A celebration of Capital connections

The Canberra delegation and ship’s company will take part in several community activities in Wellington, including assisting at a local soup kitchen, and cleaning up selected coastal areas and tracks around the city.  

The centrepiece of their visit will be a Freedom of Entry parade through the central city on Saturday morning where the crew can be seen in full ceremonial splendour. Beginning at Queens Wharf, the parade will move along Jervois Quay, Brandon Street, Lambton Quay, Bunny Street, and along Thorndon Quay before ending at Pipitea Marae.  

During the parade, the visitors will be “challenged” in a symbolic gesture by the Wellington District Commander of the New Zealand Police where the ship’s commanding officer will present a Freedom of Entry certificate granted to them by Mayor Tory Whanau on behalf of the city. 

The Freedom of Entry is a stirring tradition rooted in medieval custom. It symbolises a city’s trust in a military unit and that unit’s peaceful intentions, allowing them to march through the streets in full ceremonial attire. It is both a performance of trust and a public tribute to shared values. 

The celebration will end with an afternoon concert from the countries’ two Naval bands at Pukeahu Memorial Park.

Sister cities in action  

The formal sister city relationship between Wellington and Canberra began in July 2016, with a commitment to foster collaboration across economic development, and the tourism, education, and creative sectors.  

Local institutions like Zealandia and Wellington Zoo have agreed to collaborate with Mulligans Flat Sanctuary and Canberra’s National Zoo & Aquarium.  

There are strong ties between the two cities’ Chambers of Commerce, aimed at making business and trade easier. 

Creative and educational exchanges are just as important, with Toi Manu Tautoko, the Canberra Wellington Indigenous Artist Exchange, resuming this year after a pandemic-induced pause. 

Natural partners 

Wellington and Canberra share more than just roles as capitals of their respective nations. Both are known for their creativity, innovation and unique natural environments. 

Home to the indigenous Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples for over 20,000 years, the city of Canberra was built following the federation of Australian colonies and has evolved from being primarily a government town, to Australia’s largest inland city of over 470,000 people. 

Canberra boasts some of Australia’s top universities, including the world-class Australian National University, and has a young, multicultural population with 25 percent of residents born overseas. It’s a diverse city with a progressive mindset, a natural partner for Wellington. 

Shared hero  

The cities also share a link to a military hero, Captain Alfred Shout.  

Born in Wellington in 1881, Captain Shout later settled in Australia and enlisted in the army. He died while serving in Gallipoli, receiving a series of medals including the Military and Victoria Crosses. Captain Shout’s legacy remains in both cities, with his VC medal held in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and his silhouette featured as one of Wellington’s iconic crossing signals. There are also lanterns memorialising the soldier, located near Pōneke’s Pukeahu National war memorial park. 

This year, his name also adorned the inaugural Captain Shout Cup, a new trophy to be annually contested between Super Rugby’s Hurricanes and the Canberra-based Brumbies. The Hurricanes took out the first contest during the competition’s ANZAC round in April. 

Future focussed friendship  

The Wellington–Canberra sister city relationship is more than just signing documents and exchanges— it’s an organic partnership shaped by shared values, common challenges, and mutual respect. As our two cities look ahead with aspirations around sustainability, inclusion and growth, this connection offers a model for how cities can collaborate to enrich their communities. 

Whether through the historical resonance of ANZAC bravery or the buzz of business innovation, Wellington and Canberra continue to work together, building bridges across the Tasman.