WHAKATANE DISTRICT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019
AGENDA
Meeting to be held in the Committee Room 1, Civic Centre, Commerce Street, Whakatane at 4:00 pm
Steph O'Sullivan CHIEF EXECUTIVE 18 February 2018
WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM SUBJECT PAGE NO
1 Membership ...... 4
2 Apologies ...... 4
3 Conflict of Interest ...... 4
4 Public Forum ...... 4
5 Confirmation of Minutes ...... 5
5.1 Minutes Whakatāne District Sister Cities Association 24 October 2018 ...... 5
6 Kamagaya ...... 8
6.1 Aidan Donald - 2018 Student Scholarship Report ...... 8
7 Shibukawa ...... 10
7.1 Correspondence from Mayor of Shibukawa and Response ...... 10
8 Sister Cities New Zealand ...... 14
8.1 Sister Cities NZ 2019 Conference ...... 14
8.1.1 Appendix 1 - Conference Programme ...... 15 WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA 1 Membership
1 Membership
His Worship the Mayor A A Bonne
Councillor A V Iles - Chairperson
Councillor J C Jukes
M Bryson
M Eddy
J R Farrell - Deputy Chairperson
H Harison
A Ranson
L Ranson
T Samal
S Wilson
S Winship
A Donald 2 Apologies
An apology for absence has been received from M Eddy
3 Conflict of Interest
Members are reminded of the need to be vigilant to stand aside from decision making when a conflict arises between their role as an elected member and any private or other external interests they might have. 4 Public Forum
The Board has set aside time for members of the public to speak in the public forum at the commencement of each meeting. Each speaker during the forum may speak for three minutes. Permission of the Chairperson is required for any person wishing to speak during the public forum. Applicants seeking funding from the Board are encouraged to speak in support of their application at this time.
With the permission of the chairperson, Board Members may ask questions of the speaker but these should be confined to obtaining further information or clarification on matters raised by the speaker.
4 WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA 5 Confirmation of Minutes
5 Confirmation of Minutes
5.1 Minutes Whakatāne District Sister Cities Association 24 October 2018
Details of Meeting: WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE HELD IN COMMITTEE ROOM 1, CIVIC CENTRE, WHAKATĀNE ON WEDNESDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2018 COMMENCING AT 4:00 PM
Present: His Worship the Mayor A A Bonne, Councillors A V Iles (Chairperson) and J C Jukes, J Farrell, H Harrison, S Wilson, T Samal, M Eddy
In Attendance: H J Storey (Governance Support Advisor)
Visitors A Donald, F McKenzie, N Robinson
Apologies: A and L Ranson, S Winship, M Bryson
1. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Ms Harison declared an interest in the Item 8 - Student Scholarship application and did not participate in the decision making.
2. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES: 29 AUGUST 2018
Refer to pages 5-8 of the agenda.
RESOLVED:
THAT the minutes of the Whakatāne District Sister Cities Association meeting held on Wednesday, 29 August 2018 be confirmed as a true and correct record.
Wilson/Eddy CARRIED
3. KAMAGAYA
Refer to page 9 of the agenda.
3.1. Student Scholarship
Refer to pages 10-11 of the agenda.
Aidan Donald spoke to his application for the student scholarship to Kamagaya and noted that he had visited Japan in 2016 with a group from Trident High School and wanted to learn more about the country and culture. He advised that even as a young child he wanted to study languages so began studying Japanese at high school. Aidan said that Japanese had become his favourite subject and he would continue with it next year. He noted that he was studying hard to prepare for university in 2020 where he was considering taking either an architecture and design course or a linguistics course.
5 WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA 5.1 Minutes Whakatāne District Sister Cities Association 24 October 2018 (Cont.)
Aidan advised that he kept in regular contact with his 2016 host family and said that they would be visiting Whakatāne in the next few months.
4. CHINA
4.1. Update on Jiangxi Province
Refer to pages 13 of the agenda and pages 13a-e of the tabled items
His Worship the Mayor tabled an update on the EBOP Joint Committee relationship with Jiangxi Province in China and noted that Simon Appleton was arranging a delegation to visit the area in March 2018. The delegation would be made up of representatives from the Kawerau, Ōpōtiki and Whakatane District Councils, and the local business and educational sectors. A report would be provided to the Joint Committee on 12 November 2018 and to the Council on 12 December 2018.
His Worship advised that Kawerau and Ōpōtiki had both sent delegations to China in the past, and noted that a dairy factory was currently being built at Kawerau and the Overseas Investment Office had recently approved the application for a sawmill to be built there also.
RESOLVED:
THAT the Eastern Bay of Plenty Delegation to Jiangxi to China report be received.
His Worship the Mayor/Jukes CARRIED
Attendance: F McKenzie and N Robinson entered the meeting at 4.25 pm
5. KAMAGAYA CONTINUED
5.1. Trident High School 2018 Visit to Kamagaya
Refer to pages 9a-k of the tabled items.
