N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019

Prosperity through Partnership:2019 SCNZ conference> Conference materials areavailable now from the SCNZ
website at www.scnz.org.nz

By Toni Grace, Palmerston North City Council
SCNZ Conference 2019 was a roaring success, with over
150 participants, top-notch presenters, the launch of a
new report, and a host of new sponsors delivering theevent.
SCNZ 2019 was proudly supported by main conference
partner, Toyota New Zealand, as well as supporting
sponsors Air New Zealand, MFAT, LGNZ, Orbit World
Travel, CLAIR, the Japanese Embassy, the 2019 China NZ
Year of Tourism, Palmerston North City Council (PNCC),
Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA) and the
Universal College of Learning (UCOL).
The theme for the 2019 conference was “Prosperity
through Partnership”, exploring the many ways that cities
and regional centres have a role in supporting international
connectivity, innovation and sustainable business. A newreport by the NZ Institute for Economic Research (NZIER)
helped to frame the conversation, exploring the economicrole of Sister Cities and some best practice guidelines forboth Councils, community groups and business.
The conference also explored themed panel sessions,
including how Maori and Indigenous exchange andenvironmental cooperation can be incorporated into
city-to-city partnerships. Special presentation topics also
highlighted the opportunity to leverage major events andinitiatives, such as the 2019 China NZ Year of Tourism and2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, as well as upcoming events
such as the 2020 NZ China Mayoral Forum and 2020 Tokyo
Olympics.
The conference provided several break-out workshop
sessions allowing delegates to deep-dive into issues such

Conference attendees at the 2019 SCNZ
welcome reception, NZ Rugby Museum

as regional cooperation, trade and business, international
education,
emergency
management
and
youth
development.
The conference opened with a sombre tone following
the recent Christchurch terror attacks. Though theultimate message was one of hope for greater interculturalconnection, and a strengthened sense of purpose andresolve for the New Zealand Sister City mission.
In his opening speech, Palmerston North Mayor Grant
Smith quoted President Dwight D Eisenhower, who started
the international Sister City movement in 1956:“I have long believed, as have many before me,that peaceful relations between nations requires
understanding and mutual respect between
individuals. If only people will get together, thenso eventually will nations.”
Mayor Smith continued, noting the applicability to modern
day Sister City efforts, “I believe President Eisenhower’s callfor citizen diplomacy is just as applicable today in a world
deeply divided on many global issues. Local governmentand community groups can support this by being globallyoriented and welcoming communities.”
The 2019 SCNZ conference fittingly concluded with thePalmerston North Festival of Cultures in the city square – amajor annual event which celebrates the cultural diversityof Palmerston North and New Zealand. This year’s opening
ceremony included performances from both of Palmerston
North’s visiting Sister Cities, Missoula (USA) and Mihara(Japan).

NZIER CEO Laurence Kubiak
presents the economic benefit
report to delegates

Native American dance at the Festival
of Cultures, performed by the Missouladelegation members

N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019

From the SCNZ board:

Save the date:

Annual Conference in Ashburton 30 April - 2 May 2020
Theme: Growing Cultural Diversity in a Primary Producing Region

Commendation by Ambassador Kobayashi
Hiromi received Certificate
of Commendation fromJapanese Ambassador
Hiroyasu Kobayashi in
March for her significant
contribution to deepening of
mutual understanding andfriendship between Japan
and New Zealand.

Social Media
By Raewyn MacGregor, Youth Subcommittee
Social media is one way for us to communicate more
widely beyond our members and to hopefully reach awide audience including the youth demographic who are
not necessarily still on Facebook but more likely to befound on Instagram.
At Sister Cities NZ Conference in Palmerston North
this year the youth sub-committee decided to do somesocial media direct from the event. During the event you
may have noticed Raewyn MacGregor (especially during
the dinner) running around taking photos and postingstraight to Instagram (@sistercitiesnz) and also Sister
Cities New Zealand on Facebook.
Since the event our followership on Instagram has morethan quadrupled. Don't get too excited that's from six to
31 as of April 4.
We're hoping that our members and associated groups
will follow us and email us photographic content (withpermission to be used) for us to post to our Instagram. Of
course we will photo credit.
Please send Instagram and Facebook content withdescriptions and photo credit information to Jean(admin@sistercities.org.nz) and she will forward to

