Agenda of Employment and Economic Development Policy Committee

Employment and Economic Development Policy Committee 4 February 2020

2.3 Minutes of the Sister Cities Community Committee held 30 October and 11 December 2019

RECORD NUMBER: 2019/2805

AUTHOR: Nick Redmond, Manager Corporate and Community Relations

EXECUTIVE Summary

The minutes of the Sister Cities Community Committee held in 30 October 2019 and 11 December 2019 are provided to the Employment and Economic Development Policy Committee for adoption.

Link To Delivery/OPerational Plan

The recommendation in this report relates to the Delivery/Operational Plan strategy “4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs”.

Financial Implications

Nil

Policy and Governance Implications

Nil

Recommendation

1 That Council acknowledge the reports presented to the Sister Cities Community Committee at its meeting held on 30 October 2019 and 11 December 2019.

2 That Council determine recommendation 4.1 from the minutes of the Sister Cities Community Committee meeting of 30 October 2019.

4.1 Sister Cities Community Committee Action List Update

That the action list for the Sister Cities Community Committee be updated to reflect the following actions :

· That contact again be made with federal department authorities to explore funding to assist with a review of strategic planning in Mt Hagen.

· That a report be brought to a future meeting about whether there was any existing reserve on funding being held by Orange City Council which could contribute to a review of planning in Mt Hagen.

· That a committee be formed from staff and community members to prepare for the visit in 2020 of the Mayor of Ushiku to Orange.

· That the option of hosting a Sister Cities promotional stall at the Harmony Day event in 2020 be explored.

· That the option of expanding the staff exchange with Timaru by inviting local citizens to take part be explored, and through involving sporting tours.

· That the option of livestreaming the Ushiku Cup Japanese Speaking competition be explored.

3 That Council determine recommendation 4.1 from the minutes of the Sister Cities Community Committee meeting of 11 December 2019.

4.1 Sister Cities Community Committee Action List Update

That the action list for the Sister Cities Community Committee be reviewed and updated to include the following matters:

· That Council staff be requested to inspect the bronze statue (donated in 1994 by Ushiku) at the theatre entrance and arrange for any required expert maintenance ahead of the visit by the Mayor of Ushiku.

· That Council’s Parks & Gardens staff be requested to explore a proposal to renew the ‘Sister Cities Garden’ (next to the theatre in Byng St) to once again include plants which reflect Orange’s Sister Cities.

4 That the remainder of the minutes of the Sister Cities Community Committee at its meeting held on 30 October 2019 and 11 December 2019 be adopted.

further considerations

Consideration has been given to the recommendation’s impact on Council’s service delivery; image and reputation; political; environmental; health and safety; employees; stakeholders and project management; and no further implications or risks have been identified.

Attachments

1 Minutes of the Meeting of the Sister Cities Community Committee held on 30 October 2019

2 Sister Cities Committee Agenda 30 October 2019, D19/74691 ⇩

3 Sister Cities Community Committee Minutes 11 December 2019, D19/74657 ⇩

4 Sister Cities Community Committee Agenda 11 December 2019, D19/74597 ⇩

5 Sister Cities Community Committee Action Plan, D19/60203 ⇩

ORANGE CITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE

Sister Cities Community Committee

HELD IN Councillors Workroom, Civic Centre, Byng Street, Orange

ON 30 October 2019

COMMENCING AT 5.30pm

1 Introduction

Attendance

Cr K Duffy, Cr T Mileto, Mr G Bloore, Mr D Brooks, Mrs J Goodacre, Mr C Gryllis, Mr B Ostini, Communications Officer

1.1 Apologies and Leave of Absence

RESOLVED Mr D Brooks/Mr B Ostini

That the apologies be accepted from Mrs S Pirie and Ms Aya Hurford for the Sister Cities Community Committee meeting on 30 October 2019.

1.2 Acknowledgement of Country

1.3 Declaration of pecuniary interests, significant non-pecuniary interests and less than significant non-pecuniary interests

2 Previous Minutes

RESOLVED Mr B Ostini/Mr D Brooks

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Sister Cities Community Committee held on 24 July 2019 (copies of which were circulated to all members) be and are hereby confirmed as a true and accurate record of the proceedings of the Sister Cities Community Committee meeting held on 24 July 2019.

3 Presentations

3.1 Update on Mt Hagen

TRIM Reference: 2019/2210

Chris Gyllis gave a verbal presentation to the meeting. He reported that a new mayor had been elected in Mt Hagen and that the election process had proceeded much more smoothly than recent elections. Chris Gryllis and Cr Tony Mileto had attended the recent PNG Independence Day celebrations in Canberra. Chris said he had met with the new PNG High Commissioner and invited him to visit Orange. The meeting heard there had been no further response from federal authorities regarding funding to conduct planning reviews in Mt Hagen.

