By Yoke Har Lee
The Government has almost finished shaping the agencies needed to help to chart the economy's future direction, says Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton.
"I'm hoping to have finished the design work this month and we'll be up and running within a few weeks, rather than months," he said yesterday while opening the new Enterprise North Shore premises in Albany.
He said the Government would help to develop new industries through a wide range of contributions.
"These will include direct development grants, the provision of venture capital and loans. We will encourage research and development through much greater support for science and technology.
"We want to provide better access to expert advice and professional expertise. Many potentially successful ventures fail for a lack of marketing, managerial or technical expertise.
"Assistance could take the form of bringing together young apprentices or trainees with businesses offering the opportunity to harness their skills," he said.
New Zealand, he said, had no shortage of good ideas. "What we have lacked is a supportive Government and an economic development dimension to New Zealand's economic planning."
He also noted the sharp regional polarisation taking place, saying that other developed economies had recognised that lagging regions should not be seen as a drag on the economy but as potential bases for future development.
"There is nothing inevitable about the decline. It didn't have to happen and it doesn't have to continue."
Governments had a key role in stimulating economic development, he said. Their role extended from providing basic healthcare and education services to investment infrastructure such as roads.
Anderton fills in plans for future
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