On 11 March, staff members of CLAIR Sydney visited Hutt City Council in New Zealand and met with Ms Vesna West, International Relations Manager. Ms West is in charge of Hutt City Council’s international relationships, including the City’s sister city relationship with Minoh City in Osaka Prefecture. In their meeting, the CLAIR Sydney staff received first-hand information on Hutt City Council’s ethnic diversity initiatives, and learned that Hutt City Council partners with the Hutt Multicultural Council to provide support to events held by the various ethnic communities in Lower Hutt. This support contributes to the overall settlement of immigrants and refugees in the city. Ms West and the CLAIR Sydney staff also discussed various ethnic diversity strategies overall in New Zealand.
The CLAIR Sydney staff also visited a heritage-listed building that was renovated and re-opened as the Hutt Minoh Friendship House. In the building, they were given details on the history of the sister city relationship between Lower Hutt and Minoh City, and learned about the current dynamic exchange activities between the two cities.
The CLAIR Sydney staff also met with President Tribhuvan Shrestha and Immediate Past President Anita Mansell of the Hutt Multicultural Council, which is a non-profit organisation that supports foreign-born residents in settling and integrating into life in Lower Hutt. Thanks to the kind hospitality of Mr Shrestha and Ms Mansell, the CLAIR Sydney staff were able to learn about Hutt Multicultural Council’s passionate activities and strong connections with the various multicultural communities in the city.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to research ethnic diversity initiatives of local governments and relevant organisations in New Zealand and Australia, and support sister city exchange activities between New Zealand/Australia and Japan.
