Four Councillors and two Council staff  will visit Suqian, China, to complete a staff exchange programme and to strengthen relationships for business and tourism opportunities.

The Invercargill City Council hosted Zhang Yue from Invercargill’s sister city Suqian during June and July, and has now selected Manager Communications, Secretarial Services and Records Eirwen Harris Mitchell as the ICC staffer to complete the exchange. Mrs Harris Mitchell will spend about a month in Suqian, starting in late August.

She will accompany a delegation including Deputy Mayor Rebecca Amundsen, Councillors Lesley Soper, Graham Lewis and Alex Crackett, and Council Chief Executive Richard King.

Chamber of Commerce President Carla Forbes and Venture Southland Chief Executive Paul Casson will also be part of the delegation.

The delegation will be in Suqian between August 24-28, after which Mrs Harris Mitchell will stay on to complete the exchange.

Mr King said the purpose of the visit was to renew and strengthen the relationship between Invercargill and Suqian  with a particular focus on business, trade, and tourism.

Mr Casson’s role in Suqian will be to help build tourism ties. It is hoped the Chamber of Commerce will in future host a trade delegation from Suqian in Invercargill.