Faith McKenzie and Nile Robinson gave a power point presentation on the recent Trident High School visit to Kamagaya and other areas in Japan. They advised that the homestay hosts were very welcoming and nice and provided the students with comfort away from their own home. Nile noted that his host family took him to a number of different places, and visited the local primary school during the weekend where his host sister had an event. He said that the host mother spoke good English as she had travelled a lot, and the rest of the family spoke a little English so communication was in both languages.
Faith noted that she had bonded quickly with her host family and said that the trip had over exceeded her expectations. She said that she managed to successfully go outside of her comfort zone and enjoy the whole experience including a school group singing Happy Birthday to her. She noted if that had occurred before the trip she would have run from the room.
Faith and Nile noted that itinerary was interesting and varied and their host families invited them back to stay and want to come and visit them here. They thanked everyone for the support and the organisation of their itinerary and said it was a life changing experience.
6 WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA 5.1 Minutes Whakatāne District Sister Cities Association 24 October 2018 (Cont.)
RESOLVED:
THAT the Kamagaya report be received.
Harison/Wilson CARRIED
Attendance: the Trident High School students left the meeting at 4.36 pm
6. SHIBUKAWA
Refer to page 12 of the agenda.
Ms Samal advised that they had reduced the numbers of the Shibukawa visit in December 2019 to 10 students and 3 adults. Liaison would continue with City Hall staff towards the organisation of the visit.
RESOLVED:
THAT the Shibukawa report be received.
Samal/Jukes CARRIED
7. SISTER CITIES NEW ZEALAND
Refer to page 14 of the agenda.
The annual conference information as noted.
8. STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP
RESOLVED:
THAT the Student Scholarship application be received; and
THAT Aidan Donald be offered the 2018 Student Scholarship to Kamagaya.
Iles/Wilson CARRIED
9. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
RESOLVED:
THAT the Aidan Donald be appointed as a Youth Representative to the Whakatane District Sister Cities Association.
Iles/Harison CARRIED
7 WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA 6 Kamagaya
THE MEETING CLOSED AT 4.42 PM
Confirmed this day of
CHAIRPERSON
6 Kamagaya
6.1 Aidan Donald - 2018 Student Scholarship Report
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Japan Study Visit Report – Aidan Donald Nihon No Kengaku No Repōto
Introduction In November the Whakatane Sister Cities Committee kindly awarded me a $1,500 scholarship to visit Japan on a 2 week-long trip. During this trip, I was hosted by families in both the city of Kamagaya, Chiba prefecture, and Shibukawa in the Gunma prefecture
Kamagaya 鎌ヶ谷市 Kamagaya is a city of 109,000 people located in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, and it is about an hour’s train ride from the heart of Tokyo. Kamagaya has been sister cities with Whakatane since 1997. The city is known for its nashi pear and the Kamagaya Fighters baseball stadium. It is also home to Japan’s smallest Daibutsu (Great Buddha).
During my time in Kamagaya I was kindly hosted by the Yamasaki family for 4 days, and I also had the opportunity of staying with the Okamoto family, who had hosted me when I went to Japan with my classmates in 2016. I did things like visit Kamagaya city fire station, participate in activities at Kamagaya central high school, eat (and cook) delicious food, and much more.
I’m grateful for both the Yamasaki family and the Okamoto family for their hospitality. I’d also like to thank Tsuchida-san and Ōmi-san for organising the itinerary and showing me around not just Kamagaya, but Tokyo too. I had such a great time in Kamagaya and I can’t wait to go back.
Shibukawa 渋川市 Located in the heart of Gunma Prefecture, Shibukawa is a city of 75,000 People. The city is a 3-hour bus ride from Tokyo. It is (unofficially) located in the geographical centre of Japan, and is known as the “Bellybutton of Japan”. Shibukawa is home to the popular hot spring (onsen) resort and historical town Ikaho. The city is surrounded by many mountains, the tallest of which is Mount Akagi, at 1,900m.
I was lucky to be the first student from Whakatane to be hosted by Shibukawa. During my stay in Shibukawa I was hosted by a family, whose son had previously visited Whakatane. I did many things in Shibukawa, such as painting a Kokeshi (Japanese wooden doll), visiting shrines, teaching a class of junior high school students about New Zealand and Whakatane, participating in club activities, and visiting onsens (hot springs), such as the famous Ikaho Onsen. I even shook hands with the Mayor.
I’d like to thank both my host family for looking after me so well, and Takahashi-san for driving me around Shibukawa and translating for me. Shibukawa was an awesome experience, and next time I’m in Japan, I’d definitely visit Shibukawa again.
