Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick is crediting former Maori affairs minister Sir Pita Sharples for paving the way for a relationship between the city and Chinese province.
Ms Chadwick was key-note speaker at a tourism conference in China last week where she signed a memorandum of understanding with the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone.
She says it will strengthen the tourism cooperation between Rotorua and the Chinese province of Henan and help Rotorua reach its goal of an annual $1 billion tourism spend in the district by 2030.
Ms Chadwick says it's an excellent follow-up to a previous Ministerial delegation led by Sir Pita Sharples and a visit last year the former Maori Party co-leader made last year.
She says it will help people learn about and understand Maori culture and vice-versa.
Henan is the most populous province in China with more than 100 million people and the most developed tourism resources, with more than 20,000 of its people visiting New Zealand and Australia last year.
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