N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

Seasons Greetings

From the Board

The Board of Sister Cities New Zealand sends a special
greeting this Christmas time. To you all we extend our very
best wishes for a happy holiday season and look forward toworking with you and your sister city relationships in 2019.

Presentation at Rural & Provincial Meeting
By Donna Favel, Mayor of Ashburton
As Mayor of Ashburton, I recently
attended the Local Government New
Zealand Rural and Provincial meeting
which was held in Wellington 22/23
November 2018. This is a meeting
where Mayors, Chief Executives
and Councillors meet to discussand understand the issues in theircommunities and across the local government sector.
At this meeting I was asked to give a presentation on
Sister Cities New Zealand to outline our objectives as anorganisation and the benefits we could provide in bringing
together sister city associations.
Like myself several Mayors were in their first term and had
little background, clarity and direction re their international

relationships and how to enhance them. Sister Cities NZ isa great organisation to assist in this area.
New Zealand has approximately 150 sister city relations
with 20 countries around the world including Japan, China,
Australia, USA, UK, Europe, Pacific, South Korea, Canada
and Indonesia.
An invitation was extended to any interested parties toattend the Sister Cities conference being held in Palmerston
North 21/23 March 2019 to discover more of the benefits of
Sister Cities NZ.
There was quite a lot of interest around the room fromCouncils who have established international agreementswith sister cities but have not yet connected with Sister
Cities New Zealand.
Mayor Favel is also a SCNZ Board member.

2019 SCNZ Conference Update – Prosperity Through Partnership
By Toni Grace, International Relations Manager, Palmerston North City Council
SCNZ members and other participants are invited toregister for the 2019 SCNZ Conference to be held in
Palmerston North from 21-23 March.

Other key themes include city-to-city cooperation that
supports environmental sustainability, interculturalcompetency and indigenous partnership.

The conference theme “Prosperity through Partnership”
will explore how international city partnerships canbe fostered and managed for sustainable economic
development outcomes.

SCNZ and Palmerston North City Council are also proud
to have secured several key sponsors for the conference
including main conference partner Toyota New Zealand,
ongoing Awards Sponsor Air New Zealand, and othersupporting sponsors Local Government New Zealand(LGNZ) and Orbit World Travel.

Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith says that discussions
will deep dive into how NZ cities and regions can achieve
the best economic and community development outcomesfrom international relationships. This includes Sister andFriendship Cities, but also the potential of economic
alliances, global city networks and other innovative formsof city or regional relationships.

> Click to view the conference information packAn information pack for the conference is now available
for download, including agenda, registration andaccommodation details. Early bird registrations end 15
February, so get your registrations in by the new year totake advantage of the special rate!

> Click to view the online registration form

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

SCNZ Trip to China

From the Board

By Marcus Boshier, SCNZ Director
The China International Friendship
Cities Conference was initiatedin 2008. It is held every two years.
The Conference is a partnership
between the Chinese People’s
Association for Friendships with
Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) andthe host city. It is one of the mostinfluential platforms for China’s
local governments to carry out
international exchanges.
This year the Conference was held in
Wuhan, Sister City to Christchurch.
There were more than 700 delegates,
300 foreign representatives from 60 countries, and Chinese
representatives from 115 cities and districts. The theme for
the Conference was Sharing Development Opportunities andDeepening Win-win Cooperation.
New Zealand was well represented. Delegations from SCNZ,
Christchurch and Invercargill attended the conference.
Honourable mentions need to be made to Invercargill,
Christchurch, Marlborough, and Lower Hutt City who received
awards in recognition of their contribution and commitment to
Sister City relationships with China.
Hiromi Morris, President, SCNZ, spoke on internationalisation—enhancing urban international competitiveness. Hiromi spoke,on the Auckland, LA, Guangzhou Tripartite Economic Alliance.
Tim Quigley, President of Sister Cities Foundation, USA also
spoke about the Tripartite Agreement. This is a huge accolade
for Auckland and New Zealand. Hiromi also spoke about the
up-coming China New Zealand year of tourism. This was very
warmly received, as was information kindly provided by Tourism
NZ made available to delegates at the New Zealand promotional
table. We look forward to seeing what opportunities are bornout of this initiative.

