Popular Chinese television show ‘Nine Buddies' is spending a day filming in Tauranga.

The reality series showcases one Chinese child with nine buddies, aged nine to 12, experiencing new destinations in China.

So far 20 locations in China have been aired on television, and this year the show has gone international with their first visit to Los Angeles. New Zealand is the second overseas location to be featured.

Anne Young from Education Tauranga was contacted by Education New Zealand in Shanghai to manage the Tauranga segment. Education Tauranga supports international education in the Western Bay of Plenty, and Anne works alongside Priority One to help maximise the full potential of having international students in the region.

The ‘Nine Buddies' television show, produced by the Hubei Provincial Administration of Radio, Film and Television, has a production crew of 10, with 10 cast and about six support crew members.

'It's exciting to be approached by a major broadcasting company in China,” says Anne. 'And be able to pull this together on behalf of Priority One and Tauranga City Council to profile Tauranga as not only a tourism destination but also an educational destination for international students to potentially look at.

'And also for people in China to be able to see the landscape and the environment in Tauranga through the eyes of children – as that's something that often takes away the fear of going abroad.”

The television production unit will be in New Zealand for their nine-day visit from January 17-25, staying in Cambridge, and filming in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. The Tauranga element will capture the interaction between the Chinese and Kiwi students, visiting a beach and park location, followed by lunch and a visit to a classroom.

The Tauranga day's filming starts with a formal welcome with Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout, then a visit to the Mount Main Beach and lunch at Mount Drury. In the afternoon the group will go to Mount Primary School where a classroom has been made available for the Chinese students to teach their Kiwi friends traditional Chinese calligraphy. A short city tour will follow before the group returns to Cambridge. The show can be watched online at:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTY5MTM3ODk3Ng==.html?from=s1.8-3-1.1