Auckland Harbour is an
important center for business
and tourism development in
North Island, New Zealand

Former North Shore City mayor
George Wood (middle) said
that the bond between the two
cities would be strengthened
by the delegation's visit.

The delegation paid a visit to
city councilor Arthur Anae
(middle) and enjoyed a
pleasant conversation with
him.

Taichung delegation chairman
Liao Jing-zhi attended the
Taiwan Movie Festival. Photo
by Tu Zheng-hong.

The pineapple cakes and map
and booklet about Taichung
city were favored by Taiwan
Business Leaders Forum
attendees.

Sister cities Greater Taichung and Greater Auckland face the future together

Words by Li Jia-ling　Translated by Angel Pu
Photos by Li Jia-ling and Tu Zheng-hong

In 1996, Taichung city launched a sister-city relationship with New Zealand's North Shore City (which merged into Auckland City, an important North Island metropolis). Since then, not only have the two cities shared close connections, but they also have undergone similar forms of development and expansion. In 2010, Taichung city and county merged as Greater Taichung and, in November of the same year, the seven city governments of the Auckland region merged into a mega-city known as Greater Auckland.

In August, the Taiwan Business Leaders Forum in Auckland City was jointly held for the first time by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, Auckland City Government and Taichung City Government. Discussed issues included business opportunities offered by the Taichung Gateway Park project, development of culture and creative industries, intellectual property rights, and tourism information, attracting the attention of Taiwanese living in New Zealand. To promote Taichung city, the city government also handed out various gifts, including pineapple cakes, key chains, flyers, and DVDs about Taichung investment opportunities and the city's renewable energy efforts.

To boost Taichung-Auckland communications and cooperation in the areas of business, culture, investment and tourism, participants widely expressed the hope that similar forums could be held regularly in the future. In addition, Taichung City Government's Economic Development Board, Cultural Affairs Bureau and Tourism Bureau all gave introductions to the city's latest industrial developments, culture, and tourism policies to help New Zealand participants learn more about Taichung.

The Taichung City Government delegation not only attended the Taiwan Business Leaders Forum in New Zealand, but also paid a formal visit to the Greater Auckland Government and city council. Current city councilor and former North Shore mayor George Wood and city councilor Arthur Anae greeted the Taichung delegation personally and enjoyed a great time with them. Wood expressed confidence that the two sister cities would enjoy even more future connections following North Shore City's merger into Greater Auckland. Adding that he believed Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu had done an excellent job promoting Taichung city to the world, he said Greater Auckland should also head in the same direction.

While meeting with the delegation, Wood talked about business, tourism and cultural cooperation between the two cities, and how interested he was in sightseeing cruises, Taichung Port and Taichung Gateway Park. After the meeting, he showed delegation members some infrastructural projects, such as bus lanes, that had been completed during his term. City councilor Anae also shared successful urban landscaping experiences as a reference point for constructing the eco-friendly Taichung Gateway Park. When it came to cultural communications, the Auckland City delegates were very interested in Taichung city performing arts groups, and said that they were more than happy to invite some of these to New Zealand for future performances.

The Rugby World Cup also kicked off in Auckland City in September and members of the Taichung delegation went to Eden Park Stadium--site of the World Cup opening ceremony and finals--to see the facilities. In addition, the delegation attended the opening ceremony for the Taiwanese Toys Festival, organized by Taiwanese living in New Zealand. It featured many authentic Taiwanese snacks such as sausages and pig-blood cakes, plus nostalgic toys like pinball games and bamboo dragonflies, which attracted numerous Taiwanese and local New Zealand participants. Another big event opening at the same time was the Taiwan Movie Festival, showing four films that introduced the beauty of Taiwan. Taichung City Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chairman Liao Jing-zhi promised that an additional two or three movies subsidized by Taichung City Government would be shown at next year's movie festival.

Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu previously noted that the airport and port were windows connecting Taichung city to the world. Both Taichung and Auckland have airports and harbors, and the two cities show a similar determination to develop international business, tourism and culture. Taichung's delegation did so much to promote Greater Taichung and attract more investors during this trip and, after personally witnessing so many similarities shared by Greater Taichung and Greater Auckland, delegation members are expressing the belief that the two large cities are heading towards a bright future together.