Family ties | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Try naming Auckland's sister cities. Here's a clue: Rodney District has a penchant for linking with any places around the world called Warkworth. Edward Rooney reveals the prospects for these family, if not familiar, ties

Our great new Auckland has 16 sisters - from Galway in Ireland to Los Angeles in the US to Qingdao in China. All up, there are 30 relationships: full sisterhood, friendship cities or villages, strategic alliances or memoranda of understanding.

The relationships have been nurtured through decades of careful negotiations to be currently worth tens of millions of dollars. About $55 million of GDP is added annually to Auckland's economy from Auckland City Council's relationships alone, before we even take into account Waitakere's memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi, North Shore and Nadi, and all those other Warkworths.

So what will become of our blended, splendid family under the new Auckland Council?

Will all our sisters be welcomed with open arms at the new Auckland Council chambers?

Roger Latimer hopes so. "North Shore City being a sister city with Qingdao in China has been a happy coincidence," says the managing director of TeknaTool International in Albany.

While Teknatool has largely cut its own path into mainland China by making woodworking tools and machinery, sibling assistance is beyond measure.

"North Shore City hosted a visit a few months back from Qingdao and there was a very good dinner," says Mr Latimer. "The mayor introduced us in one of the speeches. You really have no idea what that means to the Chinese."

To put it in some context, one needs to realise that Chinese mayors hold near-absolute power in their districts and cities. Their word is, in every way you care to imagine, law.

"Through the party secretary and the mayor," says Mr Latimer, "they decide what business activities take place."

In Titirangi, John Panoho of Navigator Tours is even more effusive about Waitakere's sisters. "What they bring to economic development is fantastic," he says. "It brings political grunt."

Historically, sister cities are the most recognised form of international link. The movement grew from a post-World War II initiative to repair relations in Europe and Japan, and was extended by President Dwight D Eisenhower's push for global peace in 1956. The fundamental idea: cities that knew each other would be less likely to bomb one another.

Immediately after the war, New Zealand cities formed a number of partnerships with European and US cities. In more recent times, New Zealand's range of partnerships has broadened and become more focused on economic benefits.

However, while New Zealanders see commerce and trade, it is important to acknowledge why these other cities want to be part of our family.

A recent survey by the Asia New Zealand Foundation found the most prevalent historic reason for choosing a sister city is "personal relationships". Key individuals present during the negotiations were twice as significant as other factors - such as potential for trade or business.

According to the same survey, the main goals for these overseas cities are cultural exchange and education opportunities.

The Aucklander has obtained a report prepared by the region's five largest councils to the Auckland Transition Agency. It sketches out more potential and sounds warnings over
mishandling the portfolio.

It notes: "The intention of these relationships is to proactively create, and strategically manage, opportunities for Auckland's stakeholders to learn about, experience and engage with international communities. In particular, to support local business, education, tourism and major events such as the Rugby World Cup, as well as to enhance Auckland's reputation as an active and appreciated member of the international community."

While no complete figure has been calculated on the value of Auckland's sisterhood, the report says: "There is potential for this figure to grow considerably with the amalgamation of the region's international connections."

The report also points out the benefits are civic and cultural, as well as economic.

Asked for a response, an ATA spokesman tells The Aucklander little more than it is for the new council to worry about. "Any decision to enter or exit any sister city arrangements would be made by the councils concerned. Before 1 November these decisions would be made by the current councils that have the arrangements. After 1 November this would be a matter for the new council."

The Aucklander understands, however, that issues of international relations will rest within the Economic Development functions of the new Auckland Council and one manager is being hired for the role.

As noted by the Asian New Zealand Foundation survey, Kiwis place some emphasis on fiscal gains from intercity relationships, but most other countries have other aspirations.

In Asia, particularly, the bond is a matter of huge civic pride and any reduction of interaction could be viewed as a painful slight.

Sister cities with Chinese siblings, for example, must be ratified by the Beijing government. Provinces can arrange Friendly Cities without ratification but these remain a particularly parochial concern.