Raewyn for posting. Alternatively, you could send links
for sharing through FB to us by messaging the Facebook
page.
We're also following a number of our member
organisations but not all so send us a message if you'd like
us to follow you. That way if we see things we can ask you
if it's okay to repost if it's on Instagram, or just straight up
share the content if it's on Facebook.

N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019

NZIER report launch – From Sister to Global Cities:
The Economics of New Zealand’s Sister Cities
By Toni Grace, SCNZ Director
The 2019 SCNZ conference discussion
was framed by the launch of a revised
report in to the economics of New
Zealand’s Sister Cities, presented
by the Chief Executive of the New
Zealand Institute of Economic
Research (NZIER).
NZIER is a specialist consulting firmthat uses applied economic research
and analysis to provide a wide range of strategic advice toclients in the public and private sectors throughout New
Zealand and Australia and further afield.
The report “From Sister to Global Cities: The economics of
New Zealand Sister Cities” built on an earlier 2003 analysis
produced by NZIER on the economic benefits of Sister Cities.
Sixteen years on, the revised report was recommissioned tofollow-up on how things have changed, and explore what
have been the learnings from successful attempts by some
Sister Cities to commercialise their relationships.
The new NZIER report also wrapped an economic
framework around Sister City relationships, explaining
their function and drivers of success. It also explored what
areas or bottlenecks need to be addressed for Sister City
relationships to become platforms for economic growth.
The revised report found that Sister City relationships

produce two types of trust-generating economic outputs:• Bilateral cultural-enhancing activity between citycommunities that creates and enhances community trust.
• Trust and assurance between cities that reduce transaction
cost at the international level.
Sister Cities create a high-trust environment between
local governments across border that can open economic
opportunities for business and lowers risk, cost anduncertainty for business seeking to engage in bilateral trade.
Report author, James Hogan, was very happy with how thereport turned out. “I’m hoping now that there’s an economic
theory behind how Sister Cities grow, it can shape theirstrategic evolution.”
The revised report was made possible by the generous
support of Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and theMinistry of Foreign Affairs andTrade (MFAT) in conjunction
with the SCNZ Board. Thanks
to all those involved in thereport funding, research andproduction.
The full NZIER report andexecutive summary can be foundon the SCNZ & NZIER websites.

Palmerston North formalises City Partnership with
Mihara, Japan
By Toni Grace, Palmerston North City Council
A special moment at the 2019 SCNZ conference saw
the formalisation of the city partnership between
Palmerston North and Mihara City, located Hiroshima
Prefecture, Japan.

North including attendance at the SCNZ conference, as
well as civil defence meetings, tertiary education visits
and a Skype between a Palmerston North Intermediate
School and Sagiura Elementary School in Mihara.

The relationship between Palmerston North and Mihara
has a grassroots origin, and has included community
triathlon participation, cultural exchange and school
visits over many years.

A delegation from Palmerston North’s American Sister
City, Missoula, Montana, was also in Palmerston Northfor the week. Both delegations were welcomed onto Te
Rangimarie Marae by Rangitāne Iwi, including a hangimeal, cultural performances and an overnight stay.

