A TEAM from New Zealand’s Volunteer Service Abroad has been in the Buffalo City to investigate possible twinning opportunities.

The partnership between Buffalo City and New Zealand was strengthened by a visiting delegation from the country Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA).

Currently, volunteers from the VSA are assisting Buffalo City’s knowledge management unit in the area of knowledge audit and policy development.

The partnership between Buffalo City and New Zealand dates back in 2002, when the first volunteer was assigned to help the City set up its Local Economic Development Unit and develop a revitalisation plan. It is this plan that forms the basis for the City’s development strategy.

Welcoming the five-member delegation on Thursday, 18 September, Buffalo City municipal manager Gaster Sharpley said: ”The relations with the volunteer service abroad will play an important role in establishing direct contact for Buffalo City with cities like Auckland and Wellington.

“Currently, the City has a solid partnership with the city of Gävle in Sweden and Leiden in Netherlands, and we are keen to form relations with cities in New Zealand.”

He added that a partnership would give the cities the opportunity to share experiences and information.

“Buffalo City has a good public participation model and we would like to share this knowledge with other cities so that they can improve the way they consult with their citizens.”

Sharpley’s sentiments were echoed by VSA council chairperson Farib Sos.

” We want to ensure that the policies we develop for the municipality have a positive impact and we are looking forward to deploying more volunteers in the city,” he added.