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