Since 2014, SCNZ has been a facilitator to assist informalising this new relationship.
The first official Mayoral visit from Mihara to Palmerston
North took place in 2016, and since then the two cities
have worked together formally to establish practicalcooperation with community benefits. This has included
the exchange of emergency management experts
between the cities, and the establishment of education
partnerships with Palmerston North’s IPU campus.
To mark the occasion, the Mihara delegation gifted
Palmerston North’s Te Manawa Museum with a framedlandscape drawing and a replica Samurai armour to beon permanent loan to the museum.
The Mihara delegation spent a week in Palmerston

Left: Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith and Mihara Mayor
Yoshinori Tenma hold up the signed agreement
Right: Japanese Ambassador H.E. Hiroyasu Kobayashi stands
with the Mayors beside the replica Samurai armour, which is
now on permanent loan to Te Manawa Museum

N E W S L E T T E R
April 20192019 Sister Cities New Zealand Awards
Sponsored by Air New ZealandBest Project (Youth or School)
Winner: Institute of Global Engagement
New ZealandName of Project: 2018 China New Zealand
Youth Leadership Summit
The key objectives of the summit are to prepare the next
generation of leaders from China and New Zealand towork together within a cross-cultural environment andprovide opportunities for delegates to learn about eachother’s differences and similarities and customs andculture while experiencing living and learning in theirrespective countries. The future relationship of China
and New Zealand will be determined by these young
future leaders.

Runner Up: Wainuiomata High School
Name of Project: Te Tira Whakaau Kapa Haka
Tour Japan
Te Tira Whakaau Kapa Haka group traveled to Japan
September to October 2018, for 14 days. While in Japanthe group traveled from Tokyo to Osaka and lastly to
Fukuoka. This trip strengthened our international
relationships with our sister city and sister schools.
It also increased the global awareness of Maori
Performing Arts (Te Reo Maori and culture) and offer
an opportunity for students from a low decile school
the experience of other cultures and travelling abroad.
The highlight of the trip was the performance at Maple
Hall to dignitaries, to celebrate and acknowledge thepoutokomanawa that was gifted many years ago when
the relationship was still in its infancy. The opportunity
to also facilitate and participate in the New Zealand
Fair was also a significant event where we were able toconnect with the community, young and old.

Best Project(Local Government Members)
Winner: Whanganui District Council
Name of Project: Nagaizumi-Cho andWhanganui: Celebrating 30 years of Friendship
Whanganui District Council wasformally recognised for its 30year anniversary celebrations withJapanese sister city Nagaizumi-cho.
The Council took home the Best
Local Government Project award at
the Sister Cities New Zealand annual
conference.
Mayor Hamish McDouall said it wasan appropriate way to honour thebond between the two cities.
The

MayorsofWhanganuiandNagaizumi signed a sister cities agreement in 1988. In
August 2018 a group of 18 travelled to Nagaizumi toattend the official celebrations of the 30 year anniversaryof the Sister City relationship.
In January 2019 there was a reciprocal
visit
with
an
officialmayoraldelegation from Nagaizumi travelling
to Whanganui.
During these visits friendships were
strengthened and new opportunities
for social, cultural and educational
links between the two cities werediscussed. Later this year students from
Whanganui will travel to Nagaizumi,
and students from Nagaizumi will behosted amongst schools and families
in Whanganui.

N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019Best Project (Local Government Members)
Runner Up: Taupō District Council
Name of Project: 10th Anniversary
Celebrations, Suzhou & Taupō: A Celebrationof our Sister City Relationship
Taupō District Council has been nationally recognised for
its efforts during a project around the 10th Anniversary
Celebrations for the Suzhou and Taupō Sister City
relationship.
The project won runner-up in the Best Local Government
Project for its museum exhibition and schools programmethat celebrated 10 years of the Sister City friendship.
Council representatives were presented with the award
at New Zealand’s annual Sister Cities conference inPalmerston North on March 22. The museum exhibition,
Suzhou – Faith and Life 618AD-1279AD, ran from September
to November and over 5000 people visited and a schools
programme ran alongside it.
Head of economic development and business
transformation John Ridd said it was fantastic for thecouncil to be recognised for a project of this scale that had
far reaching benefits.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to share knowledge
and education, while promoting cultural awarenessand strengthening our relationship with our Sister City,
Suzhou,” he said. “Sister Cities are an important part of any
regional growth plan, not only for economic outcomes,
but in our evolving society, strengthening ties and learning
to promote a truly global culture of inclusion.”
He said time spentbuilding
trust
andbuilding
personal
relationships
with
our Sister City wasvitaltomaximising
the economic longterm benefits of therelationship. An archway
gifted to Taupō from
Suzhou was also erectedduring the celebrations,and stands at thesouthern entrance toTongariro Domain.

