Online cultural exchange with Sister City

Online cultural exchange with Sister City

Hutt City Council has partnered with NEC New Zealand and Sister City Minoh in Japan to install 'Live Skype Windows' to allow for cultural exchange in real time.

The link will be launched with a Skype-based event between the Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace and the Mayor Kurata of Minoh, and school children of the two cities on Wednesday at Epuni Primary School.

Hutt City Council has a longstanding sister city relationship with Minoh City.

Mayor Ray Wallace says, "Our relationship with Minoh encompasses a significant number of educational, business, cultural, sporting and council exchanges so it's wonderful to be able to add to that a digital exchange."

"We have portals at two local schools and one at the War Memorial Library which allows members of the community to share and exchange with the Minoh community at their Multicultural Centre."

NEC New Zealand Managing Director Mr Leonard Dench says, "The conferencing technology is a great opportunity for students from the Tui Glen and Epuni Primary schools to engage with the sister Japanese schools in Minoh every day and become virtual classmates."

The links have been established between
• Epuni Primary School in Lower Hutt and Todoromi No Mori Gakuen in Minoh.
• Tui Glen School in Stokes Valley, and Saito No Oka Gakuen in Minoh, and
• Lower Hutt War Memorial Library, with the Multicultural Centre in Minoh.

The schools will connect via Skype Monday to Friday from midday and the Library portal is available from 1pm - 8pm weekdays and 1pm - 4.30pm weekends.

ENDS

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