MEDIA RELEASE
Japan Local Government Centre (CLAIR Sydney) hosts 2002 CLAIR Forum in collaboration with Local Government New Zealand

For immediate release on 20 November 2002

Sydney, Australia – 11 November 2002 – The Japan Local Government Centre, in collaboration with Local Government New Zealand, will hold their annual one-day CLAIR Forum in Wellington on Friday 6th December, 2002. The CLAIR Forum is an annual one-day seminar inaugurated in 1995 to provide Australian and New Zealand central and local government officials, and academics with the opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas with peers and visiting experts from Japan.

This year, New Zealand presenters former Prime-Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Dr Bill Ryan of Victoria University, and Dr Roger Blakeley, Chief Executive of Porirua City will join Professor Graham Sansom, Director of University of Technology Sydney Centre for Local Government, and Jon Edwards, CEO of Frankston City Council from Australia and Professor Shunichi Furukawa of Tsukuba University, and Toshifumi Akimoto, President of the Japan Academy for Municipal Personnel from Japan, to speak on the theme ‘Form, Function and Funding – Evolution of Local Government in New Zealand’.
This is the first time that the CLAIR Forum will be held in New Zealand. Japan has long held an interest in administrative reform in New Zealand, and the experience of local governments in New Zealand will offer Japanese authorities, and vice versa, valuable insight, in terms of increased management efficiency.

The last two decades have been a period of significant local government reform in Australia also. The experience of New Zealand, as an example for international comparison, will also prove worthwhile from an Australian perspective.

The 2002 CLAIR Forum in Wellington presents a unique opportunity for representatives from New Zealand, Japan and Australia to exchange opinions, experiences and practical knowledge on local governments and its effect on our communities.

Further information can be obtained from the Japan Local Government Centre website at http://www.jlgc.org.au/Forum/home_eng.htm

ENDS

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