A message that resonated fromthe Conference was importance of
maintaining and growing our local
and people to people relationshipnow more than ever. That while
there may be tensions at a Statelevel, sister cities can still andshould still seek to develop andflourish. It was amazing to hear thestories of the speakers and of thewide and varied nature of sistercity relationships around the world.
From relationships founded on thefact two cities were the respective
birthplaces of pre-eminent writers, to a shared interest intechnology to natural resources. The opportunities are vastand sister cites provides an incredible stepping stone to engage
with other cities meaningfully and to develop these interests.
The host for the next China International Friendship Cities
Conference was announced. I will be held in Kunming, Yunnan
Province—Sister City of New Plymouth—in 2020.
In addition to the Conference the New Zealand delegates spentvaluable time with representatives from various sister cities
and Chinese organisations—continuing to build relationships
and look for opportunities to collaborate.
Prior to the Conference, Hiromi Morris, and Board Member
Marcus Boshier visited Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. SCNZ
facilitated to establish a relationship between Zhejiang Provinceand Wellington Region in 2012. Hiromi and Marcus were hosted
by the American and Oceanian Affairs Division of Zhejiang
Provincial Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Department.
Marcus and Hiromi visited Hangzhou Xuejun Middle Schooland Hangzhou Jiangnan Experimental School. The SCNZ YouthTour visited Hangzhou Xuejun Middle School in April so it wasquite a special to return there and to offer our thanks for how
they hosted our young people.

Clockwise from top left: Hiromi Morris presents on Internationalisation — enhancing urban international competitiveness at the CIFC Conference; Hiromi
and Marcus with Mr Jin Xiaodong, Principal of Hangzhou Jiangnan Experimental School; Ms Dong Dandan of Zhejiang Provincial Affairs Department (farleft) and Mr Xu Xiangang, English teacher of Hangzhou Xuejun Middle School (far right); Tourism NZ and SCNZ promotional table set up at the CIFC to raiseawareness for China NZ year of tourism

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

L - R: Mayor of Le Quesnoy Marie-Sophie Lesne and Chair of the Cambridge Community Board, Mike Pettit; Cambridge Brass Band in Le
Quesnoy, pictured with Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) vocalist Rebecca Nelson; The picturesque town of Le Quesnoy

Cambridge and Le Quesnoy (France) Sister City Relationship
By Julie Epps, Cambridge Community Board
Despite being on opposite sides of the
globe (18,517 kilometres to be precise),and 12 hours’ time difference, sistercities Cambridge (New Zealand) and Le
Quesnoy (France) shared a very special
day of commemoration on Sunday 4
November.
Le Quesnoy is a town in northern
France that holds significance to all New
Zealanders, in a connection extending
back 100 years to World War I. On 4
November 1918 New Zealand soldiersliberated Le Quesnoy from a four-year
German occupation, suffering 500 kiwi
casualties including 135 killed, but withno civilian losses and limited damage
to the historic town. The people of
Le Quesnoy have never forgotten
the ultimate sacrifice made by New
Zealanders in order to save their town.
Since the year 2000, Cambridge and
Le Quesnoy have been linked by their
Sister City relationship, with many
visits between the two towns. The two
towns recognise each other’s significant
annual WWI commemorations - thepeople of Le Quesnoy mark ANZAC Day,
and Cambridge holds Armistice Daycommemorations each year.
In November this year a group from
Cambridge, including Deputy Mayorof Waipa District Council Grahame
Webber and Chair of the Cambridge
Community Board Mike Pettit, travelled
to Le Quesnoy and were part of Le
Quesnoy’s 100 year commemoration
on 4 November. Mike spoke of thecommemoration, ”A most significant
and historic time, where our forefathers
were remembered and honoured in Le
Quesnoy, Cambridge and in many othercorners of the world, both on the 4th
and 11th of November. Our Sister City

relationship is significant to us,
however that week rightly so, wasdominated by commemorations
that brought home to the heart,that we never forget the sacrifice
those brave soldiers made, nor theanguish and toil the townsfolk of Le
Quesnoy endured.”
The Cambridge Brass Band also
travelled to Le Quesnoy for thecommemoration. Their contingentof 32 players performed in Le
Quesnoy with the local brass band,at schools, aged care facilities, andat the official opening of the New
Zealand War Memorial Museum,receiving a warm welcome andhospitality wherever they went.
On this side of the world, Cambridge
also commemorated the liberation
day. On 4 November the Cambridge
Town Hall and Plaza became thecentral point for commemorations.
An art exhibition inside the Town
Hall, a large-scale Le Quesnoy photo
display on the Plaza and a Sound andLight show projected on the Town
Hall ran for a week, concluding
on 11 November with an Armistice
Remembrance Day Service.
For
more
information
about
Cambridge and Le Quesnoy, please
see www.cambridgelequesnoy.co.nz

Top to bottom:
Le Quesnoy Tower lit up for 4 November
commemoration
Cambridge Town Hall lit up for 4
November commemoration
On Cambridge Town Hall Plaza - one of
the series of Le Quesnoy photo display
boardsN E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

Timaru marks 10 year sister city relationship with Japan
By Stephen Doran, Communications Manager, Timaru District Council
The 10 year Sister City relationship between Timaru andEniwa in Japan was celebrated with the mayors of eachcity unveiling a plaque.

