A 14-member delegation led by Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, visited Guangzhou from November 8 to 11. The primary goal of the visit was to further promote the longstanding sister-city relationship between the two cities while exploring innovative solutions to shared urban challenges.
Guangzhou and Auckland established their sister-city ties in 1989. Over the past three decades, the two cities have maintained frequent high-level exchanges and achieved fruitful cooperation across trade, education and culture.
As a highlight of the people-to-people exchanges during this trip, Mayor Brown donated copies of his newly published book "The Five-Minute MBA" to the Guangzhou Library, symbolizing the deep cultural connection and mutual understanding between the two municipalities.
At the book donation ceremony, Mayor Brown encouraged young people to read extensively, stating that solutions to global challenges can be found through continuous learning from books and real-world practice. He also took photos and answered questions from Chinese book lovers on site.
Beyond cultural ties, the delegation's itinerary focused heavily on seeking practical technological solutions for urban governance. They visited the National Advanced Energy Storage Innovation Center and PCI Technology Group, exploring a wide range of potential areas for cooperation.
"We were very impressed today when we visited the China Southern Power Grid's research center on electricity storage. This is a very important field, which you guys are well ahead in," Mayor Brown said. Noting that Auckland is trying to move away from diesel to protect the environment, he pointed out the intermittent nature of renewable energy. "It's a problem the world is facing. But I think the research center here is right at the leading edge of that," he added, expressing Auckland's strong interest in purchasing highly efficient batteries.
The delegation also found inspiration in the field of smart traffic management. Stuart Mullin, Governance Director of Auckland Council, noted that traffic congestion costs Auckland billions of dollars a year in lost productivity. "Some of the technology at PCI, like the smart traffic monitoring systems, will be able to help Auckland move around more quickly, meaning more productivity and economic growth for our largest city," he said.
Furthermore, Ken Cooper, National Response Capability Manager at Fire and Emergency New Zealand, highlighted the importance of technological innovation in emergency response. "Particularly, we're interested in how we can use drone technology for firefighting for the many hazards that are in New Zealand," Cooper said, emphasizing that the trip aimed to build relationships with Chinese counterparts and improve firefighter safety back home.
The delegation also visited China Southern Airlines and Guangzhou Municipal Construction Group, as well as several technology and fisheries projects in Nansha District, Guangzhou. The whole journey has not only reinforced the Guangzhou-Auckland friendship, but also opened new avenues for pragmatic, technology-driven cooperation between the two sister cities.
Reporter | Dong Han
Filming | Zeng Xiangxing, Chen Junpeng
Video editor | Zeng Xiangxing
Poster | Zeng Xiangxing
