Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby is in China this week celebrating a 30 year relationship with Yantai.

The two cities began the relationship in 1986 and it is the second longest sister ship relationship in New Zealand.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby and Yantai mayor Zhang Yongxia exchange gifts to celebrate 30 years as sister cities. Photo: Supplied.

Tauranga and Yantai marked this milestone by sending a small Tauranga party to Yantai on Wednesday.

During this visit, the two cities will participate in city celebrations and also progress initiatives related to education and marine science.

The party includes Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby, Greg Simmonds from Priority One, Anne Young from Education Tauranga, Professor Chris Battershill from the University of Waikato Coastal Marine Field Station, and Rachel Yoo and Inhey Kim from Takara Restaurant.

'[We had a lunch on Wednesday] to acknowledge the 30-year relationship and to present gifts” says Stuart.

Seven students from Tauranga Intermediate have also been selected to accompany the delegation, along with deputy principal Kathryn Colville and international director Annemieke Hart.

'These students will participate in some of the sister city celebrations, but will also undertake study at the Yantai No 2 Middle School for a week. This will enable them to participate in Chinese language and culture classes,” says regional manager of Education Tauranga Anne Young.

'The middle school will then reciprocate by sending a group of their students to study at Tauranga Intermediate later this year.”

On the way to Yantai the delegation also visited their friendship city in Ansan, Korea, to discuss opportunities for business, education and cultural collaboration.

The group will also visit Suzhou in China to meet with the Education Bureau and the schools who will be sending students to Tauranga in July 2016.