Auckland and Brisbane cement long-term partnership

14 March 2013

Auckland and Brisbane cement long-term partnership

Business and civic leaders will soon take part in events to celebrate 25 years of the sister city relationship between Auckland and Brisbane.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will lead business leaders from Brisbane on a four-day business visit to Auckland in June.

Mayor Len Brown will reciprocate with a three-day business visit the same month.

In addition to commemorating, reaffirming and re-signing the sister city relationship, the events will also mark the 30th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER) between Australia and New Zealand.

This will be the first official Mayoral-level engagement with Brisbane, one of Auckland’s most long-standing partner cities, since the amalgamation of Auckland.

As well as high-level civic events, participating businesses will take part in tailored business sector meetings, business matching sessions, networking forums and site visits.

Participants will also attend corporate networking events at two league games, one in either city, marking the ongoing fierce sporting rivalry between Auckland and Brisbane.

Mayor Brown says, “Brisbane is a kindred spirit in the Asia-Pacific economic zone – the region identified as key to the global economy now and in coming years.. Brisbane and Auckland are the two biggest territorial local authorities in Australasia, and we have much in common. It is important that we foster strong connections between us.”

“Lord Mayor Quirk proposed these events to mark our 25th sister city anniversary, and it is an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships and investigate areas of potential collaboration, which will help Auckland to become a thriving Asia-Pacific innovation-driven business hub, identified as a key need in our Economic Development Strategy [EDS].

“Auckland’s economic future rests on us being a globally connected city, and forging strong ties with our closest neighbours is vital to us realising that.”

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says “Over the past 25 years, Auckland and Brisbane have worked together on a vast range of business, tourism, education and sporting activities and I look forward to continuing this relationship.

“Networking with other leading global cities allows Brisbane to exchange best practice ideas and experiences, inform future thinking on delivering economic growth and provide effective local services for the community.”

The mission is organised by Auckland Council and supported by Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Brisbane City Council and Brisbane Marketing.

The two-way business exchange was endorsed by the Auckland Council Regional Development and Operations Committee today.

Official engagements in Brisbane and Auckland, and a list of participating companies and organisations will be released immediately prior to the missions.

The FAQ sheet about the business exchange is available here.

ENDS

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