Our History

The Seattle Christchurch Sister City Association

In 1979, a number of like-minded individuals began the process of establishing what was then called the Seattle Christchurch Sister City Committee. Documentation was formally approved by the City of Seattle in 1980 and legal documents were finalized in 1981.

​The Board of Directors meets in the Seattle area approximately once a month to plan the various activities of the Association. These activities include celebrating Anzac Day, and Waitangi Day, gardening at the Seattle Arboretum where there is a special area with native NZ trees and flowers, annual summer picnics, the annual dinner at the Yacht Club, ties with the Burke Museum and Woodland Park Zoo, a college scholarship to fund a student to study in New Zealand, and more.  

New Zealanders in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest

In conjunction with this, some of the original members of the committee along with their friends wanted to include other New Zealanders in Seattle (and the greater Pacific Northwest region).  As a result, the New Zealander's of Seattle group was founded.

Merging both organizations

In 2022, both organizations decided to work together to capitalize on mutual goals and connections. We formally kept the name Seattle Christchurch Sister City Association for a number of reasons but we are eager to continue collaborating with all New Zealanders in the Pacific Northwest to foster new links and relationships between New Zealand and the United States of America. We are actively working to grow the organization, increase our membership base and host an ever-increasing number of social and cultural events.