The Sister Cities program aims to encourage fruitful relationships with the Council’s four Sister Cities through :
- personal exchanges of information
- support of cultural visits
- support of school exchanges.
Mount Hagen, PNG
Orange City Council has had a Sister City relationship with Mount Hagen in the Papua New Guinea highlands since 1985.
Through AusAid funding, there has been a tight focus on assisting the 60,000 people that live in and around the township. Orange City Council has assisted the local district council in Mt Hagen with design and management of waste management, sanitation, traffic, pedestrian plans and governance.
The Council’s work has been recognised and supported in PNG and by AusAid. This work included support for a $4 million rural market and traffic facilities near the markets that reduced pedestrian fatalities and injuries.
In 2017, Orange firm Hort Engineering hosted the visit of two trainees to learn work skills.
City Profile
Mount Hagen is third largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is the capital of the Western Highlands Province and is located in the large fertile Wahgi Valley in central mainland PNG, at an elevation of 1,677 m (5,502 ft). The Highlands Highway is the main arterial route to connect Mount Hagen with the coastal cities of Lae and Madang. The city is named after the old eroded volcano Mount Hagen, located about 24 kilometres to the northwest.
Ushiku, Japan
The Sister City relationship with Orange began in 1990. There are now a number of high schools in Orange which host regular exchange visits with schools in Ushiku, including Orange High and James Sheahan High.
The latest visit happened in March 2020. This Facebook page covers a recent exchange visit between Orange High and Ushiku Elshin High school.
Students from Japanese language classes in Orange school compete each year in a Japanese Speaking Competition.
City Profile
The City of Ushiku is located in the southern part of Ibaraki prefecture, about 50km north of Tokyo.
Ushiku’s border extends 15km from east to west and 10km from north to south. The whole area of the city is 58.89 square kilometres. Ushiku became a city on 1 June 1986. It became the 19th city in Ibaraki prefecture.
The population as of 1990 was 60,000 and it rose to 70,000 as of August 1997. The latest estimates suggest the population has grown to 80,020. Ushiku City, in collaboration with the neighbouring cities helps to ease the huge population concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Timaru, New Zealand
The Sister City relationship with Orange was established in 1986. in 2018 Orange City Council and Timaru District Council signed an agreement to explore a system of staff exchanges.
City Profile
The Timaru district covers 2602 square kilometres of diverse landscape on the South Canterbury coastline of New Zealand’s South Island.
The district’s north and south boundaries are naturally defined by two rivers, the Rangitata and the Pareora, both known for good fishing and swimming. There are 44,000 residents in the district.
Visit the Timaru District Council website
Orange, California, USA
Orange NSW has had a Sister City relationship with the City of Orange, California since 1963.
City Profile
The Californian City of Orange, with a population of 138,640 is situated in central Orange County. Built in the broader suburban area of Los Angeles, Orange is about 32 miles southeast of the centre of Los Angeles. The City’s land area is 27 square miles.
The City of Orange was incorporated on April 6, 1888 under the general laws of the State of California.
View the City of Orange, California website.