Timaru District Mayor Damon Odey said that around 47
students had taken advantage of the ties with the region tospend time studying in Japan.

The plaque, which is situated under the tree in front of theCouncil building, was unveiled by Timaru District Mayor Mr
Damon Odey and Mr Yutaka Harada, Mayorof Eniwa.

“These educational exchanges have been incredibly valuable
to the students taking part and the wider community.”

Mr Harada was joined by a group of delegatesfrom the Japanese city, as well as the Japanese
Ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Toshihisa
Takata and the Head of Information andCultural Section Mr Kiyohiko Hamada.

Currently the first of four groups of students
from Hokkaido Bunkyo University in Eniwa
are visiting Timaru to study a short courses
in the School of English at the Timaru
campus. They will also be taking a trip
to Geraldine and a picnic at Peel Forest
Farmstay, visiting the Mt John Observatory
at Tekapo and a taking a trip to the South
Canterbury Museum.

The city of Eniwa, which is on Hokkaido in
the north of the country, first signed thesister city agreement in 2008. It has led to educational andcultural exchanges, as well as agreements to support one
another in disaster situations. The city is a close match to
Timaru District, as major agricultural district with significant
industry.

“As a city that is open for business and trading to the world,
fostering strong sister city relationships like this one builds
understanding about the needs of our trading partners andhow our district businesses can build their business abroad,”said Mr Odey.

At the ceremony, Mr Harada said that while it wasn’t theoldest of the 41 sister city arrangements that New Zealandcities have with their counterparts in Japan, but it’s one of
the closest.

“These visits are also an important cultural exchange,
every visitor we have through these programmes becomes
an ambassador for our amazing district when they returnhome.”“Ours is a young relationship, but a lot has happened inthat space over the past ten years. More than 42 students
from Eniwa have come to study in Timaru, and all hold New
Zealand close to their hearts.

Timaru has four sister cities throughout the world:
Orange, New South Wales, Australia, Established in 1986;
Orange, California, United States, Established 1990; Weihai,
Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China, Establishedin 1999; and Eniwa, Japan, Established in 2008.

“It’s from this base that I hope we can continue to further
our relationship.”
Following the ceremony in the council chamber, the groupwere taken a tour of the district’s industrial and agricultural
heartlands.

The aim of the programme is to strengthen international
exchange for activities in arts, culture, education, sport andtrade.

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

Cambridge Hosts SCNZ Regional ForumBy Julie Epps, Cambridge Community Board
A Regional Collaboration Forum was hosted by Waipa
District Council at Lake Karapiro, Cambridge, on
25 October. There were representatives from sevenCouncils – Waipa District, Tauranga City, Hamilton City,
Hauraki District, Rotorua Lakes, Taupo District andWhakatane District. Also attending were Sister Cities
New Zealand President Hiromi Morris, government
officials, an NGO and local industry.
The focus for the forum was international relations, andit was a productive afternoon of networking, information
sharing, exchanging local sister city activities, anddiscussing how to work collectively as a region.
The presentations throughout the forum all contained
positive and forward thinking messages about New
Zealand’s sister city programme. Waipa District Council
Mayor Jim Mylchreest welcomed the group and spoke
about his belief in the value of sister cities and his
experience with Cambridge’s two sister cities – Le
Quesnoy in France and Bihoro in Japan.
In the presentation by Sister Cities New Zealand President,
Hiromi Morris, she gave an update on SCNZ activities,
and spoke about the opportunities through collaborationand the youth development focus to take the sister cities
concept into the future.
Tauranga City Council Mayor Greg Brownless gave acomprehensive outline of Tauranga’s three sister city
relationships, how they operate and the growth inbusiness and the international education sector that has
been achieved.

