29/07/2026
Welcome to our two visiting groups from Kumagaya. We hope you have a great time here in Invercargill.
I hosted 37 high school students from Kumagaya plus their teachers at a reception at the Civic Theatre today.
Since 1993, when our Sister City relationship was forged, literally thousands of students have gone both ways to stay with host families and to attend school and make friends.
The whole purpose of Sister City relationships is misunderstood these days. Founded after WWII the purpose was to foster personal friendships between peoples of different countries by cultural, sporting and educational exchange.
At the highest level its purpose was to create a more peaceful world. So exchanges and the friendships they create were not a means to an end (like trade or tourism), those friendships were the end in themselves.
Whenever Sister Cities are mentioned I always get asked “what do we get out of it in dollar terms ?” but actually the question misses the point.
