Twenty-five schools across New Zealand will receive up to $2500 each from the Government to build sister school relationships with China.
The fund allows schools to support staff and student exchanges, collaborative projects and Chinese language programmes.
Marlborough Girls' College and Marlborough Boys' College have received funding of $5000 to develop a sister school partnership in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region – one of China's wine-producing regions. Both colleges are working with Marlborough Institute of Technology to bring Chinese students to courses relevant to New Zealand's wine industry.
The China-New Zealand Sister School Fund allows schools $50,000 after it was announced during President Xi Jinping's visit to New Zealand in 2014.
The Whangarei District Council allowed a sister city agreement with Haikou in 2014, giving Whangarei Intermediate School, Whangarei Girls' High School and Whangarei Boys' High School $5000 to develop sister school relationships.
The schools are also working with NorthTec, who has connections with Haikou tourism and economic schools.
"We're giving Kiwi students the opportunity to develop skills for an Asia-Pacific-centred world," says Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce.
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