Tamworth Regional Council extends sister city deal with Gore, New Zealand

Last month, Tamworth Regional Council approved the renewal of its sister city agreement with Gore, New Zealand, for six years to December 2029.

Gore is Tamworth's longest-running sister city association, having entered its first agreement in 1992.

Though the last Sister City Protocol lapsed in March 2021, the two cities have never stopped considering one another as siblings, a relationship that has lasted more than 30 years.

Many of Tamworth's sister city obligations were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the renewed agreement is part of an ongoing push to revitalise those relationships.

The Sister City Protocol sets out a timeline of official visits every two years, with delegates from Tamworth heading to Gore in 2025 and Gore returning the favour in 2027.

The visits are expected to coincide with each city's annual country music festival, but the protocol allows for flexibility in order to encourage "commercial opportunities".

Delegates will include the mayor, general manager, and a representative from the Gore Sister City Advisory Group.

The visits will be funded by council, but any guests or family members intending to join the delegates will have to pay their own way.

The renewed protocol is also expected to foster other ties including school relationships, equine activities, agricultural connections, and a range of sport, heritage, and artistic events.

But it is unclear what this renewal means for a revival of the city's age-old Tamworth Queen of Country Music Quest, formerly run by the Zonta Club of Tamworth.

The last Tamworth Queen of Country Music was crowned in 2020, with every pageant since being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For decades, exchanging visits from each city's country music royalty has been an integral part of the sister city relationship.

The new protocol instead lists the "Tamworth Country Music Festival Ambassador" exchanging visits with the Gore Country Music Queen, who last visited Tamworth in January 2023.

The Leader has not yet been able to confirm whether this ambassador role is the same one council recently conferred on rising country music star Max Jackson.