In this issue

Dated: 1 November 2010

• From The National Office
• Managing Auckland's "Sisters" in the new environment.
• Where to after Shanghai?
• Japanese Scholarship Awarded

Building on Sister City links - Locals will give the Rugby World cup 100% in Waipū

It may not be a tourist hot spot, but the tiny Northland town of Waipū is determined to play its part in welcoming visitors for RWC 2011…

Local identity Rosemary Neave talks about the opportunity in the latest Rugby World Cup newsletter and says, “We’re not what you’d call a tourist town, but Waipū has always punched above its weight when it comes to putting on celebrations,” she said.

“We’re going to dress up the whole town and show our visitors a great time.”

Waipū – population 1,491 – is a 30-minute drive south of Whangarei, which is the venue for two RWC 2011 matches, and is where Canada, Tonga and Japan will all spend time during the Tournament.

The Waipū community plans to use the region's historic Sister City links to Canada and Japan in particular, to entice that team’s supporters to visit them. If you see this as a similar opportunity for your town please contact your local Economic Development Agency to see what you can do to help.

Waipū is planning a special welcome for Canadian supporters on September 14, the day of the Canadians match against Tonga in Whangarei and is likely to feature many of the aspects of the town’s annual ‘Tartan Week’.

From The National Office

This month we advise on a bringing together of the Japan/NZ Business Council and Sister Cities NZ, and congratulate member Angela Wallace from Export Bay of Plenty who presented a joint session at the Japan/NZ Business Council's 37th Joint Meeting in Tauranga on the 7th October.  President Bill Wilson, and Mayor Stuart Crosbie  introduced her session with a focus around the importance of the Sister City relationship to developing strong business networks in Japan.

It was pleasing to meet again with Ambassador Ian Kennedy and to have him strongly endorse the importance of the Sister City networks in developing sustainable business relationships. I will continue to work with Angela and Mia Evans from Bancorp (Japan/NZ Business Council member) on how we can embed the Sister City/business network relationships to bring added value to your regions.

Roger Matthews and I also attended and participated in the Go Global Forum for International Business last week,.  

This has been a month for collegial farewells - not least from our Ambassadorial colleagues, Mark Wenig Public Relations Officer at the US Embassy who has gone to Cambodia, and Yanhang Wang of the Cultural Section at the Chinese Embassy, who returns to China today - November 1. Yanhang came to her post here at the Embassy two years ago from theNational Library of China in Beijing, and she will resume her responsibilities back there.

This is also a day for new beginnings for some of our Auckland colleagues. We  say farewell to Caroline Lassiter, and Birgit Hermann International Relations Manager, and International Relations Co-ordinator at the previous Auckland Council. Lucy Laitinen - Senior Advisor in the Manukau Council has also left us. We are pleased to have Roger Matthews still with us on the Sister Cities Board, and  that Richard Duncan, and Marie Arnold will still be working with us through the new super city structure.

In this issue we feature Auckland – as New Zealand’s Super City and raise the question - What will amalgamation mean for our Sister City networks in the region? 

Managing Auckland's "Sisters" in the new environment.

Today - Auckland became a Super City with 16 sisters - from Galway in Ireland to Los Angeles in the US to Qingdao in China. Overall, Auckland will have 30 relationships: full sisterhood, friendship cities or villages, strategic alliances or memoranda of understanding in this new alliance.

Historically,the Sister City prtnerships, friendships et al, have been the basis for cultural and educational exchanges and many of our business men and women of today have visited China or Japan through different programmes designed to build greater cultural awareness and social harmony. Today New Zealand's range of partnerships has broadened and include a focus on economic relationships.

There is big business at stake. On August 19th,  “the Aucklander” reported that "Auckland’s relationships which have been nurtured through decades of careful negotiations are currently thought to be worth tens of millions of dollars. About $55 million of GDP is added annually to Auckland's economy from Auckland City Council's relationships alone, before Waitakere's memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi, North Shore’s links and Nadi are taken into account."

Business networks in Auckland sincerely hope that they will be nurtured and strengthened in this new environment. A number of companies doing business in Asia recognise that having the Mayor introduce them at a formal dinner immediately gives the company status and a recognised business position. Chinese mayors hold near-absolute power in their districts and cities. The decision about what business activities take place is frequently made between the party secretary and the mayor.

