and New Zealand along with all the Cretan Associationsof Australia.
Every January the Cretan Federation runs a three-day
national conference with participation of members of
the Cretan Associations from throughout Australia and
New Zealand that focuses on promoting the very unique
Cretan Culture through music, dance, sports and othersocial events and ensuring that the community’s ties with
Greece, New Zealand, Australia and Crete are maintained.
In May there is also the Annual commemoration of theBattle of Crete with representation from New Zealand,[Former] Mayor of Wellington His Worship Andy Foster,Archdiocesan Vicar, Greek Orthodox Church of New Zealand,
Reverend Father George Kanellis and President of the Cretans
Association of New Zealand, Vasilis (Bill) Giannakakis along withmembers of the Greek Orthodox Youth during the signing of
the Patronage agreement in 2022.

GCNZ Newsletter / March 2023

Nelson Branch of NZ China Friendship Society
Reaches Out
By Barbara Markland and Ian Lister, Nelson Branch NZ China Friendship SocietyWith the interruptions to travel
caused by COVID making travel toChina virtually impossible, the Nelson
Branch of the NZ China Friendship
Society has been reaching out more to
the local Chinese community. This has
been welcomed by everyone involved,
created new friendships and deeper
relationships within our region and will
be an ongoing part of our contribution
to “welcoming communities”.
The first Santa Parade in Nelson for
two years was a multi-cultural eventwith several local cultural groups
participating along with other more
traditional Christmas floats. The parade
was held on Sunday 4 December. Some
members of the Nelson Branch of CFS
joined the float organised by the Nelson

Branch of the Chinese Association.
The float was a colourful affair
comprised of a team of dragon
dancers followed by women, men
and children dressed in traditional
costumes. The dragon was a
hit with the large crowd lining
Trafalgar Street, especially when
they stopped and performed theirenergetic dance routine.
It was a great way for Nelson CFS tocontinue reaching out, supportingand developing closer relationships
with the local Chinese community.
Our CFS people who participated,enjoyed a riverside picnic withthe team of local Chinese at theconclusion of the parade.

Palmerston North's Festival of Cultures
By Gabrielle Loga, International Relations Manager, Palmerston North City Council
Palmerston North's award-winning and iconic event,the Festival of Cultures, returned to Te Marae o Hineon 24 - 25 February with a Lantern Parade on Friday,
followed by a World Food, Craft and Music Fair on
Saturday.
Part of Saturday’s event saw the Manawatū Multicultural
Council celebrate their 30 years in supporting andconnecting our diverse communities in the region.
The two-day festival attracted 22 diplomats from 11
embassies and high commissions in addition to morethan 10,000 people to Te Marae o Hine, visiting 42 stallsof crafts or exquisite cuisines from different cultures. The
attendees also got to enjoy live music and performances
including:- Hot Potato Band (Australia)- Kaleidscope (Palmerston North)- Aziza Belly Dancers- Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre Dragon
Troupe- IPU Kodama Drum Team (Palmerston North)- DJ Ryan Walsh (Palmerston North)
Head of Events, Luke McIndoe, says “Palmerston Northis home to more than 150 ethnic groups and about 130
languages are spoken here, so it’s great to be able to show
off our diverse cultural identity and have some fun.”GCNZ Newsletter / March 2023

Minoh Hutt Friendship Club in Osaka, Japantranslates history of Lower Hutt
By Miyoko Rokkaku, Vice President Minoh Hutt Friendship Club
The Minoh Hutt Friendship Club in Osaka, Japan has translated Lower
Hutt: The First Garden City, written by David McGill into Japanese andpublished the Japanese version in 2020. The book is the official historyof Lower Hutt. It covers from early 1800s to around 1990.
After active exchanges between Lower Hutt and Minoh over many years,
we were convinced that in order to communicate deeply with people ofdifferent culture, we should know the history of their city and country.
It took three and half years for the volunteers to complete its translation,
since wide local knowledge of places and names was required on top of
Māori words. Its publication was made possible mostly by donations fromclub members.
Recently the project was awarded a Mayoral Prize for achievement in
Minoh City.
Please enjoy our member’s interpretation of the book.

