The Cambridge Brass Band during their visit to Le Quesnoy.
Cambridge’s sister city relationships with Le Quesnoy and Bihoro are to be rekindled following a self-imposed Covid lull.
Community board chair Jo Davies-Colley and Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan head to France next month for the opening of the New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata.
Then only weeks later, a Le Quesnoy delegation will be in Cambridge for Armistice Day commemorations, followed by a Bihoro group which will pack in four days in and around the district.
Cambridge Community Board members were briefed on the visits at the board’s September meeting, held last night after The News went to print.
In the report tabled for the board, a spokesperson for Global Cities New Zealand – the overarching organisation for sister city relationships between New Zealand towns and cities and towns and cities overseas – described the sister city concept as unique.
“It is two-way. The give and take is shared by both sides, and provides for structured, continuous contact between the cities and citizens involved.
“It brings together the volunteer resources of each pair of sister cities… offering a mechanism at the community level for any person, or organisation, to become involved in the field of international relations by stimulating interaction between people of different cultures and countries on a people-to-people basis.”
Waipā ratepayers made a $150,000 contribution to fund the war memorial museum as part of the $15 million organisers needed to make it a reality.
Ironically O’Regan, then a district councillor, abstained from voting when council made the decision to fund it five years ago.
The property that will house the museum includes a four-level 19th century home, once Le Quesnoy’s mayoral residence, eight surrounding terraced houses on a 1ha site, and a stand-alone cottage and garage.
Both of Cambridge’s sister city relationships are long standing.
The 23-year sister city relationship with Le Quesnoy in France was established in 2000 and is “actively nurtured” by the Cambridge Le Quesnoy Friendship Association and the Le Quesnoy Sister City Working Group of the Cambridge Community Board.
More recently, the Le Quesnoy sister city connection has been fostering a relationship between the two rotary clubs – Rotary Club of Cambridge and Rotary Club Le Quesnoy Solesmes.
Additionally, Paralympics New Zealand is working to establish a relationship for para-athletes attending the Paralympics in France next year.
Cambridge’s sister city relationship with Bihoro in Japan recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Mike Vallabh, left, and Flavio Moghini of the Wai Taiko drummers entertain part of the crowd at the celebrations.
Short term exchanges between Bihoro and Cambridge high schools happen regularly, with members of the Bihoro Sister City Working Group of the Cambridge Community Board having close associations with residents of Bihoro.
Attendance to the official opening of the New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata – is expected to cost nearly $4500, while hosting the delegations from Le Quesnoy and Bihoro in Cambridge is projected to cost more than $11,000 and roughly $10,500 respectively.
The costs will be funded by the Sister Cities Reserve budget.
Meanwhile, the two-day 2023 Sister Cities Annual Conference which was scheduled for early November in Marlborough has been postponed until March next year.
Cambridge Community Board members had initially decided not to send representatives to the conference, given the November date was too close to the arrival of the Le Quesnoy delegation.
The historic manor house pre renovation