Conclusion I am so grateful to have had the opportunity of going to Japan and experiencing many aspects of Japanese culture. During my stay in Japan, I made many new friends, some of whom now wish to visit New Zealand, and spend some time in Whakatane. I believe my stay in Japan has helped me to greatly improve both my Japanese speaking ability, and my understanding of Japanese culture.
A1472443
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7 Shibukawa
7.1 Correspondence from Mayor of Shibukawa and Response
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8 Sister Cities New Zealand
8.1 Sister Cities NZ 2019 Conference
Subject: SISTER CITIES NZ 2019 CONFERENCE
To: WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT SISTER CITIES
Meeting Date: WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019
Written by: GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ADVISOR
File Reference: A1457594
1. REASON FOR THE REPORT
The report is to advise of the 2019 Sister Cities NZ Conference that will be taking place in Palmerston North from Thursday, 21 March to Saturday 23 March 2019.
2. DISCUSSION
The programme for the Conference, attached as Appendix 1, has the theme of “Prosperity Through Partnership” and provides a varied programme to explore the ways in which cities and regional centres have a role in supporting international connectivity, trade, business and innovation. The Committee usually sends a representative to the annual conference, however, no Members were available to go in 2018.
3. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The decisions and matters of this report are assessed to be of low significance, in accordance with Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.
4. DETERMINING THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT
This matter is not of a nature of significance that requires public engagement.
5. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION
The estimated cost of the conference is as follows:
Registration 750.00
Travel 450.00
Accommodation – 2 nights 400.00
Total $1,600.00
There is budget provision to send one representative to conference each year.
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6. CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
THAT the Sister Cities NZ 2019 Conference report be received; and
THAT ____ represent the Whakatāne District Sister Cities Committee at the Sister Cities NZ 2019 Conference in Palmerston North from 21-23 March 2019.
Attached to this report:
Conference Programme
Report Authorisation
Report writer: Janie Storey Governance Support Advisor
General Manager Strategy and Economic Final Approval: Julie Gardyne Development
8.1.1 Appendix 1 - Conference Programme
15 WHAKATĀNE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2019 Whakatane District Sister Cities Committee - AGENDA 8.1.1 Appendix 1 - Conference Programme (Cont.)
SCNZ Conference Agenda
Thursday 21 March
Conference & From 9am Registration desk open Function Centre foyer Te Marae o Hine 11am Pōwhiri / opening ceremony (The Square) Conference & 12pm Lunch Function Centre – Elwood Room Conference & Session 1: The contribution of global city partnerships to NZ Function Centre – 1pm Economic Development and Foreign Affairs Main Conference Room Session 2: 2019 China NZ Year of Tourism – opportunities for 2pm Conference Room Sister cities 2:45pm Afternoon tea Gallery Room Session 3: Regional Forums – break into regional groups for collabo- Conference breakout 3:15pm ration discussions spaces Te Manawa 4:15pm Walk to next venue (next door) Friends of Palmerston North Sister City displays & presentations 4:00pm Te Manawa at Te Manawa
Welcome reception and tour of the New Zealand Rugby Museum Te Manawa, 5:00pm – New Zealand Rugby 7:00pm Welcome by Hiromi Morris and Japanese Ambassador Kobayashi: Celebrating the 2019 Rugby World Cup via Japan/NZ Sister Cities Museum
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Friday 22 March
From 8am Registration Foyer Session 4: Working across cultures – Keynote speaker 9am Conference Room “Welcoming communities” panel Cultural benefits via Sister Cities Session 5: Workshops - Measuring, reporting and communicating 10am Breakout rooms benefits of city international relations 10:30am Break Gallery Room 11am Session 5 continued: Workshop report back & conference discussion Conference Room Session 6: International environmental cooperation and knowledge 11.30am Conference Room exchange 12:30pm Lunch Gallery Room 1:30pm Session 7: Practical tools and resources Conference Room Session 8: Māori and Indigenous exchange via Sister Cities – 2:00pm Conference Room Cultural, educational and business opportunities
Session 9: Other city-to-city forums & events • 2019 Asia Pacific Cities Summit, Brisbane, July 2019 • 2020 Sister Cities Conference 3.00pm Conference Room • 2020 New Zealand China Mayoral Forum • 2020 Olympics Host town initiative & 2021 World Masters Games - CLAIR presentation 3.40pm Break Gallery Room 4pm SCNZ AGM Seminar Room Dinner guests arrive from 6pm 6 - 9pm Elwood Room SCNZ Annual Dinner & Air NZ Awards evening
Saturday 23 March
Prosperity through cultural diversity 9:30 – Keynote speakers Elwood Room 10:30am Community & school presentations 10.30am Light morning tea refreshments Elwood Room 11.15 – Korero 2019 (Youth Dialogue) Elwood Room 12:30pm 12.30pm Mayor Grant Smith: Closing remarks
All conference guests free to enjoy the Festival of Cultures in The Square
WWW.SISTERCITIES.ORG.NZ 9
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