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Thank you for being here.
We appreciate your time. We appreciate your work.
You have been joined this morning by five Ministers:
- The Honourable Shane Jones, a driving force for the economic success of provincial New Zealand.
- Customs Minister Casey Costello.
- South Island Minister James Meager, and
- Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson.
Today’s summit
Ours is a country that has taken challenges and overcome them.
Too often, we look to somebody else for an answer. We need look no further than ourselves.
Gathered in this room are senior leaders from across the Otago region. Industry leaders, education leaders, transport leaders, elected leaders, and future leaders.
Indeed, this entire region represents a story of New Zealand. One that embraces its resources, recognises its assets, develops itself, markets itself, attracts a thriving workforce and builds a community.
These Regional Growth Summits have been set up as a forum for businesses, industry, and key regional leaders for your region’s priorities and how we can work together to grow regional economies.
Rail as an economic enabler
A man called Julius Vogel, from Dunedin, saw New Zealand as a nation and not as a series of regions. He connected us with rail, building more rail in ten years than in the 130 years which followed. One nation with many strengths.
This morning, you have heard from Hon Shane Jones of our Government’s commitment of $8.2 million to build a three-track rail siding connecting Southern Link Logistics, an inland freight hub.
Freight is about getting from A to B. Freight is the lifeblood of our economy. It’s no good making something if it doesn’t go to a customer.
Rail boosts the network. Rail is the clearing house for busy ports, moving vast quantities of containers so ports can handle more ships. More ships enable more exports, more imports, more trade.
Inland freight hubs mean local road freight operators, and rail freight, can feed regional goods into the hub and have rail take the combined heavy-haul to port. This model happens all over the country, and locals here in Otago have said they need it, and we have listened and delivered.
Further, we have rebuilt the Hillside Railway Workshops in Dunedin. Brand new mechanical depots and network services, and an assembly operation is driving mechanical engineering expertise here in Otago and delivering 1,500 wagons to serve national goods.
We don’t just talk. We deliver.
Rebuilding the economy
New Zealand requires a productive economy to thrive.
That means using what we have, adding value, and solving problems elsewhere in the world with our ideas and our products.
This is not a new idea. Economic success requires work, right here, right now, every day.
We have many assets as a nation:
- Our people, their dedication to each other, their families and their communities. Their willingness to put in a hard days work, and our educators, thinkers and innovators and their tenacity to push humanity forward.
- Our businesses, taking risk and investing for tomorrow, building industries, and backing their communities.
- Our infrastructure – roads, rails, ports, farms, mills, depots, workshops, fibre, and much more. We have invested heavily, and these assets remain as vital to our success today as they have for decades.
- Our resources – pastoral land, oceans and rivers, forests and yes, a thing called the extractive industry. Look around, 96 percent of this building and every building in New Zealand came from the extractive industry.
We must aggressively sell our country as an attractive investment destination.
The question that is always asked, “but why New Zealand?”, and we must have the answer.
What gives us an edge over other small nations seeking investment? Why should an investor look to us, to our people, to our resources, to our future and decide we are where their future lies?
Singapore, Taiwan, Ireland, and Croatia today, have answered these questions.
So, what must we do?
First, developing talent is essential to driving productivity gains.
Many of you will also be aware of the work underway to redesign New Zealand’s vocational training to make it more regionally responsive, efficient, and relevant. These changes will help equip our people with the skills to take better opportunities within their communities, rather than needing to head off to Australia.
Government investment through Regional Development funds, which started with the Provincial Growth Fund, has had a huge impact on growing job opportunities in Otago, with just under 1,000 jobs created through central government investment in Otago to date.
We will see these positive employment outcomes continue with the construction of the flood resilience projects and future potential investments through the Regional Investment Fund.
Second, competitive business settings. We need the right policies and settings to allow development in the right places at the right time. We are talking here about sensible tax, predictable labour settings, and reliable migration settings.
The length of time it takes to deliver infrastructure projects in New Zealand is costing us – in inflated costs, delays, and importantly from our perspective, in our international reputation for doing business. We see shovel-ready projects trapped in cycles of over-regulation and legal challenges.
Third, promoting global trade and investment to boost the value of our exports, grow international markets and attract investment for our firms.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs this one is obvious. We are rebuilding the importance of solid relationships and working in partnership with other countries.
Fourth, science and innovation systems are critical to boosting the number of knowledge-intensive, internationally connected firms.
Improving digital connectivity and skills is a critical way of ensuring communities have access to a broader range of employment opportunities and enjoy greater productivity. To support these outcomes, the Provincial Growth Fund provided a $950,000 grant for the business case and $10 million grant toward the development of the Centre of Digital Excellence in Dunedin.
The centre invests in career pathways to the gaming industry, helps develop digital skills, grows digital capability, supports innovation through contestable funds, and attracts digital businesses to Dunedin.
Fifth, long-term infrastructure. We want to see major projects on the Fast-Track. That is why we have legislated for economically significant infrastructure projects to be considered for what they are: the pathway to our future. We got things done in our past, and we are going to do it again.
We are backing our roads and our rail because we know an export nation relies on solid connections to our coastal ports.
And, if Minister Jones hasn’t made you aware, a $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Conclusion
Now, we remind you that while the people of Wellington do have strengths, the public service within Wellington will not be the problem solver for Otago. That is your job.
We need our regions to be running at full steam, increasing self-sufficiency, resilience, and for everyone to benefit from the changes we’re driving.
And if you need help, tell Shane Jones what’s important to you as a region, and how we can work together to make that happen.
You will be heard.
Thank you very much.
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
