Sister Cities

Gisborne District Sister Cities Inc. has the following relationships: 

Sister City

Palm Desert, California USA

Established 23 April 1981.
McCallum Aesthetic Education Programme – teacher exchange
Artist in Residence – Gisborne / Palm Desert biennial exchange

Palm Desert garden and cacti house within Gisborne's Botanical Gardens

Visit the website: Palm Desert Sister Cities(external link)   |   City of Palm Desert(external link)

Nonoichi-machi, Ishikawa, Japan

Established 30 March 1990.
Student exchanges between – Lytton High School, Gisborne NZ / Nonoichi and Fusui JHS Japan
Taiko drums purchased by GDSC / housed at Lytton High School for tutorials and general appreciation

Japanese garden with water feature within Gisborne's Botanical Gardens

Visit the website: Nonoichi City(external link)

Port of Rizhiao, Shandong Province, China

Established 3 August 1996.
Exchanges and reciprocal visits of interest include education, cultural, economic, agriculture, horticulture, forestry and food producing.

Mahina, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Established 2006.
Interests in common include relative Polynesian and Pacific cultures. Historical associations such as Captain James Cook’s observation of the “Transit of Venus” at Mahina, then (accompanied by “Tupaea” the high priest navigator and interpreter from Mahina), his 1769 “Voyage of Discovery”, first siting and land fall being “Young Nick’s Head and Poverty Bay on (9 Oct 1769) now known as the “City of Gisborne”, (first city to see the sun).

Sister Port

Gamagori, Aichi, Japan – est. 1996

Photographic competition – annual event  with Gisborne and Gamagori entries exchanged.

Friendly City

Cassino, Frosinone Province, Italy – est. 2009

Relationship via Maori Battalion

Valverde del Majano, Province of Segovia, Castile and Leon, Spain - est. 2012

Relationship via Jose Manuel family

Wenchang, Hainan Province, China – est. 2011

Relationship – to promote a range of products including our Gisborne wines

Whitby, North Yorkshire, England – est. 2005

Relationship – navigational traditions link – Captain James Cook, Whitby North Yorkshire UK

Shire of Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia - est. 2008

Gisborne Town est.1994 as sister city.
Australian garden within Gisborne's Botanical Gardens, features Australian trees and a sculpture - 'rain catcher'
Visit the website: Macedon Ranges Shire Council(external link)

For more information please email the Sister Cities secretary