Sister-city relationships prove rewarding

Mayor Rick Cooper today signed documents confirming Taupo’s allegiance with a new sister-city in China.

The city of Suzhou is Taupo’s second sister-city in China, the other being Xian. Sister-city agreements aim to increase global cooperation at a local level, promote cultural understanding, stimulate economic development and foster strong partnerships between New Zealand and international communities.

Mayor Cooper says these contacts have been calculated to be worth in excess of $50 million a year in national tourism and cultural exchange dollars.

“Given that tourism is one of the pillars of our economy, this opportunity to forge stronger ties with China makes good economic and strategic sense,” he says. “We have such a wonderful district, the more people that appreciate it the better and sister-city relationships allow us to promote Taupo on a more personal level.”

The Turangi/Tongariro area also has a long-standing agreement with the Japanese city of Kitashiobara who send students to be hosted by Turangi families every year.

Community Board member Maggie Stewart who organises these visits says the hospitality shown by members of the Turangi community year after year is amazing and the visitors from Kitashiobara are always blown away by them.

“This year will be the tenth year we have hosted Kitashiobara students. The visits are so popular that last year a film crew accompanied the visitors and the documentary was screened on Japanese television. Exposure like that is invaluable for Turangi,” Ms Stewart says.

Turangi-Tongariro Community Board Chairman Don Ormsby says, “We recently hosted an official delegation from Kitashiobara including Mayor Takahashi ­– one of the most popular and long-serving Mayors in Japan. He insisted if members of the Board are able to visit Japan under their own steam, they will be treated as official guests of the Kitashiobara Council. We are honoured by this generous offer.”

The next visit by Kitashiobara students is on 28 July 2008. Twenty-six students and four adults will be arriving.