International Relationships

We work with the Hutt Sister City Foundation, the Hutt Minoh House Friendship Trust and our international partners to develop opportunities in:

• Education
• Cultural exchange
• Business development
• Sport
• and tourism.

Sister City relationships

The cities we have relationships with are:

• Minoh City, Japan
• Taizhou City, China
• Tempe City, Arizona, USA

Minoh City, Japan 箕面市,日本国

Minoh City has a population of 120,000 and is located 20km from Osaka city centre. The formal relationship between Hutt City and Minoh City began in 1995 and activities include:

• Regular inbound and outbound to each city by Lower Hutt schools and community groups.
• Daily Skype programme at schools in both cities, War Memorial Library and the Minoh Multicultural Centre.
• Cooperation between Hutt Art Society and Minoh Art Association and Rotary Clubs.

The Hutt Minoh Friendship House at 38 Normandale Road, Lower Hutt is meeting place for exchanges and Japanese culture classes. It is home to people with an interest in Japan. The Hutt Minoh House Friendship Trust supports community groups and individuals to pursue not-for-profit projects that create Japanese education and cultural awareness. For more visit the Hutt Minoh website.

Tempe City, Arizona, USA

Tempe has a population of 158,000 and is a hub for science, technology and innovation. We signed a sister city agreement with Tempe in 1981 and the relationship has involved many exchanges. 

The Hutt Sister City Foundation runs two annual exchange programmes with Tempe:

• A student exchange for four young people to host a 'brother' or 'sister' for five weeks before travelling to Tempe for a five-week homestay.
• A teacher exchange for three teachers to learn about each respective educational system and approach.

Business groups from Lower Hutt regularly visit Tempe. We work with science, technology and innovation organisations in and near Tempe, such as Arizona State University and TechShop. These activities have informed recent development in our city’s science and technology sectors.

Xi'an City, China 中国 西安

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and is a well known tourist destination. Our co-operative relationship focuses on local government information exchanges.

The walled city of Xi'an was the capital of China for 2,000 years. Today it is famous for being the home of the terracotta warriors. 

Taizhou City, China 中国 泰州

Hutt and Taizhou cities signed a friendly city agreement in February 2005. Since then we have had local government exchanges and identified business, education and community exchange opportunities. Our relationship became closer in 2008 with the signing of a sister city agreement.

Taizhou City is situated in Jiangsu Province and is a four-hour drive from Shanghai. Taizhou has a population of 5 million and its major industries are automotive, appliance, electronic and pharmaceutical production.

Zhejiang, China 中国 浙江省 

Lower Hutt shares in a regional relationship with the Zhejiang province of China. In September 2012 we signed an agreement alongside Wellington, Porirua and Upper Hutt. Our work together is focused on economic opportunities. 

Hwaseong, Korea

In September 2009 we signed a friendship agreement with Hwaseong. Since then we have received education visits.

Laredo, Texas, USA

A friendly city agreement was signed in October 2011.

Further information

For more information on our sister city relationships, get in touch with our International Relations Manager.