Shenzhen, Christchurch boost ties as New Zealand mayor chases green tech

When Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger first visited Shenzhen in 2024, he was so impressed by the BYD minibuses that he personally snapped photos of them.

“We need some of those in our city,” he told Shenzhen Daily at the time.

Two years later, Mauger is back and he is looking for more than just photos.

The mayor returned to China’s southern tech hub this week to sign an upgraded sister-city agreement, elevating the relationship from a "friendly exchange relationship" established in 2015 to a formal, high-level sister-city partnership. 

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger (C) listens as a representative introduces robotics technologies during a visit to Leju Robot in Shenzhen yesterday. Mauger toured several technology and infrastructure facilities during his visit to Shenzhen this week. Photos by Zhao Xiaochen unless otherwise stated

Beyond the official signing yesterday, Mauger spent two days touring Shenzhen’s tech companies and green infrastructure, including visits to a robotics company, a waste-to-energy plant, BYD’s headquarters, and a water treatment facility.

“We have not caught up enough,” Mauger admitted during an interview at the Nanshan Energy Ecological Park. “You sit at home and think, 'we might try this, try that,' but come over here and you guys are doing it. That’s what I like the most.”

From admiration to action

While Mauger's 2024 trip focused on Shenzhen’s technology companies— Tencent, China Fangda Group, and Mindray— and the city’s mangroves, this time, his itinerary reflected a different priority: energy systems, water infrastructure, and transportation.

At the Nanshan Energy Ecological Park, a waste-to-energy facility, Mauger compared it with Christchurch’s landfill-dependent system.

“At home, we put everything into a landfill. It has over a hundred years of capacity, but one day it will be full,” he said. “But this [waste-to-energy approach]— this is better.”

The mayor also showed keen interest in hydrogen technology being developed by Shenzhen Energy Group. “I like hydrogen,” he said. “There are zero greenhouse gas emissions from a hydrogen fuel cell.”

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger (2nd left) experiences a simulator demonstration during a visit to the Nanshan Energy Ecological Park yesterday. Zhang Yu

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger (C) listens to introduction during a visit to the Nanshan Energy Ecological Park yesterday. 

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger (C) learns about BYD's Blade Battery technology during a visit to BYD's headquarters in Shenzhen today. Zhang Yu

On Thursday morning, Mauger visited BYD, China’s largest electric vehicle (EV) maker. He test-drove the Shenzhen-based firm's luxury electric sport utility vehicle, the Yangwang U8, and experienced the high-performance acceleration of the U9 luxury sports car.

When asked about the BYD minibuses he admired in 2024, Mauger acknowledged the hurdles.

“I went and talked to my cousin— he’s the only BYD dealer in the South Island,” Mauger said. “He came across a few problems, not from the BYD side, but from our government side. I’ve got to chase up what the hold-up was. I’m on it.”

Mauger also toured the Honghu Water Purification Plant, a facility that treats wastewater before it enters local waterways. He recalled seeing a similar plant in Wuhan, where treated water discharged into the Yangtze River was “almost clean enough to drink.”

“That’s far better than what we’ve got at home,” he said.

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger gives a thumbs-up while sitting inside a Fangchengbao vehicle during a visit to BYD's headquarters in Shenzhen today. Zhang Yu

A friendship upgraded

The original friendly exchange agreement, signed in April 2015, focused on mutual understanding and cultural visits. The new sister-city agreement, signed yesterday at the Civic Center in Shenzhen, upgrades that relationship to a formal partnership.

Mauger explained the difference. “It was just a sort of friendly city relationship,” he said. “But now it’s a proper sister-city relationship— which brings it up to the next level.”

That next level, he said, includes student exchanges, technology sharing and streamlined coordination on infrastructure projects.

“It’s going to be a lot easier to coordinate things,” Mauger said. He identified two areas for potential collaboration: waste-to-energy solutions and trackless trams, a technology he also observed during an earlier stop in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province.

For now, the mayor left with a realistic assessment of where Christchurch stands. “We have not caught up enough,” he said. “But it is so good to come over here to see what you can do.”

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger (R) poses for a photo with a humanoid robot and company representatives during a visit to Leju Robot in Shenzhen yesterday.