Kumagaya Trip Underway This Week

Invercargill Mayor and five councillors are travelling to Japan tomorrow to mark 30 years of the sister city relationship with Kumagaya.

Manager of governance and legal, Michael Morris confirmed that deputy Mayor Tom Campbell and councillors Trish Boyle, Alex Crackett, Darren Ludlow and Barry Stewart would all be going on the four-day trip.
Related: Delegation From Japanese Sister City Kumagaya Enjoying Invercargill Hospitality

The delegation will spend one night in Tokyo and three nights in Kumagaya, along with an interpreter and one council staff member.

Also in attendance and at their own cost will be the partners of some elected members as well as iwi representative Michael Skerrett, and Kumagaya Friendship Association representatives Don Moir and Joe Bagrie.

The group will hold a re-signing ceremony to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the agreement, signed in 1993, and resigned 10 years later, following inter-city visits from the Mayor and councillors.

Initially 2000 high students from Kumagaya also travelled to Invercargill, and then in return 1000 Southland students made the trip over to Japan.

The relationship generated an active exchange programme between secondary schools in the two cities, and many life long friendships have been made.

Kumagaya is about 60km from central Tokyo, an agricultural town with a love of rugby.

The group will participate in the Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival, visit its rugby stadium, and also travel to the town of Nagatoro, where there will be a farewell party hosted by the Kumagaya International Friendship Association.

Earlier this year, members of a 12-strong party from Kumagaya visited Invercargill, including the Mayor of Kumagaya, Tetsuya Kobayashi, Kumagaya City Council chair Katsumi Fukuya, city councillors and the president of the Kumagaya International Friendship Association, Kuniyoshi Matsumoto.