Auckland Council has been awarded the Best Business Project at the 2016 Sister Cities New Zealand Awards, held in Nelson on 29 April.
The award is sponsored by Air New Zealand. It recognises the value of the mission, led by Mayor Len Brown, of 43 Auckland business delegates to LA in 2015 as part of the inaugural tripartite summit between Los Angeles, Guangzhou and Auckland.
Auckland as gateway to Asia and North America
This was the first time the member cities of the Tripartite Economic Alliance had met. The only known global tri-city agreement of its kind, the alliance has enhanced Auckland’s ties with two of its most economically important formal global partners, and supports Auckland’s position as a strategic gateway into Asia and North America.
Teamwork played role in success
The LA mission was jointly managed by Auckland Council’s Global Partnerships and Strategy team and ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) in close collaboration with Auckland Transport and Ports of Auckland. The success of this project was also due to the council’s partnership with the New Zealand Consulate-General and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, as well as ongoing engagement with Auckland industry and business representatives.
Positive feedback from business
The award recognised the buy-in and sector-based approach of the project and the positive feedback received from business delegates, with a number of long-term business opportunities created with Guangzhou and LA.
The inaugural summit has set a solid foundation for the second tripartite summit, to be hosted in Auckland on 16 and 17 May 2016.
