Haikou City and Whangarei City confirm friendship

Whangarei will gain thousands of new friends tomorrow when a “Friendly City” agreement is signed in Whangarei between Whangarei and Haikou City in the Hainan Province of the People’s Republic of China.

Ceremonies to sign agreements will be held at NorthTec and at Whangarei District Council, following a Whakatu (welcome) at Porowini Marae in the morning.

“This relationship has been building for 10 years during which representatives from Hainan have visited Whangarei,” said Mayor Sheryl Mai. “It is an honour to be taking this new step, formalising our friendship with this agreement.”

Working towards this point has included communications with Haikou, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and Paul Binney, CEO of Northtec.

“Discussions between our cities will initially focus on international education via NorthTec which has had a bilateral international education relationship with China for many years,” Mayor Mai said. “Both the NorthTec CEO Paul Binney and deputy Chairman Erima Henare have paid a recent visit to China to secure business and promote Northtec, Whangarei and Northland.

“The coming years will bring regular contact between the leaders and relevant departments of the two cities to ensure communication, exchange and consultation on issues that could benefit both cities. Encouraging and stimulating business activity and investment is a key objective. Economic development opportunities including cultural exchange, agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, tourism, arts, ICT, engineering, and urban construction will also be discussed.

Both cities will commit to promoting their counterpart city in its own district and country, and look for opportunities to actively participate in key international events held by the other city with an aim toward sharing experiences and facilitating cooperation.

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