Southern mayors have visited China seeking economic investment for the region but any benefits have yet to be fully realised. Hicks travelled to China in November 2017 to attend the Chinese Enterprises Outbound Investment Conference. John Hawkins Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks. Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan has also visited China, but he said it was a private trip he and his wife took to visit his daughter who lives there. Clutha District Council chief executive Steve Hill said the council was not pursuing any Chinese investment in the district.

Source: Stuff February 12, 2019 06:56 UTC