Councillor Angela O'Leary and Mayor of Hamilton Tim Macindoe with the scholar’s rock from Lake Taihu gifted to Hamilton by the Wuxi government. Photo / Tom Eley
Hamilton’s mayor has praised the strength of the city’s ties with long-standing sister city Wuxi in China, after a visit to mark 40 years since the relationship began.
Mayor Tim Macindoe, councillors Angela O’Leary and Maria Huata, council chief executive Lance Vervoort, and Miao Fan, president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society Hamilton Branch, were invited by the Wuxi government, which covered all internal costs.
Council members covered their own flights and travel insurance.
Macindoe told the Waikato Herald the delegation was surprised by the invitation.
“We all went thinking, ‘We’re not even 200,000 people, they’re a city of 7.67 million. Why would they spend so much time with us?’”
The sister-city connection dates back to the founding of the Chinese Scholars’ Garden at Hamilton Gardens in 1986, which kicked off with the planting of a magnolia called the Friendship Tree.
Wuxi also gifted tiles, a turtle, tables, seats and a scholar’s rock to the garden. The Ting Pavilion is a replica of one in Wuxi.
During the Hamilton delegation’s recent visit, they received a warm welcome and celebrations included a ceremonial programme and cultural exchanges.
“They really rolled out the red carpet.”
Macindoe addressed an international sister-city delegation and attended the city’s cherry blossom festival.
A ceremonial gift presented during the visit included another scholar’s rock from Lake Taihu.
It has been suggested that the piece be placed prominently at the Hamilton Gardens’ visitor entrance, Macindoe said.
The Hamilton delegation also toured businesses and public infrastructure, including a metro station and a new metro line.
Wuxi officials also arranged visits to cultural landmarks linked to Hamilton, including the friendship garden where the Māori waharoa gifted by Hamilton in 1996 still stands.
The gate was presented during the 10th anniversary of the sister-city relationship by then-mayor Margaret Evans.
Wuxi Mayor Jiang Feng told the Waikato Herald in a statement the visit was an opportunity to deepen co-operation between Wuxi and Hamilton across a range of sectors.
Jiang welcomed Macindoe and the delegation, noting 40 years of sister-city ties had yielded “fruitful results” in trade, culture, and tourism.
He said Wuxi was keen to build on that foundation, particularly in complementary industries such as agriculture and food processing, while encouraging more business engagement and exchanges between the cities.
Jiang also signalled a focus on strengthening cultural links, youth exchanges and tourism promotion to deepen mutual understanding and friendship.
Macindoe said the relationship with Wuxi presented significant opportunities for Hamilton, particularly in investment, skills and technology.
“There’s a huge amount we can draw from a country of that scale, from population through to technological advances.
“There are clear two-way benefits.”
Macindoe said he used formal meetings with Wuxi officials to signal that Hamilton was ready to grow.
“We made it clear that Hamilton is open for business. We need to attract investment and skills, and we’ve got room to expand and take on more people.”
He said Hamilton’s existing Chinese community also strengthened those ties, making up about 5.8% of the city’s population.
O’Leary added that through the relationship with Wuxi, student scholarships had been set up via Wintec and the University of Waikato, as well as invitations to events such as the Wuxi Marathon.
“China values sister-city relationships. Their diplomats don’t form them randomly; there has to be a strong connection.”
Fan, who acted as translator and guide, said she was pleased Macindoe accepted this year’s invitation to Wuxi during the city’s international month celebrations and spring cherry blossom season.
Originally from Wuxi, Fan has been involved with the Hamilton branch since 2002 and was also part of the city’s last visit to Wuxi with former mayor Julie Hardaker about 10 years ago.
Fan said the sister-city relationship between Hamilton and Wuxi sat within a much longer history of New Zealand-China connections through the New Zealand China Friendship Society, which began in 1952.
Before the visit, Hamilton City councillors said they would consider reviewing their five sister-city relationships and their benefits.
They previously reviewed this in 2024.
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said this week Stats NZ’s latest monthly international travel data showed Chinese visitor arrivals were up 41,700 (increase of 214%) in February 2026 compared with the same month in 2025, as more Chinese visitors chose to take advantage of the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority and experience New Zealand’s unique scenery and hospitality over Chinese New Year.
Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. Before he joined the Hamilton-based team, he worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. He previously worked as a journalist at Black Press Media in Canada and won a fellowship with the Vancouver Sun.