A reader’s impression by Takasuke Matsuo, a memberof the Minoh Hutt Club, Osaka, Japan.
We see in the world history that, since the time ofChristopher Columbus, European people began toarrive in North and South America, Asia and Africa,
and conquered the existing civilizations. Indigenous
people suffered from the overwhelming cultural powerof Europeans.

of disagreements is a culturally powerful society.

Since that time, social disparities characterize thecountries in these parts of the world. By cultural power, I
mean the entirety of human activities: language, law, art,science, philosophy, education, technology, medicine,industry, agriculture, socioeconomic systems, politicalinstitutions, military systems, world views, views on
the history and so on. These characterize a society fora certain period of time. When two societies meet, thedifference in their cultural power determines the future
course of the society.

New Zealand has been established as a modern country
formed by the cultural power of the United Kingdom.
Disparities arising from the two cultural powers are
obvious, the history of British and Maori relations in New
Zealand is much less violent than in other countries.

Lower Hutt tells that the first encounter between Maori
people and Europeans (mostly British) occurred in theearly 1800’s. By that time, musket guns had been soldto Maori people. As a result of this fighting between
various Maori groups frequented. Also conflicts between
Maori and British peoples were unavoidable. However,the British saw the land from a different point of viewthan Maori people. They thought that, given the expanseof land and the climate, they would be able to produce
many tons of wheat each year and raise many hundredsof cows and sheep, enabling many families to live fromthese resources and making the land worth of many
pounds of money. The cultural power is an essential
factor that makes these calculations materialize.
Disputes and conflicts over possession of the land
occurred between Maori and British peoples, and among
the British. A society that keeps its unity in the presence

In Europe the principle of universal human rights
had been generally accepted as a result of the French
Revolution and other modern ways of thinking. It
appears that ways to establish countries legally with animmigrating population were searched for.

I have read the book to the end, reflecting in a general
way on interactions between different societies. Near
the end, I found a picture of our Emperor’s father
Akihito from his visit to New Zealand as a Prince. It was
taken at a DSIR institute in the city. Another picture
shows a Van de Graaf
accelerator being set up in
the institute, representing
the part of New Zealandculture familiar to me (aphysical chemist).
The book contains many
more interesting aspects
of New Zealand andLower Hutt: exotic plants,
history of Maori culture,
beautiful gardens of thecities, frequent floodingof the Hutt River, strong
earthquakes.
I recommend it to you.

Takasuke Matsuo

GCNZ Newsletter / March 2023

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio visits sister cityof Whanganui
By Mike Tweed, NZME (originally published in the NZ Herald, 4/3/23)
Long-serving Toowoomba mayor Paul
Antonio is visiting Whanganui with amessage for its councillors - fight for what’s
best for the people.

“We’ve always received a very special welcome
here in Whanganui, whether it’s with a council
delegation or privately,” he said. “There is an
all-level partnership between Australia and
New Zealand. We might argue about rugby
and cricket but there is a strong cultural bond
between us.

The two provincial centres have beensister cities since 1983. Amalgamation andcentralisation of local government entities
had been issues discussed with Whanganuimayor Andrew Tripe, and councils needed to
be wary of them, Antonio said.
Mayor Paul Antonio.

“I’m here to make absolutely sure that we
can identify spaces to work together in. We
have some pretty exciting things happening,
especially with the likes of the Olympic Games(Brisbane 2032), and I think there is potential
for some of the teams who are coming for thatto have a bit of a look at our sister city as well.”“Fight like Kilkenny cats and make sure
Photo: Bevan Conley
you get what you want to get. If you have a (courtesy NZ Herald)
big organisation you begin to centralise for
efficiency. My hometown (council) used tohave four graders, a heap of trucks and employed 70
Toowoomba was hit by severe flooding in January 2011
people.
and then- Whanganui District Councillor, the late Ray
Stevens, lead a fundraising campaign to help the stricken“Now, some people travel out from Toowoomba tocity.
work. That’s not what local government should give to acommunity.”