A report to the Auckland Transition Authority indicates that "The opportunities for business, educational exchanges and visits through these relationships allow Aucklanders and their stakeholders to learn about, experience and engage with international communities. in particular, to support local business, education, tourism and major events such as the Rugby World Cup, as well as to enhance Auckland's reputation as an active and appreciated member of the international community.". "There is potential for this figure to grow considerably with the amalgamation of the region's international connections."

It is important that Auckland’s new leaders understand that the benefits from Sister City relationships are civic and cultural, as well as economic. We agree with Prime Minister John Key’s statement last year. - "New Zealand needs Auckland to do well. All Kiwis stand to gain from a world-class city ... not only must Auckland be very local, but it must be very national, and very international. Sister City networks help a city and its people become international. For any of our Sister Cities or provinces to be neglected, could do immeasurable harm to our country’s bilateral relationships.

We look forward to working in partnership with the new Auckland international team and  welcome Tara Pradham as the new International Relations Manager at Auckland Council. 

Where to after Shanghai?

Grant Kilby – General Manager for the Rotorua District Council's Destination and Economic Development Unit has contributed these thoughts from their region’s visit to EXPO and then on to their Sister City in Nanjing . This Unit actively works alongside the wider Rotorua business and government community including its important Sister City network to create an environment that encourages and stimulates cultural, social and economic growth

 His immediate thoughts:

• The Chinese have a definite epiphany with the culture and image of New Zealand and this bodes well for future developments with Rotorua New Zealand’s economic partner Nanjing;
• This is expected to expand further on what the Nanjing Moon Building group hail as the jewel in their building portfolio 'Rotorua Town'.
• It is exhausting, exhilerating but well worth the effort (The 70 strong Bay of Plenty Delegation stepped straight off an Air New Zealand overnight flight into meetings and speech’s to better understand the profile and direction China is taking both on a business and consumer level.)

Key points -  awareness takes time, be prepared to travel rather than desktop meet and don't expect 1.5 billion consumers to want your product. China is a vast country and one city at a time is the best approach.

So what did that mean for strengthening relationships with China? Presentations to invited guests and media at the Rotorua Opportunity day with bi-lingual presentations - followed by build-up of the economic and national profiles and why business engagement was important to us. Our businesses - Kiwseng (Ginseng producers in Rotorua) and Ezi-Flow (hydraulic step down trailers) presented consecutively , followed by a tourism presentation to our guests from our Sister City, Nanjing and a contingent of twenty top Shanghai travel agents.

 Media presentations with both China TV and Fortune Life capped off what is to be treated as platinum exposure for Rotorua business and tourism.

China is set on completing the super high speed rail network by 2012 between Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing. This will result in further growth of Nanjing boding well for projects like Rotorua Town. Rotorua is now investigating whether elements or if possible the entire NZ Pavilion could be relocated to Nanjing and set up at the Moon Building Groups cost. This proposal will be amplified through MFAT and ultimately cabinet to make a call on this. We all look forward to both engaging and returning to China to continue the crusade of partnership and building economic opportunities.

Japanese Scholarship Awarded

The Whakatane District Sister Cities Association offers a $1,000 scholarship to a Year 12 or 13 student from the Whakatane district who are studying Japanese. The recipient this year is Lee Kirsopp who will be home hosted at the Whakatane sister city of Kamagaya. He is hoping to spend two months there on an exchange that will increase his knowledge of the Japanese culture and language. He will also speak to schools and community groups in Kamagaya and promote Whakatane while there.

Two very dedicated Trident High School students applied this year and really impressed the committee with their confidence and desire to soak up and learn everything they can about Japan. The applicants were required to write 500 words on “Why Japan Rocks” and at least two paragraphs on “My Goals in Kamagaya” in Japanese. They also had to attend an interview with the Whakatane District Sister Cities Association Committee.

What a difficult job the committee had to select the recipient. Luckily both students were Year 12 which gives the other applicant, Stacey Dillon an opportunity to apply again next year.

The programme is an annual one that is run in conjunction with Kamagaya City Hall and the Kamagaya International Friendship Association (KIFA).