A visit from our sister district

On behalf of Hurunui District, this week Mayor Marie Black welcomed a group of students from three schools located in the Changping District of Beijing, China.

The visiting group included 32 students and four teachers. They spent time with students at Amuri Area School, Hurunui College, and Amberley School where the Rewi Alley Hall is sited.

The Hurunui District hosts a historical and cultural connection that has been developed through the life and works of Rewi Alley, who as a very young boy lived in Amberley with his family. Alley’s father Federick was the Headmaster of Amberley Primary school, and they lived in the school house which was sited in Chamberlain Park, and it is recorded that the Alley family spent many hours playing in the stream that flowed through the town.

The visiting group has visited local farms, landscapes of interest like Frog Rock, and were able to see and handle moa bones, thanks to locals Mike and Jan Hodgen. Hanmer Springs was a multi day stop over as part of their trip through the Hurunui District.

In Council Chambers, Mayor Black received a banner from Vice President of Changping Municipal School, which in English translated to ‘Tomorrow will be better.’

Mayor Black said it was an honour to welcome the students to further cement the goals and vision of Hurunui’s sister district relationship.