Mayor to attend international conferences

Dunedin (Friday, 11 November 2016) – Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull is heading to China this month to attend international conferences on healthy cities and gastronomy respectively.

He will attend the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion being held in Shanghai from 21-24 November. As part of this, WHO and the Chinese Government are jointly organising a landmark International Mayors Forum on Healthy Cities on 21 November.

Mr Cull will then attend the International Forum on Gastronomy in Macao from November 23-26 where he will be a keynote speaker on the relationship between creativity and cuisine.

Mr Cull's flights to and from China, as well as all expenses relating to the conferences, are being covered by the host cities.

"The fact I was invited to attend these conferences and have my expenses paid for reflects Dunedin’s ever-growing credibility and standing on the international stage. Increasingly, our city's economic and cultural development and sustainability, and how we respond to and adapt to change, will be informed by our international connections and knowledge sharing," says Mr Cull.

The International Forum on Gastronomy aims for participants to gain insight about the intricacy of weaving creativity into gastronomy while also fostering sustainability.

Mr Cull was invited to attend this forum as a guest speaker due to Dunedin's status as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature and on recommendation by the city of Östersund – a Swedish UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Mr Cull recently developed the idea of a digital cookbook containing recipes, prose and images that convey the cultural and literary flavour of the respective UNESCO Cities of Literature around the world. The cookbook, which will include an introduction from the city of Östersund, is currently being collated by DCC Director City of Literature, Nicky Page, for distribution across the network of 116 UNESCO Creative Cities.

"The potential for the whole cultural sector – design, literature, arts and more - to contribute to communities’ sustainable development and resilience is increasingly appreciated," says Mr Cull. "Innovation and creativity in food production and supply is part of that. Sustainable and healthy food production at every level has a major part to play in addressing some of the current global challenges – the future of work, climate change responses, and community and cultural development, as opposed to simple economic growth."

Meanwhile, the Mayors Forum at the WHO Conference will explore various issues including road safety, the urban environment and creating sustainable cities, healthy living, healthy ageing in the cities of tomorrow, mental health and wellbeing in cities, and how technology can be used to promote better health and health equity. Participation is this conference is by invitation only and about 750 government officials, mayors and health experts from around the world will attend.

"This is a great opportunity for city leaders from around the world to discuss the roles they can play to help make their cities the healthiest places they can be. It also has the potential to result in research collaboration opportunities," says Mr Cull.

University of Otago academic staff Dr Alex MacMillan, a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health, and Dr Ming Zhang, a Senior Lecturer in Anatomy, will accompany Mr Cull at the Conference in Shanghai.

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