MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 17 March 2004

High profile speakers to address Christchurch sister-cities conference

Building stronger sister-city relationships will be the focus next week, when delegates from New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific gather to attend the NZ Sister Cities Racing Ahead 2004 Conference (24-27 March) at the Christchurch Convention Centre.

Christchurch Deputy Mayor Lesley Keast, chair of the Conference Organising Committee, says the four day event promises to be rewarding for Mayors, Councillors, city officials and volunteers involved in sister-cities programmes.

“'Sharing the Knowledge' is what it's all about and through some great speakers and the success of their sister city experiences we'll be doing exactly that. With day themes of Peace & Friendship, Culture and Education/Economy there promises to be something of interest for everyone.”

Highlights of the conference programme will include the official opening by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark and keynote addresses from NZ Ambassador to Korea, David Taylor; Australian High Commissioner to NZ, Dr Allan Hawke; peace activist, Dr Kate Dewes; Professor Tom Furness, founder of Canterbury University’s Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab; and Jennie Lee from the City of Casey, Australia, who will share her experience and knowledge of young people and sister cities.

The conference should provide excellent opportunities for delegates to establish friendships in Australia, China, Japan and Korea, with each of these countries having a significant presence at the event. Among these representatives will be a multi-provincial Chinese delegation.

The full conference programme is available at www.sistercitiesconference2004.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>