Previously, Antonio was the mayor of his hometown ofMillmerran, one of eight shires that joined together toform the Toowoomba Regional Council in 2008 after
a Local Government Reform Commission report andrecommendation. He was deputy mayor when it wasformed and won the top job in 2012.
A major issue currently facing local councils in New
Zealand is the government’s 3 Waters reform, which aims
to amalgamate the water services of 67 councils into four
regional water entities. He did not agree with centralised
schemes.
“My advice is to resist it. Work with a group of councils
that have a common interest. Local government is about
making sure it gets the best for its people, and essentiallyit (centralisation) is about a lack of respect.”
Antonio said the relationship between Toowoomba andWhanganui had been “excellent” over the past 40 years.

“What we (Toowoomba) have done is build detention
basins, which hold the water up and discharge it at a ratethat will just fill the creek. We won a number of state andnational awards as a result of the effort we put in and thestudy that we did.”Antonio said there had been talks about Toowoomba
donating to the Whanganui Mayoral Relief Fund for thoseaffected by Cyclone Gabrielle. He will not be seeking
re-election next time around as his “state of maturity”
had caught up with him. His family has a long-runningfarming operation in the region.
“My son has offered me a job as a first-year jackaroo withno recognition of prior learning. That’s down the bottomof the ladder in farming,” Antonio said. “I just advised him
to have look at the share(holder) register, it might help
him a bit when making those kinds of decisions.”
Whanganui’s other sister cities are Nagaizumi-cho inJapan and Lijiang in China.

Thank you - on behalf of Gisborne
District Sister City Committee
By Jan Calder, Gisborne District Sister City Committee
On behalf of the Gisborne District Sister City
Committee and every citizen in the region of
Tairawhiti Gisborne - “A big heartfelt thank you for
all your generosity and emotional support.”
Our Mayor and GDSC committee have had emailsof concern from our Sister City relationships
internationally in which they have expressed theirsincere concern for us and in fact all folk in New
Zealand.
Also, we express our appreciation to Local Government
New Zealand who last week launched the campaign“Adopt-a-Community”.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz informed us that we are matchedwith Mayor Jules Radich - Dunedin City Council, Mayor
Nobby Clark - Invercargill City Council, Mayor Nadine
Taylor - Marlborough District Council and Mayor Sam
Broughton - Selwyn District Council.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz and GDSC Chair Jim Osler, andcommittee members look forward to expressing ourthanks to you all at the 2023 GCNZ conference inBlenheim this November.

GCNZ Newsletter / March 2023

Cambridge Sister City Updates
By Alana MacKay, Cambridge Community Board
In October Cambridge marked the 25th Anniversary of
our Sister City Relationship with Bihoro, Japan.
The relationship was initiated by Professor Masaharu
Yamaki, who first addressed the Cambridge Community
Board with his idea in 1993. Discussions continued forseveral years, with Yamaki making a very generous
donation of $1million Japanese yen (NZ$13,500) to help
develop and foster the relationship, and in 1997 a Sister
Cities agreement was signed to formalise the connection.

two events were held in Cambridge to celebrate theanniversary, a reunion dinner on 12th October for those
who have been involved in exchanges, hosting, and thedevelopment of the Bihoro relationship over the years,
and a public “Japanese Day” in the Japanese garden
next to the Cambridge Library on 15th October with aperformance by the Wai Taiko Drummers, Japanesethemed crafts, and karate demonstrations.

Although our Japanese friends were unable to join us,

Plans are currently under way for a delegation from
Bihoro to visit Cambridge in November.

The Cambridge Le Quesnoy Friendship Association had
a busy month in November. The Sister City relationshipwith the French town has its roots in the liberation of Le
Quesnoy by New Zealand troops during WW1.

knew no bounds. That their liberators had come from theother side of the world to help them in their hour of need
impressed them very greatly, this battle and their sacrifice
will never be forgotten.

