Bihoro mayor Koji Tsuchiya thanks the Cambridge Primary School kapa haka group for the welcome in the Japanese Garden at the Library. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Planning is underway for the first official post-Covid visit to Cambridge’s sister city Bihoro and members of the public are invited to be part of it.
The group of eight – a mix of elected officials and members of the public – will travel to Bihoro in Japan in September-October. Cambridge Community Board member Alana MacKay said preference would be given to delegates who can contribute across the two identified areas of interest for the visit – education and agriculture.
Alana MacKay and Liz Stolwyk at the Bihoro garden adjacent to the library. Photo: Viv Posselt
Homestay accommodation will be provided in Bihoro as part of the sister city relationship, but travel and other expenses will be funded by candidates, with any council costs limited to an official gift for the delegation. MacKay said there may be an opportunity for members of the public who are selected to apply to The Lovely Fund for a contribution towards travel costs.
The Lovely Fund is an independent trust fund that was created around the time the sister city relationship with Cambridge was formed in 1997. The fund came into being after a gift of a million Japanese yen (then $13,500) was donated by Mr Masaharu Yamaki, the man who initiated the relationship with Bihoro and who has helped foster the relationship between the two towns.
In the years since its formation, there have been regular exchanges between Bihoro and Cambridge High schools. Members of the Bihoro Sister City Working Group within the Cambridge Community Board hold close associations with Bihoro residents, and during the Covid pandemic, an exchange of photographs of the two towns replaced visiting delegations.
Last November, the Community Board hosted delegations from Bihoro and Cambridge’s other sister city, Le Quesnoy. It was during that visit that the Bihoro delegates signalled their desire to extend an invitation for Waipā to visit, and the invitation arrivied last month.
Those interested in being part of this year’s delegation can apply before May 31. Forms are available from Alana Mackay
