International interaction opens up opportunities for friendship and learning within our community, and a wider understanding of the global community. We have formal links with five overseas cities and towns, and an active programme of educational, cultural, sporting and social exchanges with international partners. We encourage Porirua’s schools, clubs, organisations, businesses and individuals to get involved in these exchanges and other activities.
At local government level, these links enable experiences to be shared and new solutions considered. We can promote economic development by helping make people-to-people and business connections.
We established a Sister City relationship with the Japanese city of Nishio in 1993. It has a population of more than 100,000 and a history going back thousands of years. Our two cities have regular high school group exchanges, and fee-paying students from Nishio often come to study in Porirua. A Nishio citizens’ group visits Porirua annually, and many of our residents have paid return visits. We also have sporting exchanges, artwork exhibitions and performing arts tours. The two councils engage in exchanges, and work is underway to develop business opportunities that benefit both cities.
Read about Nishio: Nishio City Official Site
Blacktown is our Sister City in Australia, home to more than 300,000 people and just 35km from central Sydney. Porirua’s sister city agreement with Blacktown, signed in May 1984, spans more than 30 years. In that time, we’ve had numerous cultural exchanges between local artists and a range of civic, sporting and recreational activities. Occasional meetings of our councils help to increase our understanding of the issues our communities share.
Find out more about Blacktown: Blacktown City Council
Porirua made a Friendly City agreement with Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2008. The mountain town is about 240km northwest of Kabul and has a population of 62,000. It’s home to the region's provincial government and headquarters for most international and non-government organisations in Bamiyan province.
Porirua and Yangzhou established a Friendly City relationship in 2002. Yangzhou has a population of more than four million people and is a modern Chinese city with a rich history. It straddles the Grand Canal north of the Yangtze River and, with the opening of the Yangzhou –Zhenjiang Yangtze River Bridge in 2005, has become a strategic transport hub for the prosperous Yangtze River Delta.
Whitby, in North Yorkshire, England, has been a Twin City of Porirua since 2002. The streets and other place names of the Porirua suburb of Whitby are named after the expeditions of Captain James Cook. He got his inspiration for the Endeavour sailing ship from the original Whitby, which has a proud maritime tradition. It remains an important fishing village and is also a popular holiday destination. School, sporting and cultural links are now firmly established between our two cities.
Learn all about Whitby: Whitby Town Council
