Sister Cities New Zealand - newsletter October 2007

People to People Newsbrief

OCTOBER 2007 OCTOB

2008 Conference Updatee Rotorua District Council’s conference team and their agency The Organiser are bringing together a superb conference to be based at the Royal Lakeside Novotel. Features of the programme include the CLAIR-sponsored Japan Forum to be held on the morning of Friday 11th April, and a Focus on Youth taking place on Saturday morning..

The Air New Zealand Awards Dinner venue is des gondola. the Cableway Restaurant, reached by Skyline Skyrides Registration forms and the 2008 Air New Zealand Awards Guidelines will be distributed and available through our website shortly.

“In Rotorua you’ll spend time with a community that proudly exemplifies the traditional values of ‘Manaakitanga’ - an expression that embraces the concept of genuine hospitality;” says Conference Coordinator Sue White. “That is something that Rotorua Maori have practised for many generations. Today the ‘Manaakitanga’ principle remains a cornerstone of the community and its visitor industry.

Sharing hospitality amongst people from different places is also what the Sister Cities movement is all about, so come and join us at the conference, and see for yourself why Rotorua is New Zealand’s most popular conference location.”

For further details, visit www.sistercities.org.nz/Editable/news/conferences, or contact Sue White at Rotorua District Council, phone 07 348 4199, email sue.white@rdc.govt.nz.

‘Spirit of Sister Cities’ unveiled in Gisborne Gisborne Sister Cities’ Artist-in-Residence programme has provided the city with a wonderful piece of public art, with the recent unveiling of this work by renowned Palm Desert, USA artist Russell Jaques.

With a design inspired by the legend of Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, who fished up the North Island, the nearly 3 metre tall sculpture now stands in Gisborne’s Peel Street, outside the HB Williams Memorial Library. The project was very much a community event, with assistance provided by Gisborne Engineering and staff and students at Taraiwhiti Polytechnic.

In commenting on his work, Mr Jaques says “ I hope it will be accepted as a contemporary symbol of the two unique communities, joined by a friendship that encompasses the brotherhood and sisterhood of the arts, and the pursuit of a quality of life.”

From the President’s Desk Greetings to you all. Following the resounding success of our 2007 conference in Te Anau, we are already looking ahead to Rotorua ‘08. How time flies! But while our annual conference remains the cornerstone of national sister city focus, we are about a lot more than that as this newsletter shows.

Our work at national level with Japan shows through a number of current initiatives. It is great that once again SCNZ has been engaged to deliver the Core Leaders in Civil Society Programme, which while not strictly a sister city activity, has all the value of any top quality people-to-people exchange.

The opportunity for a broad range of community members to interact with international counterparts is a wonderful example of how sharing ideas and different practices can bring groups closer to understanding - not just in the specialised field that is the subject of the exchange, but in general cultural terms as well.

We extend appreciation to Ambassador to Japan Ian Kennedy for agreeing to host a ‘New Zealand Day’ at the Tokyo Embassy on 15 February 2008. We urge all our members to encourage your Japanese partners to attend this important function, and hope that some of you can be there to share quality Kiwi hospitality with them. Equally it is wonderful that CLAIR will host a half day Japan Forum at our Rotorua conference – a great opportunity for you to showcase New Zealand by inviting your sister city friends to accompany you there.

As we consider the exciting developments in our younger but equally vibrant links with China, the renewed interest being shown in linkages with NZ communities by our American friends, and the solid, almost family connections we have with Australia, our core sister city networks continue from strength to strength. Our highly valued links in Europe, opportunities to engage with a range of developing countries, attention to the untapped potential of Youth, and innovative programmes like our new annual Japan Tour all show that sister city connections are in great heart. Let’s all keep it up, and keep the passion!

Kind regards Peter

Gisborne Sister Cities President Kath Crawshaw and Brian Crawshaw (former President of SCNZ), with Russell and Linda Jaques at the sculpture.

