International relationships

Christchurch’s International Relationships include formal sister city links with five cities and a province in China, as well as an added strategic partnership with Wuhan, China.

On 4 April 2006 the strategic partnership with Wuhan, China was formalised when Mayor Garry Moore signed a Friendship City Agreement with Mr Li Xiansheng, Mayor of Wuhan.

These relationships reflect both New Zealand’s traditional ties to England and Australia, and the growing importance of the Pacific Rim region to the future of Christchurch and New Zealand.

Sister Cities programmes foster communications across borders – a mutual exchange of ideas, people and materials in cultural, educational, youth, sports, municipal, professional and technical projects.

Christchurch has six sister city links: Adelaide, Australia; Christchurch, England; Gansu Province, People’s Republic of China; Kurashiki, Japan; Seattle, United States of America and Songpa-Gu, Korea.