The Chinese city of Nanning proposed the establishment of a sister city relationship between itself and Gore, but at a Gore District Council meeting on Tuesday councillors voted against the proposal.
Despite this, Mayor Ben Bell said the establishment of a relationship would continue to be discussed.
"I don’t think it will go away.
"I just think the trip won’t happen.
"But we will definitely explore the relationship with Nanning in the future."
A trip to the city in September would have involved the council sending three delegates to attend the China-Asean Expo to discuss the potential relationship.
All expenses would be paid by the Chinese.
Similar to the sister city relationship with Tamworth in Australia, a Nanning relationship would focus on cultural and economic exchange.
"[I] understand where the councillors are coming from, it is a bit sudden.
"We have some pretty big plans that we need to deliver."
The council has set its rates with an average 21.4% increase and was in the process of delivering the long-term plan and district plan.
"We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us so we want to focus on what we’ve got in front of us."
He believed councillors were concerned with the cost of the trip as opposed to the proposal, he said.
It remained a "exciting opportunity".
"We need another big industry here in Gore to really continue our growth, rather than managing a steady decline."
During the discussion of the report on Tuesday, Cr Neville Phillips said he was in favour of the proposal.
"I would be in favour of that if we had clear mandate for sponsorship and no cost to the ratepayer."
However Cr Andy Fraser said he could not support it.
"I never supported sister cities."
Mr Bell said the letter containing the proposal was received "a couple of weeks" before Tuesday’s meeting.
"We’ll take some more time to think about it which isn’t a bad thing.
Gore had also looked at a potential relationship with Nashville, he said.
"We’ve just got to think whether it is the right fit for us at the moment and what the advantages are.
"We’ve just got to do a bit of work with councillors.
"It’s always that cost versus benefit that you’ve got to figure out."
The council did not get the chance to talk with Mataura Valley Milk about the proposal, but would now do so, he said.
"With their input I think a more substantial proposal will come back to council."
Other councillors warned against the cost of the proposal and whether it would look good with the rate increase.
Councillors did express a willingness for chief executive Deborah Lascelles and district business owners to engage in discussions with representatives from Nanning to explore opportunities to work together.
Cities compared
| Nanning | Gore | |
| Population | 9.2 million | 12,700 |
| Area | 22,293 sq km | 1252 sq km |
| Founded | AD318 | 1855 |
| Universities | 9 | 0 |
| Annual mean temperature | 22.3°C | 9.1°C |
| Sister cities | 22 | 1 |
| GDP (yearly) | $126 billion | $1 billion |