Best Project (Community Organisations)
Winner: Cambridge Community Board
Name of Project: Armistice in Cambridge,
remembering our Sister City Le Quesnoy,
France 2018
As Le Quesnoy in France commemorated 100 years since
their liberation by NZ Troops at the end of the Great
War, so too did Cambridge. We centred the celebrations
in Cambridge around our Town Hall, a Light and SoundShow each evening, billboards on the Town Hall Plaza
telling the NZ/Le Quesnoy Story, an art exhibition in theHall and a wonderful Armistice service. At the same time,a Cambridge delegation including our brass band was in
Le Quesnoy taking part in their commemorations. Manyof the band members were school students and they haveformed their own continuing link with the young peopleof Le Quesnoy.
Viva Le Quesnoy, Viva Cambridge!

BestlOveralt
ProjecRunner Up: Gisborne District Sister Cities
Name of Project: Siting SC relationship &Commemorating Ta Ha sestercentennial and
Polynesian Migration to Aotearoa Mahina
Tahiti & Tairawhiti - Gisborne, NZ
Evolving from an historic background of uniquesignificance. Lieutenant James Cook (Capt.) requested toobserve Transit of Venus in 1769 then sail Endeavour south
to explore resulting in discovering NZ. Historic first landingat mouth Turanganui River. Joining Cook’s Endeavour
historic voyage an important Tahitian interpreter, highpriest and artist “Tupaia” from Mahina Tahiti. Four students
Tolaga Bay School (winners Royal Societies England/NZ
Competition) and Mayor Meng Foon hosted by Whitby
observed Transit of Venus June 2004 (1st) 2010 “Tairawhiti
Navigations Project” 2010 signed, increased bond. Transitof Venus June 2012 (2nd) observed at Tolaga Bay, createdworldwide attention. What followed was a developing
relationship of two Cities who during October 2019 willwith others worldwide commemorate “Te Ha 1769-2019
Sestercentenial/Tuia 250”.

N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019Best Commercially-Focused Project
Winner: Wellington City Council
Name of Project: Taipei - A Wellington Inc. Approach
Wellington City Council won the Commercially
Focused award at this year’s SCNZ Awards at theannual Conference. The project focused on creating
strategic partnerships across the region to give
breadth to Wellington’s sister city relationships and to
stimulate a cohesive, targeted approach to the city’s
international engagement. The application covereda case study in which Wellington City Council andthe Wellington Chamber of Commerce formalised apartnership agreement, with the intention of bringing
the local business community into the fold of the city’s
international relations programme and developing amore internationally capable industry.

Auckland and Busan refresh collaboration potential
By Tao Chen, Auckland Council
In late March, Auckland Council welcomed the visit by
the Assistant Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, Mr.
Kim Yun-il and his delegation.
The Busan guests came to attend the 2019 Korean Day
Festival, Auckland’s biggest annual Korean cultural
event organized by the Korean Society of Auckland.
The annual official visit to Auckland on this occasion by
Busan Metropolitan City highlights the two cities’ longterm and active relationship.
2019 marks the 23rd year of Auckland-Busan partner city
relationship.
On 29th March, Councillor Penny Hulse, Councillor Paul
Young met with Assistant Mayor Kim and discussed
topics and opportunities of mutual interests focusing on

