We need to keep our foot on the pedal in digital race

Russell Bell PHOTO/FILE

I read with interest the lead story in last Thursday's Chronicle, which reported on the families moving to Wanganui from Wellington - on the basis of the city's lifestyle and the ultrafast broadband infrastructure.

Just as every dam-burst starts with a trickle, the story of Daniel Gordon and his family highlights the potential for regional economies of growth which comes from the digital economy. It also signals that council's foresight and investment in a digital strategy was well founded and is now beginning to bear fruit. The key now is to build on this success and maximise the positives which come from it.

Back in March 2013, I wrote:

"I will be the first to say that I am excited about embracing the tech revolution and having that as a key thread of the future economic development of our little slice of paradise. In fact, the more time I spend around the local Digital Leaders Forum, the more convinced I am that this is a real opportunity which needs to be grasped with both hands."

Nothing has changed for me in this regard and, as our businesses grow and diversify, we will begin to see the benefits of having a digital strategy and become more thankful for council's foresight.

A properly composed digital strategy recognises and leverages a world of constant change and, by moving in concert with it, opportunities can be created. It is simply no longer possible for cities to run with "hey, let's not change a thing" or "let's model ourselves on another small town" strategies - because the past is gone and if you just do what others do there is no uniqueness to your offering to attract investment.

Strategy is multi-faceted but the digital economy and our place in it is an opportunity to be built on and can establish an authentic pillar of the city's total strategic direction.

First movers, when they invest and get things right, are extremely difficult to displace in the minds of the market.

We need last Thursday's story to move to the next level, and I was glad to see that Twitter and Facebook were carrying the message widely. Kudos to Rod Drury for tweeting too. That tweet alone reached more people than many traditional channels could.