3. In productivity, we are second from the bottom just ahead of Northland.
4. By percentage of population not in education, employment or training, Hawke's Bay is the second highest.
5. For total crime recorded per 10,000 population, Hawke's Bay is No1. We currently have the worst reported crime statistics in New Zealand.
Those facts paint a very sorry picture and make it very obvious that what is currently happening in Hawke's Bay is not working, in spite of what we are being told by one-eyed biased commentators.
Central government has not and will not invest in areas that are not on the same page as the agenda that they are following. If you were in their shoes, would you? Narrow-minded petty patch protectionism is costing Hawke's Bay big time.
Our Health statistics recently published by the Hawke's Bay District Health Board are not that flash either:
1. Hawke's Bay has more people drinking hazardously compared with the rest of New Zealand.
2. The overall life expectancy of the Hawke's Bay population is less than the rest of the country.
3. A third of our children are growing up in poverty.
4. Hawke's Bay men and woman are less active at all age levels than their New Zealand average counterparts.
Reading those comments and living in sunny Hawke's Bay blew me away, so I started a bit of soul searching as to the reasons why.
Too many of our population are reliant on a benefit.
They are unemployed and job prospects for them are grim.
We are not doing enough to promote the benefits of physical activity, be they competitive or recreational, amongst the areas of our population who need it the most.
The rental housing stock for those people may be unhealthy. The food that they choose to eat often lacks the right nutrients, while the food they should be eating is often too expensive.
The Growers' Market is an attempt to provide people with quality food at a price they can afford. These people seldom visit the iconic Farmers' Market at the showgrounds that has become a must for the visitors to Hawke's Bay and those of us who go for the social occasion.
It was disappointing that one of the major New Zealand-owned food market chains tried to prevent the Growers' Market from going ahead by telling at least one of their suppliers to remove their stock because they supported the Growers' Market. I already refuse to use their automatic self-service machines because they are costing people jobs, the price is no cheaper and I am doing the work that someone else should be paid to do.
Sport Hawke's Bay has been trying for a number of years to get a regional strategy together around venues, resources and events. The most difficult part, I believe, is actually getting all parties to agree on what needs to go where and what needs to happen when.
There are not many game changes out there for Hawke's Bay. We need to create an environment that attracts major investors and at least our portion of central government funding.
To investors, one of their major criteria is the leadership. Let us be united, not pulling against one another. If we don't - then others will continue to pass us by and Hawke's Bay will continue on its downward spiral of more doom and gloom.
Hawke's Bay needs jobs. It needs direction. It needs a strong voice and leadership that has connections, humility and mana.
"Humility does not mean weakness, but its opposite. Leaders with mana understand the strength of humility. It allows them to connect with their deepest values and the wider world." - Legacy: 15 lessons in Leadership, James Kerr.
-Malcolm Dixon is a Hastings district councillor.
-Business and civic leaders, organisers, experts in their field and interest groups can contribute opinions.
Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz. All views expressed are those of the writer, not the newspaper.
