LEADER COLUMN DECEMBER 2012

It does not seem like it is over 12 months since last year’s Rugby World Cup and the lift that provided us towards the end of last year both in terms of the local economy and our reputation as a destination. Without wish to sound like a broken record it has been another tough year and many Northlanders’ continue to struggle. Many businesses still find the lack of demand and skilled works present challenges to their growth. We have a relatively small population and a comparatively low regional GDP but both our population and economy will grow in the future but this growth is likely to be slow and consumers are likely to remain cautious. The good news is that there has been growth albeit small and many businesses are more positive today about the future of their businesses than they were 24 months ago. It is easy to identify the negatives but at the same time there have been some positive news this year and if we are to go into the New Year with a balanced perspective we should not ignore some things that have benefited our communities in the last 12 months. There is not room to mention them all but here are a couple worth noting. Broadband and Rural Broadband roll-outs are well underway and Northlanders will be the first to benefit from the opportunities this provides and a potential 2 to 3 year competitive advantage over the rest of the country. Also the council have identified many key infrastructure and sense of place projects that provide some clear direction as to where they see Whangarei in the near future. This gives some certainty over how Whangarei should look and feel which can be used by businesspeople in making investment decisions. Infrastructure projects well underway mean some perennial issues of wastewater, sewage and roading will be less of a concern and future generations will inherit a going concern of infrastructure with a replacement cost well in excess of the debt incurred to build it. More importantly I have noticed an increased level of collaboration than had existed in the past among various agencies and organisations. With the limited level of resources that exist in Whangarei and Northland, the sharing of skills and knowledge and working together towards shared aspirations makes so much sense. If this continues then I imagine in 12 months time we will have more things to celebrate that benefit our communities.