RESOLVED Mr G Bloore/Mr D Brooks

That the report be noted.

3.2 Update on Timaru

TRIM Reference: 2019/2211

The Communications Officer reported on a recent phone conference between the Council staff in Orange including the CEO and staff at Timaru (including the General Manager). It had been agreed that staff exchanges would begin in 2020 with reciprocal visits to be arranged. The meeting discussed the suggestion that community members could be invited to join in the staff exchange visits.

RESOLVED Cr T Mileto/Mr G Bloore

That the report be noted.

3.3 Update on Ushiku

TRIM Reference: 2019/2212

Ms Junko Goodacre gave a verbal report on recent events. It was reported that the Anglican Grammar School are no longer teaching Japanese language classes. The primary department of Calare school are engaging conversations via Skype with a primary school in Ushiku. The meeting heard that a school visit was planned for March 2020 and that the new welcome banner should be completed by then. The meeting discussed news of the proposed visit by the Mayor of Ushiku to Orange in 2020, and the suggestion of forming a committee of Sister City Committee members and staff to prepare for the visit.

RESOLVED Ms J Goodacre/Mr G Bloore

That the report be noted.

3.4 Update on Orange, California

TRIM Reference: 2019/2213

Bryce Ostini reported that during the recent National Sister Cities Association (SCA) conference, a representative of the SCA president had agreed to raise the issue of re-establishing contact with the City of Orange, California. Chris Gryllis said he would approach a personal contact in Orange California to ask about the impact of recent bushfires.

RESOLVED Mr C Gryllis/Mr B Ostini

That the report be noted.

3.5 Report on Sister Cities Australia National Forum

TRIM Reference: 2019/2214

Bryce Ostini presented a verbal report and presented a written report (Copy attached) on his recent attendance at the Sister Cities Association National Forum event in Perth. Among the strategies discussed was looking for opportunities to promote what’s happening in the Sister Cities field to the Orange community.

RESOLVED Mr D Brooks/Cr T Mileto

That the report be noted.

3.6 Motion from Orange City Council

TRIM Reference: 2019/2215

The meeting discussed the recent decision of Orange City Council to ask for a review of the Sister Cities Community Committee and its activities. The meeting discussed ways of promoting its activities, such as a stall at Harmony Day events. The meeting discussed exploring ways of replacing non-attending members, and the possibility of Bryce Ostini speaking to a council meeting. The meeting heard that the review would be prepared by staff for presentation to council.

RESOLVED Mr D Brooks/Mr G Bloore

That the report be noted.

4 General Reports

4.1 Sister Cities Community Committee Action LIst Update

TRIM Reference: 2019/2217

RESOLVED Mr C Gryllis/Mr G Bloore

That the Action List for the Sister Cities Community Committee be reviewed and updated to reflect the following actions :

That contact again be made with federal department authorities to explore funding to assist with a review of strategic planning in Mt Hagen.
That a report be brought to a future meeting about whether there was any existing reserve on funding being held by Orange City Council which could contribute to a review of planning in Mt Hagen.
That a committee be formed from staff and community members to prepare for the visit in 2020 of the Mayor of Ushiku to Orange.
That the option of hosting a Sister Cities promotional stall at the Harmony Day event in 2020 be explored.
That the option of expanding the staff exchange with Timaru by inviting local citizens to take part be explored, and through involving sporting tours.
That the option of livestreaming the Ushiku Cup Japanese Speaking competition be explored.

The Meeting Closed at 6.24 pm.

