Divya Dhar, the Young New Zealander of the Year 2010, is just 24 years old, but already a first-year doctor and committed campaigner for social justice and action on climate change. Yesterday, she laid out another vision for New Zealand at the second and final day of the Sister Cities New Zealand Conference in Dunedin.
Addressing delegates at Otago Museum, Dr Dhar, of Auckland, urged greater collaboration between organisations and countries to break down cultural and economic barriers and encourage innovation.
"Collaboration allows you to make possible what is impossible," she said.
She also outlined the aims of the P3 Foundation, of which she is founding president, which aimed to mobilise young people to promote peace, prosperity and progress in the world.
And Dr Dhar did not hold back when questioned by delegates on national issues ranging from the proposed mining of national parks to the Government's fiscal policy. She earned applause as she outlined her belief in a knowledge-based economy that struck a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
Sister Cities New Zealand president Peter Tennent clearly was impressed, rising to his feet to tell delegates: "I think we could be looking at our first female Asian prime minister."
Dr Dhar was one of four youth delegates to speak. The audience, from New Zealand, Australia, China and Japan, was also treated to a Selwyn Ballet performance, a visit to the Forsyth Barr Stadium site and dinner at Larnach Castle.
Chanel O'Brien, marketing manager for the University of Otago's language centre and foundation year office, outlined the benefits Dunedin's sister city links brought to the university.
She said the institution had always relied on international ties to attract students, academics, co-operation and research agreements from abroad, and boasted significant relationships with sister city institutions in Shanghai, China, and Otaru, Japan.
Those links also helped foster exchange programmes beneficial to staff and students, and helped build the university's international profile.
About 2500 international students from 90 countries were enrolled this year: 10% of the student body, adding millions to the Dunedin economy. Less tangible, but equally vital, were the benefits links brought when it came to cross-cultural understanding.
"You can't really put a price on achieving harmony between people."
Qing Boming, the Beijing-based deputy director-general of the Chinese People's Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries, said it was his first visit to the city, and he was "deeply impressed" to learn of the gold-mining links between Otago and China.
"I begin to feel some kind of emotional links with Dunedin. This is the actual benefit from the Sister Cities conference," he said.
