Our Projects

A children's painting of two brown kiwi, a robin, a single tree with leaves and branches, blue sky with four clouds and a red sun in the top right corner.

Wellington Children’s Art Exhibition

The Wellington Sakai Association is a sponsor of the Wellington Children’s Art Exhibition and arranges for selected artworks from the exhibition to be displayed in Sakai.

The Wellington Children’s Art Exhibition 2024 is from 7-20 October at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. The theme is friendship, with a number of workshops being run during the exhibition.

Annual Marathon Exchange

For nearly thirty years, Sakai, Japan, has invited and funded a Wellington runner to compete in its annual Senshu International Marathon. In recent years Wellington has reciprocated by inviting a citizen runner from Sakai to compete in the Wellington Marathon.

Japan Festival Wellington

Japan Festival Wellington is a biennial event celebrating Japanese culture in Wellington and the city’s ties with Sakai. It is organised by the Wellington Japan Festival Trust with support from Embassy of Japan and Wellington City Council.

Kete Kupenga for Sakai City

Two Kete Kupenga, tane and wahine kete, were gifted from WSA to Sakai Wellington Association and Sakai City Council to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our associations in 2024.

The Māori Kete Kupenga were made by Frank Topia (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Haua) and Linda Lee (Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Huia, Pākehā, Chinese). Linda and Frank were generous with their time and skills and the Kete Kupenga travelled from Wellington to Japan and around the country before arriving in Sakai on 12 April. This weaving of associations with WSA, the Ōtari Raranga Weavers and Ōtari Wilton’s Bush, came from the tea ceremony of June 2023 that took place at Leonard Cockayne Centre of Ōtari Wilton’s Bush.

The Māori Kete Kupenga is akin to a fishing basket that is woven with a take tahi (over one under one) pattern with lots of space in and around the harakeke (flax), made specifically for collecting kai moana (shellfish and seafood). The spatial pattern allows for the kaimoana (seafood) to be well kept, both draining water but also allowing enough moisture to keep the kaimoana fresh. It is noted that this choice of Kete also aligns with the Matariki celebrations for 2024. Matariki Heri Kai comes from the Māori proverb “Matariki whetū heri kai” meaning “Matariki, the bringer of food”/ The feast of Matariki.

Art and Pottery exhibitions