Wellington Sakai Association

10/05/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who joined our Koinobori & Japanese Tea Ceremony event on Saturday 🧡🎏

We hope you enjoyed a lovely afternoon creating colourful koinobori flags and tasting traditional Japanese sweets and matcha tea 🍵✨

Our sister city mascot, Honey-wa, even made a special appearance out on the street and received plenty of supportive horn honks from passing cars 🚗😊

We were also delighted to have an adorable little corgi join us, making the event even more fun and memorable 🐶

Thank you again to everyone who attended and helped make the day so warm, joyful, and special 🧡

A special thank you as well to the Wellington Omote Senke Tea Ceremony Club for their beautiful tea ceremony performances and for serving delicious matcha tea from Sakai — Wellington’s sister city 🍵✨

05/05/2026

🎏05 May, Japan celebrates Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), also known as Children’s Day!
At the Embassy, we are marking this special occasion with a display of traditional Gogatsu Ningyo (五月人形) and Kabuto (兜). These beautiful warrior dolls and helmets symbolise strength, protection, and our hopes for the happiness and healthy growth of all children. ✨
本日、5月5日は日本の「端午の節句」、また「こどもの日」です。
在ニュージーランド日本国大使館では、子どもの健やかな成長と幸せを願い、伝統的な五月人形や兜を展示しています。🎏
機会がございましたら、ぜひお立ち寄りください！
Wishing everyone a joyful Children’s Day! 😊

28/04/2026

Koinobori (carp streamers) flown to celebrate Children's Day in Japan.

Photo by yuji9607

17/04/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXLBcugkjKS/?igsh=d2QycnFvaWVic3Nm

16/02/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our Kakizome – Japanese Calligraphy event on Sunday! It was wonderful to see so many people taking part in this special New Year tradition and putting their hearts into each brushstroke.

We were especially honoured to welcome His Excellency Makoto,
Osawa, Ambassador of Japan to New Zealand, as well as His Worship the Mayor of Wellington, Andrew Little, Councillor Afnan al-Rubayee, and Kathy Ombler from Otari-Wilton's Bush Trust to join us. Your presence made the occasion even more meaningful for our community.

This year, many participants practised writing the character for “horse” (馬) to celebrate the Year of the Horse — focusing on strong, confident brushstrokes that reflect energy, determination, and forward movement for the year ahead.

A huge thank you to the Calligraphy Club for doing such an amazing job demonstrating techniques and guiding participants through the fundamentals of brushstrokes, balance, and expression. Your patience and expertise helped everyone feel confident and inspired.

We truly appreciate everyone who attended, supported, and contributed to making the event such a warm and memorable gathering. We hope your calligraphy pieces bring you a year filled with positivity, strength, and new beginnings ✨

16/02/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our Kakizome – Japanese Calligraphy event on Sunday! It was wonderful to see so many people taking part in this special New Year tradition and putting their hearts into each brushstroke.

We were especially honoured to welcome His Excellency Makoto Osawa, Ambassador of Japan to New Zealand, as well as His Worship the Mayor of Wellington, Andrew Little, Councillor Afnan al-Rubayee, and Kathy Ombler from Otari-Wilton's Bush Trust to join us. Your presence made the occasion even more meaningful for our community.
This year, many participants practised writing the character for “horse” (馬) to celebrate the Year of the Horse — focusing on strong, confident brushstrokes that reflect energy, determination, and forward movement for the year ahead.

A huge thank you to the Calligraphy Club for doing such an amazing job demonstrating techniques and guiding participants through the fundamentals of brushstrokes, balance, and expression. Your patience and expertise helped everyone feel confident and inspired.

We truly appreciate everyone who attended, supported, and contributed to making the event such a warm and memorable gathering. We hope your calligraphy pieces bring you a year filled with positivity, strength, and new beginnings ✨

16/01/2026

Join us for a unique event exploring how Wellington and Sakai City (Japan) are tackling shared challenges through innovation.

Wellington and Sakai City share a long-standing sister city relationship, grounded in people-to-people exchange, learning, and collaboration. This event builds on that connection, bringing together two cities working on similar challenges from different contexts:

how to support ageing populations, disability inclusion, and preventative health through innovation.

Creative HQ and Sakai City invite you to this event to explore how each ecosystem supports socially minded startups — and where there are practical opportunities to collaborate across markets.

📅 Wednesday 28 January, 5:00–6:30pm
📍 Creative HQ, Wellington or online via Zoom
📩 RSVP to [email protected] by Monday 26 January

13/01/2026

📰 ASIA-OCEANIA QUALIFIERS OPENED WITH BIG SCORES AND TIGHT CONTESTS IN WELLINGTON 📰

Day 1 completed.

Wellington, you’ve been waiting for this! 🔥 Day 1 of the AOFC Men’s World Floorball Championship Qualifiers did NOT disappoint.

​The action at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre was electric from start to finish:
🇹🇭 Thailand set the pace with a dominant early showing against Hong Kong, China.
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands made history with their first-ever international goal. 🙌
🇦🇺 Australia took down Korea in an absolute nail-biter.
🇳🇿 New Zealand closed the night with a home win over China.

​The road to the Men's World Floorball Championships 2026 is officially open. Only 4 out of 10 teams will go on. Who are you rooting for? 👇 Drop in comments below.

Read more using link in bio.

02/11/2025

Saturday’s community tea ceremony was a wonderful success, with many guests enjoying the tea ceremony performance, traditional Japanese sweets, and matcha. Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the event so special.

Thank you also to the Wellington Omote Senke Tea Ceremony Club (Instagram : ) for the lovely performances and warm hospitality 🥰

31/10/2025