16 sisters may have to forge new link

Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

The Super City will have 16 sisters - from Galway in Ireland to Los Angeles in the United States to Qingdao in China.

They are among the 30 international relationships - full sisterhood, friendship cities or villages, strategic alliances and memoranda of understanding - built up by the cities being merged into the Super City.

About $55 million is added annually to Auckland's economy from Auckland City Council's relationships alone, before we even take into account Waitakere's memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi, North Shore and Nadi, and all those other Warkworths.

So what will become of our blended, splendid family under the new Auckland Council?

Will all our sisters be welcomed with open arms at the new Auckland Council chambers?

Roger Latimer hopes so. "North Shore City being a sister city with Qingdao in China has been a happy coincidence," says the managing director of TeknaTool International in Albany.

While TeknaTool has largely made its own way into mainland China by making woodworking tools and machinery, the value of sibling assistance has been beyond measure.

"North Shore City hosted a visit a few months back from Qingdao, and there was a very good dinner," said Mr Latimer.

"The mayor introduced us in one of the speeches. You really have no idea what that means to the Chinese."

This was because Chinese mayors held near-absolute power in their districts and cities.

"Through the party secretary and the mayor," said Mr Latimer, "they decide what business activities take place."