'Political accountability' behind councillor's sister city question
"If you are going to send a crowd of people over to do something like this - an MOU is a very strong document to sit down a sign - there needs to be accountability."
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Invercargill Deputy Mayor Tom Campbell believes it would be almost impossible to know what level of increased exports or tourists can be tied to any sister-city relationship.
But he feels it made absolute sense to have a sister city relationship in China given over $700 million of exports through Bluff go to China, and 30% of all Southland’s exports go to China.
His comments follow a request by Cr Ian Pottinger for a staff report on Invercargill’s sister city agreements.
Invercargill currently has sister city agreements in place with Kumagaya in Japan and Suqian in China.
Other councillors supported Campbell’s comments around the importance of China as a trading partner.
Mayor Nobby Clark also stated there would be significant risk to opt out of such a sister city agreement.
However, Pottinger said the reason for requesting the report was about “political accountability”.
He pointed to a council-funded Invercargill delegation that was sent to Suqian, China in 2017 where a Business Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
At the time there was plenty of excitement attached to the signing of the MOU which states there will be cooperation around economy, education, sports, and tourism between Invercargill and Suqian.
At the time the Invercargill council explained how it would allow Southland businesses greater access to Suqian, which is a city of 5.8 million people.
There was talk of hospital staffing exchanges, the prospect of Southland entering a team in the International Eco Quadrathlon adventure race in Suqian, a potential retail space in Suqian to sell Southland products, and the potential to create and sell Southland tourism tours. Amongst other things.
Pottinger wanted to know what had transpired from that.
“It’s obvious the people in this room have not read that MOU,” Pottinger said at a council meeting on Tuesday.
“The main reason for raising this is political accountability. If you are going to send a crowd of people over to do something like this - an MOU is a very strong document to sit down and sign - there needs to be accountability.
“You can say that having a sister city is a great thing regardless of what happens, but it’s not the question I’m asking, it’s accountability.
“It’s like us doing something on council and then we can come back in six years and say, ‘nah, we didn’t really mean it at the time’. That’s all I’m asking for, is accountability.”
Cr Alex Crackett and Cr Lesley Soper were two current councillors who were part of that delegation that travelled to China in 2017.
Crackett pointed out the MOU was signed pre-Covid which meant the landscape had changed, in particular around tourism.
She added talk around being involved with the International Eco Quadrathlon adventure race in Suqian also was halted because of Covid.
There had been a sports relationship develop where Southland sent a rugby coach to Suqian to work with their rugby players, Crackett said.
Although that rugby coach was already in China working before that 2017 MOU was signed.
Crackett also pointed to Suqian students traveling to Invercargill to study at the Southern Institute of Technology, and the significant exports to China, as upsides to the relationship.
“The fact we haven’t spent any money on this, aside from building a Friendship Garden over the last few years, I think that the ratepayers might actually be quite comfortable to say we have benefited from the Memorandum of Understanding with the economy and exports since we’ve signed it.
“The $30,000 or $40,000 to send delegates on an exchange at that time was well worth it,” Crackett said.
Cr Campbell suggested it might be best to have another report outlining ways to reactivate the Suqian sister city relationship, rather than asking the question as to whether the council should let it slip away.
Cr Trish Boyle suggested the council should consult with Invercargill schools to get their views about the potential connections.