For a Chinese city or province to be neglected or, even worse, ignored by a Beijing-sanctioned friend, could be taken as a near fatal loss of face.

The Aucklander sought comment from our embassy in Beijing on how any removal or lapse of sister city ties would be viewed in China's cities or provinces. The request was passed through diplomatic channels to Nicky Grant, a communications adviser with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The response is that China would see no need to drop ties.

"We understand that there are three sister city relationships between Auckland cities and Chinese cities (Auckland-Guangzhou, Waitakere-Ningbo and North Shore-Qingdao).

"As far as we are aware, the Chinese do not have any guidelines precluding a city from having more than one sister city relationship. Chinese cities often have more than one sister or friendly city relationship in the same country (for example, Shanghai has a relationship with several different regions in Japan). From the Chinese perspective, there does not necessarily need to be any removal of or lapsing of sister city ties."

An oft-stated objective of the restructuring of Auckland has been to make it a stronger presence in the international scheme of things.

Declared Prime Minister John Key at the "Making Auckland Greater" press announcement on his Government's radical council merger in April last year: "New Zealand needs Auckland to do well. All Kiwis stand to gain from a world-class city ... not only must Auckland be very local, but it must be very national, and very international. And these objectives should be reflected in the way the city is run."

It's clear the opportunities are there to be claimed, or lost, and how much is at stake for our reputations as well as our economy.

Says the joint report for the transition agency:

"Councils in the region have endeavoured to take advantage of their international partnerships to contribute to economic development initiatives, with notable progress achieved in the creative, marine, education, bioscience and tourism industries.

"The new council provides an opportunity to reprioritise and rationalise existing international relationships and programmes within a proactive and sufficiently resourced international strategy, focused on economic development.

"If Auckland is going to continue prospering in a world increasingly characterised by globalisation, then the Auckland Council needs to adopt a strategic and proactive approach towards international relations."

Will one manager within a council economic development department be enough to keep this newly reconstituted family of very different sisters satisfied?

Only the new mayor and council can answer that. But they can't say they weren't warned.

In a relationship

Manukau

Utsunomiya, Japan. Sister city, confirmed 2002
Government of Samoa. Memorandum of cooperation signed in 2005
Government of Cook Islands. Memorandum of cooperation signed in 2005
Government of French Polynesia. Memorandum of cooperation signed in 2006
Newcastle, Australia. Memorandum of understanding signed in 2002
Government of Tonga. To be confirmed
Government of American Samoa. To be confirmed

Waitakere

Kakogawa, Japan. Sister city, confirmed 1992
Galway, Ireland. Sister city, confirmed in 2002
Ningbo, China. Sister city, confirmed in 1998
Huntington Beach, USA. Sister city, confirmed in 1984
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Memorandum of understanding to be confirmed
Pune, India. Memorandum of understanding to be confirmed

Franklin

Hara-mura, Japan. Friendship city since 2002 (community level, council not involved)

Rodney

Warkworth, Northumberland UK. Sister city, since 1992
Warkworth, Ontario, Canada. Sister city since 2003
Warkworth, Northamptonshire, UK. Friendship village since 2000
Warkworth, Australia. Sister city since 2000
Furudono, Japan. Sister city, since 1999

Auckland

Brisbane, Australia. Sister city, since 1988
Busan, Korea. Sister city, since 1996
Fukuoka, Japan. Sister city, since 1986
Guangzhou, China. Sister city, since 1989
Hamburg, Germany. Strategic alliance, since 2007
Los Angeles, USA. Sister city since 1971
Tomioka, Japan. Friendship city since 1983
Shinagawa, Japan. Friendship city, since 1993

North Shore

Qingdao, China. Sister city, since 2008
Taichung, Taiwan. Sister city, since 1996
Pohang, Korea. Friendship city, since 2008
Nadi, Fiji. Memorandum of understanding, since 2006
Sichuan Province, China. Memorandum of understanding, since 2007
Thalpitiya, Sri Lanka. Adopted village, since 2005