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Waitakere mission to China secures important agreement on education

The sister city relationship between Waitakere and Ningbo in China took a step forward yesterday with signing of an agreement to explore cultural economic and professional development through education.

The agreement was signed this week between Mr John Wadsworth CEO of Waitakere Enterprise and Ms WenJi Xu deputy director of the Ningbo Education Bureau, watched by Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey and Ningbo Deputy Mayor Mr Wang Yong.

Also looking on were Mr Chris Poland, Ms Gail Moore and Ms Miriam Sprague – responsible for international students at Waitakere College, Green Bay High School and Rutherford College respectively.

Under the agreement, the two cities will look to establish sister schools relationships, leading to the exchange of fee paying students. Meanwhile Unitec and the University of Nottingham's Ningbo Campus will explore the possibilities of working together.

The Waitakere representatives then visited, Zhengshi High School, Tongji High School and Zhenhai High School.

The nominated sister schools, all of which will now send students to Waitakere

In addition to long term fee paying students these schools also send about 100 children overseas for summer education. Summer students often become permanent students.

The agreement is the first achievement of a trade delegation to Ningbo, Beijing and Shanghai being led by Mayor Bob Harvey.

Unitec representatives were to join the mission in Ningbo on Tuesday.

In addition to overseeing the sister schools arrangements, Mayor Harvey gave an inspirational and exceptionally well-received speech to foreign language students at Ningbo Univedrsity, on the subject of the ecocity, the environment and climate change.

Ningbo University is the city's largest with 24,000 students.

The Waitakere team moves to Beijing, Shanghai and Korea over the next week to pursue business for the Auckland film industry and the Henderson Valley Studios.

The mission was greeted at a reception and dinner on Sunday, by a range of Ningbo dignitaries, led by Mr Wang.

Both Mayor Harvey and Deputy Mayor Wang spoke of the great value they placed on the relationship between the two cities and the possibilities for cultural, educational and trade and economic opportunities.

Mayor Harvey conveyed best wishes from Prime Minister Helen Clark to Ningbo.

He then thanked Ningbo for facilitating both the continuing trade opportunities offered by Ningbo last year and for its leadership in helping to establish the education agreement.

Mr Harvey assured the Ningbo officials that Chinese students going to Waitakere would be warmly welcomed and would learn a great deal about the richness of the cultural diversity in Waitakere and New Zealand.

This experience he said would help China as it continued to grow as a world power.

Mr Wang said that the two cities were sisters in more than just name and said he hoped the friendship would continue to grow and prosper. He also paid a generous tribute to Mayor Harvey personally, saying that his six visits showed that he was a committed friend to NIngbo.

"Six is very lucky in Ningbo and this is the sixth month so this will be a very lucky visit," Mr Wang joked.

ENDS

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