On 4th November every year Cambridge celebrates
Liberation Day to remember Le Quesnoy’s dramatic
liberation by the New Zealand Division, the last major
action by New Zealanders in the Great War. The day’s
action cost the lives of about 140 New Zealand soldiers,
about 80 were men of the 3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade
who led the assault on Le Quesnoy.

The sculpture pictured tells the story of the liberation andconnection. The brick work that edges the concrete is in
the shape of the fortifications at Le Quesnoy, the shape ofthe sculpture is a compass needle pointing to France, andthe fern represents both NZ and the ladder that was used
to climb the wall.

Le Quesnoy was an old fortress town occupying a strategic
position in north-eastern France. It had been in German
hands since 1914, and there were several thousand German
troops still in the town when it was captured by the New
Zealanders. The walls of Le Quesnoy could have beenquickly reduced by heavy artillery, but there was no plan
to mount such an assault on the town. Instead, several
battalions of the 3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade were
given the task of masking the enemy forces present.

Cambridge also commemorates Armistice Day (which cameshortly after the liberation) on 11th November, celebrating
the end of the war, as well as Remembrance Sunday on
13th November, to commemorate the contribution of ourforces in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

When a section of the 4th Battalion reached the inner walls
about midday on 4 November 1918, they had already scaled
the complex network of outer ramparts with ladders,
supplied by the sappers (engineers). But due to the heightof the inner wall, the riflemen could only position a ladder
on a narrow ledge atop a sluice gate. Led by Lieutenant
Leslie Averill, the battalion’s intelligence officer, a small
group of men quickly climbed up the wall.
After exchanging shots with fleeing Germans, the New
Zealanders entered the town. The garrison quickly
surrendered.
The delight of the people of Le Quesnoy on being free again

Remembrance Sunday – 13th November

The Cambridge Le Quesnoy Friendship Association is
excited that the NZ War Memorial Museum Le Quesnoy is
due to open in October this year, and many members arehoping to attend. We are also awaiting further details of a
Le Quesnoy delegation to visit Cambridge in November.

GCNZ Newsletter / March 2023

Hiromi Morris receives commendation fromJapanese Foreign Minister
By Elisha Hsiao, Youth Advisor, GCNZ
On 16 February 2023, I had the privilege of attending a
special moment in sister cities’ history where Hiromi
Morris, Emeritus President of Global Cities New Zealandreceived an award at the Japanese Foreign Minister’sCommendation Ceremony.
Hiromi is a great example of a citizen diplomat who has
spent decades building people to people relationships
from the grass root. She has spent many years mentoringand establishing the Youth Subcommittee of Global
Cities New Zealand. I attended the ceremony alongside
my Youth Subcommittee peers, Sarah Ma, Subby Singh,
Miko Morris (Hiromi’s daughter), Jun Yang, Aaron Liew,
Marcus Boshier, and Karyn Lo. We have all benefited
from Hiromi’s mentorship.

The award that Hiromi received is one of the mostsignificant recognitions from the Japanese Foreign
Minister.
Congratulations, Hiromi! I’m so proud of your success todate. I can’t wait to see and be part of all the other greatthings you’ll do over the next few decades.

The ceremony was held at the Japanese Ambassador’sresidence. As I entered the residence, the Japanese styledecor reminded me of my previous trips to Japan. The
evening was unique because Hiromi had invited all her
friends who had played a part in her sister cities journeyfrom all walks of life and in all age groups. It was the night
where we celebrated Hiromi’s success together.
Hiromi is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met.
In her acceptance speech, she complimented each andevery one of the guests by sharing a piece of memoryof how we contributed to her success. In exchange, theguests took the opportunity during dinner time to sharethe difference that Hiromi had made in our lives.

Left to right: Jun Yang, Ambassador Ito, Elisha Hsiao, Hiromi,
Miko Morris, Sarah Ma, Subby Singh, Karyn Lo, Mrs Ito.

PO Box 965, Palmerston North 4440, New Zealand
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