Dialogue: Council, local business create jobs in tandem

By CLAIRE STEWART*

The New Plymouth District Council is determined not to let the economic-gloom merchants infiltrate its economy. With our communities and neighbouring authorities we are pulling out all the stops to ensure strong economic progress.

There's no room for negativity. We are harnessing the talents of a huge pool of positive and innovative people to ensure that progress is not something we read about in other regions' newspapers.

Surveys of our residents show overwhelming support for council activities that have the potential to result in jobs and tourism development.

The council has a raft of initiatives to develop the local economy.

It has set up a stand-alone organisation, the Venture Taranaki Trust, and contracted to it the responsibility for major economic development issues. Venture Taranaki, with a private-sector board, receives around $900,000 annually from the council, to attract new businesses and other investment, to create jobs and to retain and improve existing businesses. It has similar contracts with neighbouring district councils in Stratford and South Taranaki and a number of central Government agencies.

Venture Taranaki was the first regional agency of its kind in New Zealand and has served as a model for other regions. It has had a hand in creating 340 jobs.

It is providing assistance and advice to people setting up new businesses. This can include professional help with functions such as accounting, marketing and planning. It also coordinates workshops and seminars on venture capital and helping inventors and other creative entrepreneurs take their next steps to success.

It is working with those industries that are part of New Plymouth's economic strength, such as engineering, agriculture and oil and gas, to further develop them and to attract associated enterprises.

Tourism is labour intensive and therefore important to the job market. The council has targeted it as having enormous potential.

We will shortly create a new regional tourism organisation in partnership with Stratford and South Taranaki. Again, we are seeking private-sector skills and experience to operate this agency and we plan to provide $500,000 a year. It will be a focused marketing organisation which aims to increase visitor numbers, lengths of stay and visitor expenditure.

Over the past few years, a marketing campaign for the district has seen us investing in building greater awareness of New Plymouth and in changing negative perceptions. The council's marketing message, Come to Life, has targeted tourism, business attraction, conferences and people looking to move here for lifestyle.

This year New Plymouth will spend more than $36 million on capital works, among them a programme that will be a world first. The council is investing $12 million into what will result in a $20 million-plus state-of-the-art facility called Puke Ariki - a concept combining library and museum facilities and services. As well as the obvious learning and reference services it will provide, it is planned to be a key element in the tourism experience. Its construction will provide jobs.

Puke Ariki will be close to New Plymouth's foreshore and, in tandem with this development, a major upgrade along the waterfront is under way.

The focal point of the city is changing. We are re-establishing the city centre's seaside environment and recreating the links to both the mountain and the sea.

New Plymouth invests heavily in cultural facilities because it sees both social and economic benefits. Puke Ariki, the world-renowned Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, the bi-annual Taranaki Festival of the Arts and many other cultural facilities are examples of a commitment to achieve economic advantage through cultural programmes.

The council is also investing heavily in other cultural and sporting facilities. It already has a substantial indoor stadium complex, an opera house and a famous outdoor amphitheatre, the Bowl of Brooklands. It is investing in a major development of New Plymouth's Rugby Park, which will become part of the Taranaki Events Centre. This will result not only in a world-class sports arena but in facilities for conventions and other cultural facilities.

A recent economic-impact assessment indicated that this development will add $39 million to the economy during its construction, provide 70 full-time jobs and generate up to $133 million during its first 15 years.

In some of the suburbs and smaller towns in the New Plymouth district, the council is investing heavily to ensure a positive future. Inglewood and Waitara are both part-way through downtown upgrade and beautification programmes.

The council's employment initiative support programme is based in Waitara. Funded jointly with Work and Income, it works with the long-term unemployed. It provides participants with work experience while teaching them new skills and, more importantly, helping them to develop self-confidence and set personal goals.

In the past few years, more than 200 people have been through this programme and more than half have jobs.

New Plymouth has also formed a partnership with the Far North District and the Southland District to undertake regional development initiatives. The partnership gives the three districts a strong base on which to launch economic and social initiatives, and to provide a lobby for provincial New Zealand.

In the past, Taranaki's location was seen to be a limiting factor for growth. But today, with new technology, excellent road and rail networks, New Zealand's only west coast deep-water port and a well-serviced airport, this is no longer the case. We have many opportunities to develop as a distribution hub for the rest of the North Island, while retaining a special environment.

New Plymouth District is playing an important part in this country's economic development. This is well recognised already in areas such as agriculture and oil and gas. We also see a range of other opportunities that will add to our progress.

With a council that has proved to be prepared to make hard decisions, and a private sector that is rich in innovation and entrepreneurship, New Plymouth District has a very positive future that in years to come will be the envy of many.

* Claire Stewart is the Mayor of New Plymouth.