Seattle ChristChurch Sister City The Kea, New Zealand's Parrot
The Seattle Christchurch Sister City Association builds a valuable international connection through a wide range of activities. One of the Association goals is to broaden awareness of our New Zealand Sister City in Seattle through the building and installation of exhibits and artifacts in areas of our most visited public places.
Progress can be seen at Woodland Park Zoo with the kea exhibit. Keas are colorful New Zealand parrots common in the mountain areas of the Southern Alps. The Association sponsors a glade of New Zealand plants, trees and shrubs at the University of Washington Arboretum. We call out for volunteers in the Autumn for a work party to help weed and mulch our New Zealand Garden to keep it looking spiffy! In addition, there is a Maori art exhibit at the Burke Museum. Check out our Calendar Page for upcoming scheduled activities. |
New Zealanders of SeattleStarted in 1979 by Ken and Rachel Jacobsen, the New Zealanders of Seattle is a social group for New Zealanders and those interested in New Zealand, living in the Seattle area. The group meets several times a year.
In February, we celebrate Waitangi Day on the Saturday afternoon nearest to February 6th. We usually meet in a pub, talk, eat and drink. For the past several years, it has been held at the Kangaroo and Kiwi Bar in Seattle/Ballard —they serve meat pies and other good New Zealand food! In April we commemorate ANZAC DAY on or around Saturday/Sunday closest to April 25th. For the past few years, we have gathered on Saturday evening with the Seattle Turkish and Australian communities for remembrance and storytelling of the ill-fated ANZAC campaign in Gallipoli, Turkey. On Sunday morning we have a DAWN SERVICE on the steps of MOHAI on the south end of Lake Union. In July we have a summer picnic at the Tukwila Community Center - for the entire family - which has been a great success. Everyone brings a salad or dessert to share, and we hire a NZ Meat Pie Truck for the main dish. People play cricket, games for the kids and adults, or just chat...and there is a Lolly Scramble for our kids!! In October we have two fun events: a garden clean-up party at the New Zealand gardens at the Seattle Arboretum and an Annual Dinner Celebration at the Seattle Yacht Club, a great way to meet other New Zealanders and Americans in a festive environment. Check out our Calendar Page for upcoming scheduled events. |