Attendees heard from speakers in three local industries– primary industry, sports and education. Equidays CEO
Peter Nation spoke of the importance for industry to beproactive in connecting overseas and the learning thatcan be gained. Sport Waikato CEO Matthew Cooper talked
about the strength of sports in New Zealand, especiallyin the Waikato, and the potential for sports organisations
to have closer alignment with sister cities. Mike Pettit,
Principal of Cambridge Primary School and Chair of theCambridge Community Board, gave a presentation on theschool’s introduction of Mandarin language lessons. A
successful programme, it has now been extended to fourother primary schools in Cambridge, with a pathway for
Cambridge students to take Mandarin as an NCEA subject.
There were stimulating presentations from MFAT Lead
Advisor of the North Asia Division, Jacinta Gould; Asia New
Zealand Foundation Leadership Programme member,
Pania Matthews; and MBIE 2019 NZ-China Year of the
Tourism Team Manager, Katherine MacGregor. Attendees
discussed the considerable interest from Chinese cities
to engage with New Zealand cities, so it was timely tohave these three presenters speak at the forum.
The day ended with a round table discussion withattendees sharing their sister city experiences, and theconsensus was how valuable the afternoon had been, in
getting together as a region to exchange information andideas. A special thank you goes to Cambridge Councillor
Elwyn Andree-Wiltens for organising the forum.

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

City Emergency Management Exchangewith Japan
By Stewart Davies, Palmerston North Emergency Manager
Palmerston North City Council’s Emergency Manager,
Stewart Davies, visited budding Japanese partner
city Mihara last month to witness the city’s annual
preparation day for locals, which included sandbagging,stretcher building and fire extinguisher practice.
In March this year the Superintendent Emergency
Manager for the city of Mihara, Shogo Kosako, began theexchange by visiting Palmerston North to see how New
Zealand prepares for potential emergencies and how weare mitigating those risks.
Mihara and Palmerston North have similar populations
and geography so our potential natural hazards are
similar. The two cities are establishing a city-to-city
partnership centred on areas of common interest
including international education, business, sport, culture
and emergency management.
Soon after Mr Kosako returned to Japan a major rainfall
event occurred resulting in 200 fatalities and theevacuation of two million people over central and westernJapan, including Mihara.
Mr Davies reciprocated the visit to Mihara last month where
he was shown how they operate in a disaster. Many of theresidents live in homes on steep hills which means thatthey are often told to evacuate for any multitude of events.
He was taken to schools and the airport which operate as
welfare centres to see where they store bedding, food andwater for everyone in major disasters.
The city also had their annual training day where theresidents are taught skills like sandbagging, building
stretchers and using fire extinguishers so they can help inemergencies. Young children were also taught how to callemergency services and had simulated phone calls with
first responders.
Mr Davies says their approach is very different to New
Zealand. He says in Japan it is in their culture to prepare
for these events, whereas the challenge for New Zealand isto get everybody on board with this concept.

Above: Mihara locals learn how to make sandbags
Right: PNCC Emergency Manager Stewart Davies with city officials.

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

Gisborne focus for Gamagori photo competition
By David Puech & Paul Rickard
The Gisborne region was on display at the annual sister city
photographic competition in Gamagori Japan.
David Puech took out the 18 years and over category for the 2018
Gisborne-New Zealand, Gamagori-Japan Photographic Competition
with a sunset he captured at Waikanae Beach.
The same photo Mr Puech entered also won The Gisborne Herald’s
summer photo competition on Facebook earlier this year.
The public from each city votes for the winners of the other city’scompetition.
The 2018 theme for the 18th year of competition was The Young Ones.
Second place in the over-18-year-old category went to Ganapati Patil,
and third to Tomomi Kato-Golding.
Eight-year-old Taane King won the under-18-year-old category with aphoto of his baby cousin, while second place went to Erueti King andthird Zoe Newman.
Highly commended were Erueti King and Ella-Korina Bolland.
The 2019 theme is Our Special Year, to fit with the 250th anniversary of
the arrival of Captain James Cook.
Notes: The theme for Year 2018 was “the Young Ones” and this was also
the 18th year the photos have been exchanged between the Sister Cities ofGamagori Japan and Gisborne NZ.
Each city votes for the photos of the other city by secret vote - best five
photos of personal choice.

Group placegetters with SC Committee Members Ann Osler & Jan Calder (back row).

Taane King: 1st place "under 18" section.