ports, innovation, film industry, renewable energy, andtourism promotion. Busan is the 2018-2019 President
City of Tourism Promotion Organization (TPO) for Asia
Pacific Cities. Assistant Mayor Kim invited Auckland
to attend the 9th TPO General Assembly in Busan thisSeptember.
Sister Cities New Zealand President Hiromi Morris,
Screen Auckland Manager Michael Brooks, Marguerite
Delbet, General Manager of Auckland Council’s
Democracy Services and Kimberley Wu, International
Relations Manager joined the meeting with the Busandelegation. Sister Cities New Zealand and Screen
Auckland both welcomed more frequent, wider anddeeper interactions between Busan and New Zealandcities.
The delegation also visited Auckland’s start-up GridAKL,
and were excited to find quite a few similarities between
Auckland and Busan’s startup scenes. An Auckland
Council funded initiative, GridAKL is Auckland’s
prominent startup precinct, whilst Busan is South
Korea’s first startup cradle of 100 years and a pilot city
for national smart city project. There is promisingpotential for both cities to cultivate opportunities ofco-platform collaboration.
Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities:
www.aptpo.org

Auckland Council welcomed Busan Metropolitan City
delegation (Photo: Tao Chen)N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019

Whanganui’s new sister city – Lijiang, China
By Marianne Cavanagh, Whanganui District Council
Whanganui has signed a new sister city relationshipwith Lijiang, China in the NZ-China Year of Tourism
Mayor Hamish McDouall travelled to Lijiang, Yunnan
Province, China, on 23 February 2019 to formally sign anagreement for a sister city relationship between Lijiangand Whanganui.
In 2014, Whanganui District Council established arelationshipwithLijiang
and in September 2015 a
Memorandum of Friendly CoOperation was signed by bothmayors.
Mayor
McDouallsays
formalising the relationship isthe first step in a commitment
to identify and develop
mutually beneficial economic,
cultural and social outcomeswith Lijiang.
“It became evident to me
at the Mayoral Forum that
there are massive economic
opportunities for New Zealandcities which result from
relationship with Chinese
municipalities. This year is the
China- NZ Year of Tourism
and this has prompted thetiming of the visit. We have agreat opportunity to showcase
Whanganui as a tourist
destination to many millions

of people,” says Mayor McDouall.
Lijiang is an economic and cultural hub located in thenorthwest of the Yunnan province in China. It has apopulation of 1,244,769 and is home to the Naxi people,
one of the 56 ethnic groups of China.
Lijiang is one of the most popular tourist destinations in
China, with more than 40 million tourist visits per year.
The Old Town of Lijiang is a
UNESCO World Heritage Sitedating back to 1,000 years andfamous for its old waterways
and bridges and timber andmud-brick houses.
There is also a university fortourism with 18,000 students,
a massive trading hub andaccess to the Mekong andYangtze Rivers.
The
visit
focussedon
increasing tourism between
both cities and the potential
for educational exchanges.
Whanganui visitor guides
and business packs weretranslated for the visit.
Mayor Hamish was joinedby the Council’s Principal
Advisor Marianne Cavanagh,
Cr Hadleigh Reid and two
local business people withventures in China.

Wellington Sakai Sister City relationship flowers
with Japanese water pipe project
By Amanda Cundy, Wellington City Council
On 10th April, Wellington kicked off a year of activity
celebrating 25 years of sister city relations with Sakai
with the launch of a pilot water pipe project.
Kurimoto Ltd., a Sakai based manufacturer of resilient
water pipe infrastructure, chose the Wellington region
as the location of their first international venture, withHynds Pipe Systems Ltd. approving Kurimoto’s pipes forimporting and beginning preparations for a pilot projectin partnership with Wellington Water in Porirua thisyear. During the launch, Mayor Justin Lester accepteda generous donation of cherry blossom trees from the
President of Kurimoto Ltd. which WCC intends to use
to extend the existing Sakai Cherry Garden in Katherine
Mansfield Memorial Park.

