Ball is rolling on economic development

 

A pro-active approach is needed to build a stronger economy in a district that clearly has more strengths than weaknesses. This was one of the main messages to come out of a brainstorming session organised by the Wairoa District Council that attracted around 40 people from businesses and the wider community last night. 

Celebrating Maori culture and providing a more cohesive approach to tourism were two of the main points that came under discussion at the lively meeting, which prompted largely positive ideas. These ideas will now be used to create an action plan to capitalise on the opportunities that are currently under-utilised here. 

Ideas included making better use of the Wairoa River as a focal point, highlighting the history of the town, promoting Maori culture experiences and in general providing a more ‘packaged’ approach to tourism. 

Putting more effort into training youth into professions and trades was also touched on as being important for the future of the town. 

Turning talk into action is the next step – it was proposed at the meeting to form an association of people to build networks within the business community, which will in turn create a united front for tourists and enable progress by working together. 

It was recognised that similar attempts to embark on economic development had taken place in the past, but a forward-looking approach was deemed to be more helpful. 

Economics consultant Fraser Colegrave from Covec Ltd was present at the meeting to help facilitate discussions. With around 10 years of experience in working with small communities on economic development, he believes Wairoa is gifted with opportunities. 

“There are huge opportunities in Wairoa, but the community really have to want it. Council can do only so much as a facilitator, but it really needs community effort to make Wairoa’s voice heard on the national and international stage,” he said. 

Mr Colegrave will be helping in the initial stages to get things moving for what is hoped to be a community-run effort towards a stronger Wairoa economy.