Employment and Economic Development Policy Committee 4 February 2020

Attachment 4 Sister Cities Community Committee Action Plan

D19/60203

Sister Cities Community Committee

Action Plan

Action	Who	Delivery/Operational Plan reference	Cost implications	Resourcing implications	Start	End	Update/Completed
Coordinate an appeal to assist communities affected by recent earthquakes in PNG. The committee has recommended making donation to local school in Mt Hagen.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	$500 allocation by council	Staff time to coordinate.	6 July 2018	Feb 2019	COMPLETED: Appeal concluded. Funds transferred to local school in Mt Hagen.
Continue with program of bringing more trainees from Mt Hagen for skill training in Orange.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be considered in future budget.		When funding is available		ONGOING: Funding opportunities are being explored.
Send council planning staff to Mt Hagen to assist with review of key planning documents.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be considered in future budget.		25 July 2018		ONGOING: Funding opportunities are being explored. This PNG option is to take a higher priority than trainees.
Explore exchange visit with council staff to Timaru.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be considered in future budget.		6 July 2018	23 October 2019	COMPLETED: Agreement reached with Timaru Council to host reciprocal staff visits in 2020.
Liaise with Orange schools to support exchange visits as necessary. Specifically, explore opportunities created by Canobolas High withdrawing from program	Committee Members and Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	No budget required		6 July 2018		ONGOING
FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Continue to explore new directions for future activity of Sister Cities Committee.	Committee Members & Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	No budget required.				ONGOING
A report be produced for the next meeting to enable discussion and planning about future spending recommendations by the Committee. The report to include: the amount in the 2018/19 council budget for Sister Cities activities, what amounts had been spent from this allocation in recent years and for what purposes.	Communication Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	29 August 2018	7 November 2018	COMPLETED: Report presented to 7 November 2018 meeting.
The material available on the council website and social media channels about local Sister Cities activities and programs be expanded, with the aim of boosting community awareness of the program.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	15 August		COMPLETED: A Sister Cities page is on the new Council website. There is room for more coverage of activities.
Bring costings for a ‘Welcome’ banner, a Japanese flag and suggestions to improve the council welcome events for visiting exchanges students.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Approx $300	8 November 2018	October 2019	ONGOING: Costing presented to meeting. Circulated text. Banner to be produced prior to March 2020 exchange visits.
Information about the next national Sister Cities Association conference be circulated to Sister Cities committee members.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	8 November 2018	August 2019	COMPLETED: Information provided to committee members on next conference. Bryce Ostini attended the national forum and provided report.
That the section of the Community Strategic Plan that outlines the work of the Sister Cities committee be circulated to committee members	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	8 November 2018	Feb 2019	COMPLETED: Details supplied to committee members.
That a letter of congratulation be sent to the incoming mayor of the City of Orange, California once the results of the Nov 6 election are known.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	8 November 2018	Jan 2019	COMPLETED: Letter sent.
That Christmas greetings be sent to the council leadership of each of the sister cities.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	8 November 2018	Dec 2018 and Jan 2019	COMPLETED: Letter sent.
That a prospective date for the next meeting on a Wednesday in February at 5.30pm be circulated to committee members.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	8 November 2018	Feb 2019	COMPLETED: Date circulated.
Circulate prospective dates for committee meetings in 2019 to committee members.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	ASAP	21 June 2019	COMPLETED: Meeting dates circulated to committee by email 21 June. (Dates : 24 July, 23 October, 11 December)
That the Sister Cities Committee recommend Orange City Council consider installing an electronic message board at the Civic Centre, which could be used to convey community messages such as welcome to exchange groups.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be determined	To be determined			ONGOING: Recommendation to be conveyed to Council with next minutes
That two members of the Sister Cities Committee, including one staff member, be supported to attend the national Sister Cities Association forum in Perth in September, or if budgeted funds are sufficient, an additional committee member attend the event.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be determined	Nil		August 2019	COMPLETED: Council considered the matter and authorised one person to attend the event.
That a report be brought to the next meeting on any progress on obtaining Australian Government funding to assist Mt Hagen review its local council planning strategies.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil		October 2019	COMPLETED: Report to 11 December 2019 meeting.
That the next meeting of the Sister Cities Community Committee be held at Wednesday 23 October at 5.30 pm.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil		October 2019	COMPLETED: Agenda for 23 October meeting prepared.
That contact again be made with federal department authorities to explore funding to assist with a review of strategic planning in Mt Hagen.	Manager of Corporate and Community Relations	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil		December 2019	COMPLETED: Approaches made to government departments. Indications received suggest no new funding available for this purpose.
That a report be brought to a future meeting about whether there was any existing reserve on funding being held by Orange City Council which could contribute to a review of planning in Mt Hagen.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil		December 2019	COMPLETED : Report brought to 11 December 2019 meeting
That a committee be formed from staff and community members to prepare for the visit in 2020 of the mayor of Ushiku to Orange.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil			ONGOING : Planning for visit to begin the 2020 new year.
That the option of hosting a Sister Cities promotional stall at the Harmony Day event in 2020 be explored.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil	December 2019		ONGOING: Organisers approached. Indications space would be available for a stall. Planning to continue.
That the option of expanding the staff exchange with Timaru by inviting local citizens to take part be explored, and through involving sporting tours.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil			ONGOING: Suggestion to be raised when planning for visits begins in the 2020 new year.
That the option of livestreaming the Ushiku Cup Japanese Speaking competition be explored.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	Nil	Nil			ONGOING: To be address when planning begins for the 2020 competition.
That council staff be requested to inspect the bronze statue (donated in 1994 by Ushiku) at the theatre entrance and arrange for any required expert maintenance ahead of the visit by the mayor of Ushiku.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be determined	To be determined
That council Parks & Gardens staff be requested to explore a proposal to renew the ‘Sister Cities Garden’ (next to the theatre in Byng St) to once again include plants which reflect Orange’s Sister Cities.	Communications Officer	4.1 Live - Engage with the community to ensure creative and cultural facilities and services meet changing needs	To be determined	To be determined