Photo above: Wiremu Kingi Te Awe Awe, Māori Chief of the Rangitāne Iwi (tribe), New Zealand and Udo Fluck, Director of Arts Missoula GLOBAL, in front of mural, created by Montana artist Ms. Willow Kipp, during the Missoula delegation member visit to Palmerston North, New Zealand in March 2019.
Arts Missoula GLOBAL
Inspiring Cultural and Language Exchanges
Sister cities are long-term social agreements between two communities in two countries.
Missoula is twinned with Palmerston North, New Zealand (since 1981) and Neckargemünd, Germany (since 1993). Due to the COVID pandemic and travel restrictions in 2021, it was not possible to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the connection between Missoula and Palmerston North with in-person programming, such as student exchanges, film screenings, etc. We decided to roll the festivities, to commemorate our city partnership, into 2022 instead.
40th Anniversary of the Connection Between
Palmerston North and Missoula
We’re kicking off the celebrations with FREE screenings of New Zealand director Jane Campion movies. One screening in Missoula, and one in Palmerston North. Here in Missoula, we watched An Angel at My Table, on Monday, March 14, 2022, at the Roxy Theater. An Angel at My Table is part of the Spring World View Film Series. Palmy will be showing The Power of the Dog on April 30.
Stay tuned for more programming throughout the year to celebrate 40 years of friendship.
Mutual understanding and respect between nations and their citizens are nurtured by:
- Expanding the Culture and Language Immersion Program (CLIP), to strategically foster cultural, language and commercial ties.
- Encouraging and supporting student exchanges in high school and at the college and university level.
- Providing development opportunities for professionals.
- Producing annual sister city events, such as Germanfest and New Zealand Day.
- Promoting peace through people.
Sister Cities International (SCI) was created at President Eisenhower’s 1956 White House conference on citizen diplomacy. As a member of the SCI network, Missoula belongs to one of the oldest and largest networks of citizen diplomats in the world. Our objective is to cultivate friendship and understanding among different cultures and to celebrate and magnify the catalytic power of people-to-people interaction, one individual, one community at a time.
- Our Sister City: Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Our Sister City: Neckargemünd, Germany
- Germanfest
- New Zealand Day
- Sister Cities International (SCI)
Missoula delegation members visiting Palmerston North, New Zealand for the Sister Cities Conference, in March 2019.
Dr. Udo Fluck providing guest seminar on Developing Global Competence to students at the Institute of the Pacific United, an educational institution, based in Palmerston North.
Palmerston North delegation members visiting Missoula, Montana, meeting with UM President Seth Bodnar, UM faculty and staff, in October 2018.
Services and programming for Sister City Partnerships are supported through the Kreilick Family Foundation.