Sister city delegates try hongi and hangi

By Graham Skellern
The time is right to strengthen ties between Tauranga and the Chinese city of Yantai in the areas of tourism, trade and economic development, education and cultural exchange.
That was the view of a high-powered Chinese delegation that made a whirlwind visit to the Bay yesterday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sister-city agreement between the two cities.
During the 24 hours they were in the city, members of the nine-strong delegation were treated to some fine Kiwi hospitality.
And it was long enough for their leader, Yan Yuan Tian, executive vice chairman of Yantai Municipal People's Congress, to indicate the time was right to strengthen ties.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby last year signed a memorandum of understanding with Yantai to develop business opportunities between the two cities and he is keen to advance these opportunities over the next two years.
Yantai, with a population of six million, is situated on the north coast of China and is part of the agricultural province of Shandong.
Mr Yan, the second highest ranking official in the congress, said 20 years of friendship might seem like a long time but in another sense it was a short span.
"We have lots of chances for further co-operation between the two cities. I'm sure more and more visitors from China will come to Tauranga and there are other important areas, such as aquaculture, where we can get more practical results," he said.
Mr Yan, making his first visit to Tauranga, was referring to the Ngati Ranginui project aimed at establishing land-based fish farming and processing in the Western Bay region.
The project team made a further presentation to the Chinese this morning, to follow up the interest shown during the visit by the Tauranga mayoral delegation to Yantai in April last year.
Another group of officials from Yantai - one of the world leaders in aquaculture - is expected to fly to Tauranga and discuss the prospect of forming a joint venture.
The officials will inspect the proposed fish farming sites and consider investing in the project by providing technical advice and capital funding. The fish grown in the Western Bay would be exported to Asian and other markets. Export New Zealand Bay of Plenty, Education Tauranga, Priority One and Tourism Bay of Plenty also made presentations to the Yantai delegation this morning.
Yesterday, the delegation was first treated to a traditional Maori welcome and challenge at Hairini Marae.
They couldn't leave without tasting the seafood, the hangi of pork, pumpkin and kumara, finished off with pavlova.
They walked off the big lunch by shopping at Bayfair before sitting down for a formal dinner at the Tauranga Club. One of the special guests was former mayor Noel Pope, who signed the original sister city agreement in 1986.
Mr Crosby presented Mr Yan with a Raye Catran landscape painting of native New Zealand fern.
In return, Mr Yan handed Mr Crosby a sculpture of two hands shaking.
The "hands of friendship" was 99.9 per cent pure gold and the sculpture caught the attention of New Zealand Customs at the Auckland International Airport.
The special wrapping was discarded but the sculpture will stay firmly in the mayor's office.
Mr Crosby and Mr Yan both planted exotic Chinese trees, called acer davidii, at Yatton Park, Greerton, today before the visiting delegation headed off to Kiwi 360 and then to Rotorua.
But during the whirlwind 24 hours the spirit of a cosy sister city relationship between Tauranga and Yantai lived on.