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

Palmerston North
Triathlete competes in
Sagishima Triathlon
By Toni Grace, International Relations
Manager, Palmerston North City Council
Palmerston North Triathlete David Martin travelled to
the Japanese City of Mihara in August to compete in
the Sagishima Triathlon. He came second overall andeven set a new swim record.
David was invited and sponsored to the race by theHiroshima New Zealand Friendship Society, which has
been a big supporter of Palmerston North’s developing
relationship with Mihara City, in Hiroshima Prefecture.
David says the Triathlon was a great experience and agood build up for the World Champs on the Gold Coast
which he represented New Zealand at. He was also very
grateful for the hospitality and support he received fromhis hosts and the community in Mihara.
Palmerston North International Relations Manager, Toni
Grace, says that the Sagishima Triathlon event is one ofmany growing connections between Palmerston North
and Mihara.
“We were delighted that David was invited to participate
and represent Palmerston North in the Sagishima
Triathlon. Our city partnerships are strongest when
there are people-to-people links, especially our common
love of sports.”“Over the next few years the New Zealand’s sporting
relationship with Japan is going to be in the spotlightwith the 2019 Rugby World Cup, 2020 Olympics and 2021
World Masters Games. Palmerston North is an active,
sport-loving community, so it’s great to reflect this in
our city’s international relations”
David’s participation in the Sagishima triathlon also
helped to boost publicity of the city’s efforts to raise
funds for Mihara, which was impacted by the major
floods that hit Western Japan in July.

N E W S L E T T E R
December 2018

The Terracotta Warriors Have Arrived at Te Papa!
By Andrea Tandy, Te Papa
After travelling more than 10,000 kilometres fromXi’an, China, the 2,300-year-old terracotta warriors
have arrived at Te Papa.
The imperial icons were welcomed on 22 November witha small informal blessing as each crate of precious cargo
was brought into the national museum. A formal private
pōwhiri and blessing will take place ahead of the public
opening.
The unmissable exhibition Terracotta Warriors:
Guardians of Immortality 秦始皇兵马俑:永恒的守卫 opens
on 15 December this year and runs through summer
until 22 April 2019.
Until then, a team of Te Papa installers, mount makers,
conservators, exhibition designers, curators, andtechnicians, alongside four colleagues from China,
will be installing the ancient treasures in their new
temporary home.
The exhibition features eight life-sized warriors and two
horses. Also on show are over 160 exquisite treasuresfrom imperial tombs in and around China’s ancient
capital, Xi’an.
Te Papa’s Head of Art, Charlotte Davy, says: ‘We’rehonoured to be the kaitiaki for these incredible works ofart and to enable New Zealanders to come close to thisancient history.
‘I’m blown away by the epic stories behind these ancient
items. It’s awe-inspiring to think that they were created
before the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra, theconstruction of the Colosseum in Rome, and the major
eruption of Taupō in New Zealand.’Terracotta Warriors is the first international exhibition
to be held in Te Papa’s new art gallery, Toi Art, which
opened to critical acclaim earlier this year.
Te Papa has commissioned a New Zealand artist to
create an artwork in response to the visit of the ancientterracotta warriors from Xi’an.
Local artist Kerry Ann Lee has created the immersive
installation Return to Skyland.
‘It was important to us to have a contemporary
response by a Chinese New Zealander, and to support
the production of new artworks by New Zealand’s bestartists,’ says Ms Davy.
Kerry Ann Lee’s work is displayed within the exhibition
space of Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality.
Kerry Ann Lee – Return to Skyland
Inspired by the idea of physical and spiritual journeying,
Wellingtonian Kerry Ann Lee has created a ‘dreamscapetransit lounge’. Visitors toTerracotta Warriors: Guardiansof Immortality can enter her multimedia installation torest and reflect on their experience before continuing
their journey through the exhibition.
Custom-designed wallpaper lines the room, createdfrom images and illustrations from Chinese publications
belonging to the artist’s family.
The installation also features Distant resonance, 2018, a
video work by Kerry Ann Lee that uses images of Chinese
objects from Te Papa’s collection. These are combinedwith lines from the poem ‘Looking over Sian at night’,
1954, by the New Zealand writer Rewi Alley, who lived in
China for 60 years, becoming one of the country’s bestknown and best-loved foreigners.
Kerry Ann Lee’s Return to Skyland offers a playful
look at the idea of identity while also reflecting on theexperience of Chinese settlement in New Zealand.
Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality
For more than 2,000 years, an underground army
secretly guarded the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China’s First
Emperor. It was discovered by chance in 1974 by a farmer
digging a well, and is one of the greatest archaeologicalfinds of the 20th century– an eighth wonder of the world.