WELLINGTON’S 8 SISTER CITIES

There’s over 100 sister city partnerships in NZ but in this post we’ll do a little dive into the eight Wellington sister cities.

The sister cities concept reminds me of pen pals.

The idea is that two cities (usually in different countries) form a partnership in order to benefit both. And in doing so, makes the world a more connected place.

Both cities will communicate frequently, exchanging ideas, people, and materials in various formats. It’s a great way for willing volunteers to make a difference and gives people a chance to experience international relations in a practical format.

In the end, by sharing education and culture in various ways, the people of both cities will become ‘friends’ which can lead towards economic growth for both partners through tourism and trade.

THE 8 WELLINGTON SISTER CITIES

1. Hania, Crete
2. Harrogate, England
3. Sydney, New South Wales
4. Sakai, Japan
5. Xiamen, Fujian
6. Beijing, China
7. Canakkale, Turkey
8. Canberra, Australia

1. HANIA, CRETE (GREECE)

Hania and Wellington became sister cities in 1984 for two reasons:

• Acknowledge the Greek and Cretan communities in Wellington.
• The Hania region of Crete saw some tough action in WW2’s Battle of Crete. Greek civilians helped the Kiwi troops battle the Germans which formed a strong bond.

There’s a few ways the Sister City relationship is acknowleged in Wellington:

• In the grounds of the Michael Fowler Centre, an Olive Tree was planted
• There’s a Greek-NZ Memorial on Kent and Cambridge Terrace
• Hania Day is celebrated in Wellington on the 20th of May.
• Hania Street, fomerly Lloyd Street, in Mount Victoria is named in commeration.

You can find Hania on the northern end of the popular tourist island, Crete and has a population a little over 100,000.

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Walk out to the lighthouse
• 2. Visit the Marine Museum
• 3. Get lost in the Old Town
• 4. Visit the Monastaries
• 5. Experience the Botanic Park

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2. HARROGATE, ENGLAND (UNITED KINGDOM)

The origins of the connection between Harrogate and NZ can be traced back to the world war when Harrogate was the home base for the NZ Air Force Crew where they’d fly out for bombing raids over Germany.

That’s why you’ll see kiwis buried in the Commonwealth Cemetery at Stonewall.

Fast forward to 1953 and Wellington Council formed a link to Harrogate when they donated plants for the Harrogate’s Valley Gardens. A year later and Harrogate presented Wellington with a gold mace that is still used on occasions today.

When the Valley Gardens were refurbished in 2010, a couple of Wellingtonian’s travelled to Harrogate to present the borough with a pou whenua to place in the Valley.

Harrogate, population 75,000, is a popular tourist destination with its status as a spa town and gardens. And why wouldn’t you visit? Harrowgate won a poll as Britain’s “Happiest place to live” from 2013 to 2015.

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Visit the Royal Pump Room Museum
• 2. Walk around the Valley Gardens
• 3. Explore a couple of Castles
• 4. Attend a show at Harrogate Theatre
• 5. Eat at the Queens Favourite, Betty’s Cafe

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3. SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES (AUSTRALIA)

Sydney and Wellington signed a formal sister cities agreement in 1984 to help promote the cultural and commercial bonds between the cities. It’s generally been considered the relationship has benefitted both parties which is great.

One of the annual sporting matchups that acknowledge the sister city status is the annual Sister Cities Shield contest between the Wellington Pheonix & Sydney Wanderers.

Many kiwis will visit Sydney at some point in their lifetime. The large city, population 5_ million, is famous for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and some amazing beaches (check out the Bondi Rescue YouTube channel).

For those who live in Sydney, they’ll often think of Sydney and Auckland as being somewhat similar. This contradicts Sydney being one of Wellingtons Sister Cities?

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Watch an NRL Game Live
• 2. Head to Bondi Beach
• 3. Photograph the Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House
• 4. Browse Paddington Market
• 5. Party at King’s Cross

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4. SAKAI (JAPAN)

Takeo Iguchi, the Japanese Ambassador to NZ, was the one who put forward the idea of the Sakai-Wellington sister city programme.

So in 1993, the Mayor of Wellington went to Sakai to put the process into action. The following year, the Mayor of Sakai flew to Wellington to formalise the agreement.

One of the great events in Wellington to come out of the relationship is the Japan Festival of Wellington which is held every two years.

Beyond the festival, there’s are regular exchanges between the two cities…including an annual marathon event.

