Chandigarh, Feb 27 (IANS) Waitakere in New Zealand and Amritsar have been declared “sister cities”.
In an agreement signed here Friday, Punjab and New Zealand decided to promote “cultural and knowledge exchange between the two cities”.

“Both Punjab and New Zealand are agricultural driven economies and they are premier in the area of dairy development, agriculture, animal farming and civil aviation. New Zealand is just like second home to us as thousands of Punjabis live there,” Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said on the occasion.

“There will be an exchange of students, leaders, artists, intellectuals between the two cities,” Badal added.

In another pact, both sides decided to step up cooperation in the aviation sector. As per the agreement, students and pilots from Punjab will get training in New Zealand.

New Zealand Internal Affairs Minister Richard Worth, who is leading the New Zealand delegation, said: “Punjab is a big market and we see many business opportunities here. Because of rapidly changing climatic conditions, New Zealand is an ideal place for aviation training as it trains pilot to tackle the sudden change of weather.”