Mayor Lester accepts donation of cherry trees from Kurimoto’s
President Moriyoshi KushidaN E W S L E T T E R
April 2019

Connecting Cities Through Song - Kyoto Festival Choir
in Nelson
By Lyndal McMeeking, Nelson-Miyazu Sister City Association
A 39-strong party came to Nelson from Kyoto to
perform a one-only New Zealand concert, jointly with
the Nelson Festival Choir, on Friday, 22 February.
Although staying only 3 nights, the Kyoto Festival Choirenjoyed the best of Nelson including a visit to Abel
Tasman, an afternoon personally
hosted in small groups by members& supporters of the Nelson
Miyazu Sister City Association
and a wonderful Sayonara Party at
Trafalgar Pavilion. A visit to Nelson’s
Miyazu Japanese Gardens was also afeature of their short visit.
The joint concert at Nelson’s Centreof Musical Arts was excellent,
despite a smaller than expectedaudience. A highlight of the evening
was the post-concert get-together
where both choirs & audience mixed to chat & share a
Japanese supper together. This camaraderie was alsoa special feature of the Nelson Festival Choir concert
tour of Japan in 2016. This tour, celebrating the 40-

year anniversary of the Nelson-Miyazu sister city
relationship, prompted the desire for this 2019 visit.
In addition to celebrating the friendship between our
two countries and cultures, this 3-day stay contributed
in excess of $23,000 to Nelson’s local economy (thegroup also stopped in Wellington & Auckland) and raised
funds for the victims of the recent
Tasman Fires. SCNZ President
Hiromi Morris also made a personal
contribution to this fund-raisingeffort.
This trip was born from theenduring relationship between
Nelson & Miyazu – Miyazu is partof the Kyoto prefecture. It was an
example of the outcomes (cultural,
arts, inter-personal & financial)that are possible from a strong,enduring sister city connection. We’re grateful to beable to realise these special opportunities. A trip to New
Zealand was a dream for many of our Kyoto guests, wehope someday they will return.

Visit to Minamiuonuma-shi: Ashburton’s sister city in Japan
By Cr Liz McMillan, Ashburton District Council
On a recent trip to Japan, I was staying with a friend who
lived around an hour from Minamiuonuma, Ashburton’ssister city and I decided we were too close not to visit.
After a few phone calls to arrange atime, the Mayor (who had meetingsscheduled for most of the day) agreed
to meet us between 1pm and 1:30pm on
Friday 11 January.
My friend Michiko, my children Floyd
and Estella and I caught the bullet train
to Echigo and then the local train to
Muikamachi, where the Minamiuonuma
city civic building is based.
It was snowing lightly when we arrived
in Muikamachi with a good 50cm ofsnow on the ground.
We had a quick look through the library,which was right beside the train station. We found out
later it had been built 5 years ago. I liked the use of thewood in the library and the “kotatsu” in the children’s area.
Kotatsu are small tables with a blanket that have heaters
under them. Great for cold days!
We then went to meet Mayor Hayashi and Katagiri-san
Manager of Planning and Policy. We received a warm
welcome from them and were shown photos of the visit
from Ashburton residents several years ago.
We were presented a booklet on Minamiuonuma-shi

which now includes Shiozawa, Muikamachi and Yamato
as one city. The area is similar to the Ashburton district,with many mountains, ski fields, and crop farms. They
are famous for their rice production
and sake. I was presented 2 bottles ofsake to bring home to our Mayor andCouncil.
Mayor Hayashi spoke how he was akeen skier, growing up on a ski field andskiing to school each morning, taking
the lift home after school. He said he
had visited Mt Hutt many years ago andis interested in a relationship with Mt
Hutt. The ski field he is associated with
Ishiuchi Maruyama. They have recently
installed the newest gondola in Japanand have a half pipe, which they arehoping to attract athletes who will be
training for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China in 2022.
We finished the visit with some photos in front of thewonderful Karen Smith painting that Ashburton District
Council had sent to commemorate the 30th anniversary of
our sister city relationship.
Mayor Hayashi hopes to visit the Ashburton district one
day. He was interested in learning about Methven andAshburton. He didn’t speak much English, so was pleased
that I could speak Japanese. He was very welcoming and iskeen to continue the sister city relationship.