Located next to the Osaka Bay, Sakai is a vital seaport in Japan, with a population of 828,741.

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Visit the Tumuli
• 2. Experience a Tea Ceremony
• 3. Wander Daisen Park
• 4. Tour the Sasuke Factory
• 5. Invest in High Quality Kitchen Knives (I’m not lying)

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5. XIAMEN, FUJIAN (CHINA)

The Xiamen-Wellington Sister City relationship dates back to the early 1980s when the Wellington council asked the Chinese Embassy about forming a link with a city somewhere in China.

The Embassy put forward Xiamen due to the similarities and in 1987 the Mayor of Xiamen flew to Wellington to sign a Sister City Relationship agreement.

In 1998 the Wellington Xiamen Association was formed to ensure there was support for the relationship going forward. And it’s worked! With various regular exchanges in various formats, such as the valuable one between Victoria University of Wellington and Xiamen University.

Xiamen had recently become one of the first four Special Economic Zones in China. Despite having over 5 million people living there, Xiamen is one of China’s best cities pollution-wise which helps with ranking highly (second) on the most suitable city for living in China…although I think I’ll stick with living in New Zealand 🙂

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Walk around Xiamen University
• 2. Explore Gulangyu Island for a Day
• 3. Visit the historic Fujian Tulou
• 4. Adventure through the Wuyi Mountains
• 5. Hang Out at Baicheng Beach

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6. BEIJING (CHINA)

When the daughter of the Chinese President at the time fell in love with Wellington in 1994, the first seeds had been sewn for a Beijing-Wellington sister city relationship to be formed.

It started later that year as a ‘friendly city relationship’. The long distance relationship was a success with each city taking more interest in each other over the following years and a formal Beijing-Wellington Sister City relationsal was signed in 2006.

Today there’s regular activites going on between the two cities such as:

• teacher training exchanges
• cultural festivals
• knowledge sharing around earthquake tech
• the Capital Cup foot match between the Phoenix and Beijing BG

Beijing is a massive city (over 20 million people) so there’s going to be something of interest for everyone here, particularly given the history of the city. It’s also the centre of mainland China for all things politics, economics, and culture meaning there are reasons to visit year-round.

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Wander the Hutongs
• 2. Take a day to see The Great Wall
• 3. Visit the Summer Palace
• 4. Watch a Kung Fu Show
• 5. Browse the Forbidden City

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7. CANAKKALE (TURKEY)

The Gallipoli Campaign (WW1) is one of the most important pieces of NZ history which makes the Canakkale-Wellington Sister City relationship an obvious one.

Quick Tip: The Gallipoli exhibition at Te Papa is a must see.

But it wasn’t until 2014 that the beginnings of a formal relationship were put in place, with the historical sister city relationship formalised later in the year.

One of the cool things this relationship has led to are the sonic wells that were built in both cities which means people in both cities can communicate. Like, actually communicate! You can find them on Cuba Street.

Canakkale is the gateway to Gallipoli in Turkey. Located on the coast, it’s not too far from Istanbul and is a nice city to spend a few days in. And the photo above is the actual horse from the Horse of Troy.

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Visit Troy
• 2. Check Out the Trojan Horse
• 3. Feel Anzac Cove
• 4. Hang at Gokceada Island
• 5. Visit Kilitbahir Fortress

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8. CANBERRA (AUSTRALIA)

The capital cities of Australia and NZ make for another logical sister city relationship.

While the relationship was already strong, the relationship will focus on trade, tourism and business between the cities among other things. That’s aided by Singapore Airlines deciding to fly between Canberra and Wellington.

Canberra is a bit of a hidden capital and doesn’t get the fame of places like Melbourne, Sydney, or the Gold Coast. That said, it’s home to over 400,000 people and it’s a planned city which is always interesting. It’s not a city you’d normally go out of the way to visit, however…

Five things to do on a visit:

• 1. Visit the Australian War Memorial
• 2. Wander about Lake Burley Griffin
• 3. Head to Mount Ainslie Lookout
• 4. Browse the Botanic Gardens
• 5. Learn stuff at the Royal Australian Mint

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As the one writing this, I enjoyed learning more about the sister cities of Wellington, where I grew up.

I know want to visit all of these cities on one trip, that’d be a unique experience.

The sister city concept is amazing. I’m going to start learning about the different sister cities NZ has (there’s 100+).