Sister cities for 40 years - Hastings and Guilin plan celebrations

The 2019 Osmanthus Gardens Lantern Festival at Cornwall Park. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hastings and its sister city Guilin in China are celebrating a 40 year relationship in March with a week of events.

The Lighting of the Osmanthus Gardens at Cornwall Park is set to be a highlight, while Toitoi – Hawke's Bay Arts and Events Centre is hosting a free show and mini-expo celebrating the relationship and telling the story of Guilin between March 1 and 7.

Even though Guilin is five times the area of Hastings and has a population of 4.7 million people, the districts are similar in a few ways.

They are both fertile growing areas with an average temperature of 19 degrees and focus on processing local produce (including wine), and growing tourism.

The sister city relationship was initially suggested by Hastings horticultural scientist Dr Don McKenzie, who had links with the Guangxi Institute of Botany in Guilin, before a formal agreement was signed in 1981.

Hastings District councillor Kevin Watkins said it has been remarkably successful.

"It has helped us to understand each other and, particularly for our business people, enabled an understanding of China's culture that has enabled them to spread their trading wings over much broader areas of China," he said.

Watkins added that the relationship has also raised awareness of Hastings in Guilin.

"As Chinese visitors to our shores have become more independent travellers, it has certainly increased the number of tourists getting off the well-worn Auckland-Rotorua-Queenstown track to come and visit our beautiful part of New Zealand," he said.

Functions on Hastings will host a free four-day exhibition showcasing information on the sister city journey and demonstrations of Guilin and wider Chinese culture, and there will be a free live event in the Hawke's Bay Opera House on the Friday night of that week.

The Lighting of the Osmanthus Gardens celebrates the relationship every year.

"It is always incredibly popular and this year we have additional space and lanterns ready, to help us celebrate what is a very special occasion," Watkins said.

More details about the events will come out in the next few weeks.