Possum insulation a recession solution

Possum fur should be used to insulate houses, in a bid to get Northland through the global recession, a job summit in Whangarei heard yesterday.

The fur could be used in the programme to insulate state houses and encourage private insulation.

"Northland possums are different from other possums because of the climate so you can't use the fur for high-cost apparel, but you can for housing insulation if it's mixed with other materials such as wool," said Marshall Taylor, a leader of one of the workshops at the summit.

"There are disused meat plants that could be used for processing. There is land available that is owned by Maori or forestry companies."

It was one of more than 20 ideas that came out of a surprisingly upbeat summit of more than 100 regional leaders.

Although Northland had the country's worst regional unemployment rate during much of the last major recession in the late 80s and early 90s, its unemployment benefit numbers this time round have risen less than average so far, from a low point of 1500 last June to 2300 this week.

Whangarei MP and Housing Minister Phil Heatley said protected industries such as a glassworks and a banknote printer, which collapsed last time, had been replaced by a host of smaller businesses.

Horticulturalists are benefiting from the lower exchange rate.

Regional Social Development Commissioner Graham MacPherson said horticulturists were also "comfortable" with the labour supply for their main harvesting season in the next three months.

Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jeff Smith said a forestry training manager in his group estimated that 300 more people could be employed in forestry across the region.

Westpac manager in Whangarei Tracey Mold said forestry contractors had told her they had 50 jobs they could not fill.

Several groups said better broadband services would boost local businesses.