We attended the 2017 Sister Cities New Zealand (SCNZ) annual conference and forum discussion in Invercargill, New Zealand on 4-6 May. The attendees actively participated in discussions on how to further enhance sister city ties. Also we manned a booth at the event promoting attractive travel destinations in Japan to the attendees.
The conference and forum discussion provide opportunities for mayors, local government representatives and stakeholders to discuss sister city relationships, migrant issues, multicultural policies and mutual concerns.
The theme of encouraging immigrants to the provinces and keeping them is an issue of vital importance to sustain the economic and social fabric of provincial and rural communities throughout New Zealand.
Our Deputy Director, Mr Shigeki Yamada, made a speech on the role of CLAIR Sydney and the current condition of sister cities and sister-school exchanges between Japan and New Zealand, and then talked about Nagoya’s multicultural policies. The attendees were pleased to hear that New Zealand has more sister-city relationships with Japan than with any other country and that youth exchange continues to be actively pursued.
During the conference, Mr Tomioka, Mayor of Kumagaya City gave a speech in appreciation of the sister-city relationship between Kumagaya and Invercargill. CLAIR Sydney was proud to sponsor the 2017 Sister Cities New Zealand Conference and hopes that all sister city exchanges between the two countries will continue to grow successfully, just like the relationship between Kumagaya and Invercargill.
