Mayor welcomes Taiwanese Council of Indigenous Peoples
20 February 2014
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick welcomed a delegation of dignitaries from Taiwan, representing the 2014 Council of Indigenous Peoples today [20 February].
The 42 strong delegation, comprising mostly mayors of Taiwanese towns, were welcomed with a traditional pohiri at the Rotorua District Council Civic Centre.
After the welcome presentations were made on a range of council and business related activities which have Maori involvement, including tourism and economic programmes. The delegation has a particular interest in Maori culture as well as Maori business, education, tourism, and local government administration from a Maori perspective.
The delegation's visit is linked to the ANZTEC agreement (essentially a free trade agreement between New Zealand and Taiwan) which came into force in December 2013. Chapter 19 of the agreement relates specifically to promotion of cultural and business exchanges between the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and Taiwan.
The visit by Taiwanese mayors and other delegation members is aimed at building understanding of Te Ao Maori (the Maori world) among Taiwanese indigenous people.