Some material courtesy The Gisborne Herald

PETER TENNENT

Mobile: +64 (21) 759610 E-Mail: peter.tennent@npdc.govt.nz

www.sistercities.org.nz w

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Aichi Project Update In support of efforts to maintain the activity levels and vibrancy of our links with Japan, Ambassador to Japan Mr Ian Kennedy will host a ‘New Zealand Day’ at the NZ Embassy in Tokyo on 15th February 2008. The invitation list includes all of our Japanese sister and friendship cities, as well as the numerous New Zealand Friendship Societies that exist around Japan. We are looking forward to helping to host civic, community and business leaders from throughout Japan in a programme thatt Sister"'°,1'ctttes will include presentations by Tourism NZ, Air New Zealand, New w ..

Zealand Trade & Enterprise and SCNZ. Our communities with New Zealand - Japan Portfolio of Exchanges links in Japan have been invited to encourage their partners’ participation and to join them for the event. Full details of the programme will be issued by the Embassy shortly.

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The 2007 Aichi Manual update is now complete and in the process of distribution to manual holders. Thanks to all members who continue to support the development of this valuable resource.

Youth Guidelines Drafted

Practitioners’ Workshops Summary of proceedings Two very successful workshops for those engaged directly in sister city exchange programmes were conducted in June 2007, one in Christchurch and the other in New Plymouth. A full record of procedings is published on the website.

Promotional Insert If you are conducting a sister city promotion and would like some further material, this simple DLE brochure is available on request.

We are working on a more comprehensive brochure for full distribution in early 2008.

Sister Cities - Empowering Young People A comprehensive set of guidelines for involving young people in sister city activities is now in the latter stages of drafting. Its aim is to provide a practical resource – helping to clarify the opportunities that sister city participation can provide for young people, and to guide the way to a more supportive community environment.

The hope is that organisations actually driven by young people (such as Youth Councils) will then be better positioned to work directly with their constituents. The document is based around a SWOT analysis done in the initial stage of the process, which shows what we all know – that young people are the primary beneficiaries of organised sister city activities. But at the school, sporting and cultural exchange level, their involvement is inevitably driven by adult authorities.

There is a clear message that Youth’s full and active ongoing engagement in sister city activities will be greatly enhanced when young people themselves have ownership of both planning and delivery, particularly in the immediate post-school years.

Established sister city organisations need to provide a supportive environment for young people, and we all know that can be a challenging task. The guidelines will aim to address how to initiate steps towards youth-led engagement and actions.

We welcome any suggestions, thoughts and questions that sister city communities may have. The guidelines will be available shortly.

Statistical Record-keeping of Sister City Activities A spreadsheet has recently been designed and distributed to assist and encourage better record-keeping of sister city activities. There was a clear message from those attending the recent practitioners’ workshops that more accurate and standardised record-keeping is essential. This discussion followed a succession of comments at recent annual conferences suggesting that better information on the extent of sister city activities will help provide the community, councils and potential sponsors with the right message about the significant role the exchanges have in our society.

The key to success of this tool is simplicity. The form, a sample of which is in the Aichi Manual 2007 update, allows communities to record both exchanges and nonpersonnel projects in a way that clearly summarises their level of sister city activity. We acknowledge the assistance of Auckland City Council International Relations staff in designing the system.

New Member We welcome Manukau City Council to SCNZ Membership. As New Zealand’s third largest city, and with a number of diverse linkages in the Pacific and Asia, Manukau is an important part of New Zealand’s international community connection. Manukau has an active sister city relationship with Utsunomioya, which is close to Nikko, one of Japan’s foremost attractions of cultural significance.

Promoting People to People Exchanges Sister City programmes enable local communities to engage directly in international exchange: sharing and understanding different cultures; developing friendships at the personal and community level; cooperating in the delivery of educational and socially beneficial projects; expanding partnership networks in a wide range of human endeavours.

International links of this nature are most likely to succeed when a civic relationship exists between a New Zealand city or district and its overseas counterpart. But while local government engagement and support is an essential component of the Sister City concept, the key driver of success is the active involvement of the community.

Opportunities for Sister City Participation • School Activities: Short-term student exchanges including homestays/hosting (general or curriculumbased), teacher exchanges for professional development (short or long-term), teaching employment opportunities, scholarships, distance proJect sharing and cooperation, student internet communication, art competitions.

• Sporting Exchanges: Club, school and representative visits, sister city tournaments, coaching and training programmes.

• The Arts: Visual art exchanges promoting local artists, performing art/cultural tours, artists in residence, artwork presentations as symbols of community ties.

• Citizen Exchange: Community organisation exchanges to share best practice methods, tour groups utilising sister city connections, business delegations to develop trade opportunities • Special Events: Involving sister city residents in national days, sister city and cultural promotions, marking anniversaries and other significant dates, major events held in your city, region and country.

For further information, contact the International Relations Coordinator at your local Council, or visit www.sistercities.org.nz

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Animation Draws Cities Closer Auckland and Hamburg’s Strategic Alliance The capital of film and TV animation in Germany is connecting with the capital of film animation and special effects in the Southern Hemisphere – New Zealand.

In June 2008, Hamburg will honour New Zealand with a special host country award for aspiring animated cartoon artists. The award is part of the annual Hamburg Animation Awards 2008, a prestigious international film accolade designed to stimulate creativity amongst young, up-and-coming animators.

New Zealand is the fourth host country since the inauguration of the awards in 2003.

Japanese Government Core leaders in Civil Society Programme In this the second year of our involvement in this programme, a group of nine members of Japan’s Care for People with Disabilities community will visit Wellington, Christchurch and Manukau for a range of discussions and site visits to learn more about NZ’s policies and operations in the sector.

Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard and Hamburg’s First Mayor Ole von Beust sign the strategic alliance agreement, April 2007

Auckland City Council’s strategic alliance with Hamburg, which is part of Auckland City’s international partnerships programme, has led to this recognition and support of New Zealand’s aspiring animators. The awards will be presented in the historic Hamburg Schmidts Tivoli Theatre. In entering, film-makers consent to allowing their short film to be used on the internet, and exhibited as a preview to a feature film or by the North German Broadcasting Corporation for three months after the competition. This potentially gives the New Zealand entries far wider exposure.

Chairperson of Auckland City Council’s Partnerships Committee John Hinchcliff says “Auckland city’s screen production sector is the second largest employer in our creative sector, and we also contribute hugely to the tertiary education area which trains young animators. This award could be the event of a lifetime for a budding animator.”

A reciprocal visit will take place in February 2008, when 13 New Zealanders, representing Care for the Elderly and Youth as well as Disabilities, will spend two weeks In Japan sharing best practice in this international programme. We are pleased to be working with both the New Zealand and Japanese Governments in this important people-to-people initiative.

The Hamburg award is open to students and graduates within three years of leaving college. They are asked to submit animated cartoons that were made during their studies, and they are judged on the basis of a well told story and unique or novel style.

“Hamburg is a gateway to Europe,” says Mr Hinchcliff. “Auckland is the only city in New Zealand with a formal relationship with a German city and to engage with a city of Hamburg’s prestige and business activity is a superb opportunity. After the signing of the agreement with Hamburg, we have been consulting in a number of areas, including the creative sector. We held a video conference recently on climate change and showcased a number of New Zealand initiatives, which Hamburg specifically requested, such as eco housing. Hamburg is also rebuilding its waterfront, in a colossal redevelopment of its port frontage dubbed the largest urban re-development currently in Europe. They are even redeveloping a waterfront site similar to Wynyard Point, which is of intense interest to us. Auckland is also working to actively engage our biotech industry with Hamburg’s.”

Detailed information and criteria for the competition will be available at the end of October from the Goethe Institut www.goethe.de/nz

If we are not addressing your NewsBrief correctly or you would prefer to receive it by email please contact enquiry@sistercities.org.nz

Music Fair of Japan 2007 - Second Series of Concerts In celebration of the 55th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand, the Embassy of Japan announces that internationally acclaimed artists M Masako Ezaki on piano and Tamaki Kawakubo on violin will perform in New Zealand as follows: •

Christchurch, James Hay Theatre, Wednesday 21st November at 7.00pm.

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Wellington, Michael Fowler Centre, Saturday 24th November at 7.30pm

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Wellington, Ilott Theatre, Sunday 25th November at 7.00pm

FFor further information contact tthe Consular Office of Japan, 03 366 5680, cultural.info.sec@jpncon.org.nz. or EEmbassy of Japan, 04 4958344, japan6@eoj.org.nz.

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2008 Sister Cities Tour - Springtime in Japan In March 2008 a sister city tour will take place that should appeal to people from throughout New Zealand who are keen travellers or have a particular interest in Japan, whether involved in sister city activities or not.

Based on the highly successful New Zealand China Friendship Society’s Annual China Tour, the Japan Tour is unique in providing participants with a direct cultural experience that is rarely available. With the support of member councils and their partner authorities in Japan, we have negotiated limited sister city hospitality in each partner city to be visited.

So in addition to providing the opportunity to experience some memorable scenic, historical and cultural icons of Japan, the tour includes social activities with sister city groups, some local guiding and a homestay option in five of our sister/friendship cities.

A highly successful feature of sister city links is the ongoing relationships that are established through organised exchanges, and the repeat travel regularly occurring as a result. More is now also being done to engage the general public at the national level. The tour brings the opportunity for participation in sister cities to the wider community,

with heightened publicity and direct experince of the benefits of sister city exchanges leading to increased interest in local programmes. More contact also means more reciprocal visits to NZ as friendships established are maintained and renewed over time.

Another tour feature is that it can easily be adapted for people wishing to visit sister cities not listed in the standard itinerary, or other parts of Japan. For an me to suit members of the example of a tailored programme local community, please visit our website.

Member support for the tour by way of local publicity is most welcome. Full details are available at www.sistercities. org.nz/Edtable/news/JapanTour, and further enquiries should be directed to Brian Cross at SCNZ’s National Office.

Grassroots Survey The survey of Sister Cities initially done in 2004/05 is now due for repeat, and a revised and updated document is currently in distribution. The original survey was presented by Dr Rebecca Foley at the 2005 Sister Cities Conference in Waitangi. It provided a set of valuable historical data and established levels of activity on which to make future comparisons and observe trends. The triennial repeat of the survey will provide an updated set of data with some new sections on topical activities that when analysed will be of great interest to all concerned in taking our sister city relations forward. All survey recipients are asked to complete and return it to the SCNZ National Office by 30 November 2007.

We acknowledge the generous support of Asia New Zealand Foundation in once again making this comprehensive survey possible.

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Contributions to the NewsBrief are invited - newsy items about your sister cities and your exchanges, and opinion on New Zealand’s Sister City network.

From the Board Meeting 4th August 2007 • Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific Project: The Board received a report on this initiative and opportunities for New Zealand local governments to support and engage in projects with Commonwealth Pacific nations. SCNZ fully endorses the work being done in this area.

• Directors will undertake to encourage more local government membership, particularly among those councils whose communities have sister city-type links. At present 54 of NZ’s 73 local governments have formal international links listed on our website, 40 of which are members of SCNZ Inc. • 2008 ASCA Conference in Darwin: The Board approved the attendance of Bill Woods and Brian Cross at this year’s ASCA Conference. Of particular interest will be ASCA’s Youth Programme, and the CLAIR Forum to be held as part of the main programme. CLAIR will conduct and sponsor a similar Forum at our 2008 Conference in Rotorua.

SCNZ and NZCFS Co-operation New Zealand China Friendship Society’s Executive has appointed member Trevor Linyard as SCNZ liaison. Also chairman of the Timaru Sister Cities Committee, Trevor

is the ideal person to provide the important link between our two organisations as we explore common ground and work together to advance NZ’s links with China.

Resourcing and Supporting Sister Cities New Zealand Inc. New Zealand

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Contact Details: National Office, 20 Singers Road, Korokoro, Wellington, New Zealand Ph. +64 4 586 3145, Email: enquiry@sistercities.org.nz VKA.CO.NZ 77174h/10/07