N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019Children’s University Canterbury Partnership
By Peter Cottrell, Christchurch Adelaide Sister City Committee
An exciting, aspirational project with a Sister City link
is now in New Zealand.
Children’s University provides opportunities for children
aged from 7 to 18 years to engage in exciting andinnovative learning activities and experiences outside of
the classroom.
The aim of the programme is to raise young people’s
aspirations for higher education and encouraging life
long learning. Children between the ages of 7-14 attainthis through Passport to Learning initiatives and for 1518 year olds, through the Passport to Volunteering. The
programme leverages learning destinations as a way forproviding a broad range of learning experiences andenvironments in which children and their families canengage with their local and wider communities.
There has been some New Zealand media around thesetting up of this project in the Canterbury region - click
here to learn more.
But there is a substantive Sister City link, and many yearsof lobbying. Children’s University Australasia is basedat the University of Adelaide in South Australia. And
Adelaide is one of Christchurch’s Sister Cities. Membersof the Christchurch Adelaide Sister City Committee havebeen advocating for this initiative since 2013, but the time
was not quite right at that time with the universities in
the region being quite rightly focussed on issues postearthquake and this project was not at the forefront of
their thinking at that stage.
Momentum was gained when Christchurch Mayor Lianne
Dalziel visited Adelaide in September 2017 as part of the
45th anniversary of the Christchurch Adelaide Sister
City relationship. Mayor Dalziel met with Children’s
University Australasia’s Managing Director and was(almost) instantly excited to see this in Christchurch,
the Canterbury region and ultimately throughout New

Photos courtesy of Children’s University Australasia

Zealand. On her return to Christchurch she encouraged
Councillor Anne Galloway and the Council’s Ngāi Tahu
representative Gabrielle Huria to take a lead from theCouncil’s perspective. In September 2018, an agreement
was signed between Children’s University Australasia,
the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University,
to bring Children’s University to the South Island. The
programme will be piloted in Canterbury in 2019. The
City Council will be a strong leader in providing learning
destinations for the programme through its rich networkof City Libraries, the Canterbury Museum and Botanic
Gardens to name but a few.
This will be a significant new initiative for not only
the Canterbury region but New Zealand as well. We’re
excited to have been a small part of its incubation.
For additional information on the origins of the Children’s
University click here.

N E W S L E T T E R
April 2019

Whakatāne Reverberates with Taiko
By Janie Storey, Whakatāne District Council
Taiko has come to our community once again!
For the past three years, Kenji Furutate from TokyoJapan has been coming here to share the power of
Taiko through school mini concerts, workshops andcommunity concerts.
This year Kenji, a world class Taiko professional went tosix schools around the Whakatane district with the local
Taiko group in Edgecumbe called Kagutai. Together theyalso performed at the Edgecumbe Cosmopolitan Club,and in Whakatane with the Hamilton Taiko group called
Wai Taiko.
One of Kagutai’s members can play the Tabla (a traditional
Indian instrument). A piece of music was composed andperformed at the concerts which combined the Tabla andTaiko instruments together. It was a rare opportunity to
see this.
Overall, it was a huge success once again. Throughout
the week, Kagutai with Kenji performed to over 1,500
people. Members of the community that came to theconcerts said that the performances were of world class.
Every time Kenji comes to Whakatane we try to give ourcommunity a unique musical experience, showcasing
the art form of Taiko. We are really lucky to have Kenjicome to our small community year after year.
This cannot be done without dedicated Taiko members,
the support from Edgecumbe College, Arts Whakatane,
Wai Taiko (the Hamilton Taiko group) and Creative
Community New Zealand’s support.
Kenji’s two month trip around New Zealand includes
going to Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurchand Dunedin.

Taiko Drumming Groups Wai Taiko (top) and Kagutai (middle)
and Taiko Master Drummer Kenji Furutate (bottom)

Seoul landmarks light up for Christchurch
By Amanda Cundy, Wellington City Council
On 29th March, Wellington’s friendly city, Seoul
illuminated both their City Hall and the Namsan
Tower in white to show solidarity and support for New
Zealand while the country mourned the loss of 50 lives
in the Christchurch mosque attacks at the National
Remembrance Service.
The lighting of Namsan Tower was covered extensively
across the social media accounts of Mayor Park Wonsoon and the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul.