Closing address to the 2003 Regional Development Conference, Timaru - Where to from here?
Hon Jim Anderton
Member of Parliament for Wigram
Minister for Industry and Regional Development, Associate Minister of Health
Speech Notes
What we have seen over the last two days has been a demonstration of confidence in regional New Zealand.
There is a sense of optimism.
Pride is returning along with the jobs, the people and economic vitality that will sustain a lifestyle for New Zealanders.
I believe many New Zealanders have no idea how strong the revival of our regions can be.
New Zealand's national news media too often do our regions a disservice.
If you look at our television channels, they don't have reporters in most of our regional centres.
Even in Auckland and Wellington, all the reporters and news executives tend to live in the same suburbs and eat in the same cafes.
That's why they never really understood what the regions of New Zealand were going through when hospitals, post offices and banks were closing.
And it's why they don't understand what is happening in the regions now.
It is as if, for most major New Zealand media, the only things that happen outside the main centres are crimes and disasters.
Radio NZ and TVNZ have charters these days, and they are supposed to be broadcasters that tell the story of New Zealand.
They are never going to do their job adequately while they confine themselves to their downtown ghettos in Auckland and Wellington.
They need to get out more.
In these days when the whole of New Zealand is supposed to be on our screens and on the air, they should be based in centres that will give an understanding of the whole of New Zealand.
Bill Ralston wants more 'fun and entertainment' on air.
Well, I would settle for having some of the real New Zealand on air.
How many press gallery stories are written about Southland's economy, or Hawkes Bay's hospitals or the West Coast's boom?
Not enough.
Even Marlborough's foreshore issues were ignored until the very end.
They could keep news bureaux in Auckland and Wellington.
But the head offices could be in the regions.
TVNZ could be in Whangarei or Timaru.
Radio New Zealand in Palmerston North or Dunedin.
We live in an age of modern communication when they can get their messages instantly from any centre to the rest of New Zealand.
The sale of TVNZ's building in downtown Auckland would pay for the charter on its own.
I would like to congratulate organizers on the success of this conference. In particular, Roger Wigglesworth, my personal advisor on regional development issues. The mayor and the economic development agency in Timaru and EDANZ.
What are the lessons I think we should take away from here?
- First, it's time to put our foot on the accelerator.
- Regions have performed strongly in the last three or four years.
- But we need them to do even better.
- We need to set our ambitions high and be creative in the way we achieve them.
- We need to lock in the growth we have already achieved and not return to boom and bust cycles.
While we need to be ambitious, we also need to be realistic.
- The regional development process will never be perfectly smooth.
- But at least it has begun.
- Once strategies are in place, they never again need to be invented from scratch.
We have spent two days exploring some of the challenges we face.
- We've learned how some best practice regions are managing them.
Some of the lessons are notable:
- Partnerships are crucial.
- It is critical for communities, local government, industry, Maori and Pacific peoples to work together.
- Skills and investment are crucial.
- Processes need to be evaluated against goals.
- Regional development needs consistent, focused leadership.
And above all, we need a clear vision of where we are going and a commitment to work together.
I don't make any apology for talking about regional development in terms of jobs.
- Jobs in flourishing communities nourish our young.
- Jobs provide the means for our best and brightest to fashion a future in their own town, region and even their own country.
- Jobs empower people.
- We can't realise our potential in our own society unless we have meaningful jobs for all who can work.
- If we want jobs, we need successful businesses, profitable businesses.
- The more creative our businesses are, the more jobs there will be.
- The more global New Zealand business is, in its reach and aspiration, the more sustainable and fulfilling the jobs they create, will be.
We all have a role in fostering and growing more of those businesses.
- It is your role and mine to encourage firms to set up, stay and grow.
- We have heard many stories of success in achieving this goal.
- We need to build on the successes and multiply our rates of growth.
Our historical growth performance has been poor.
- Compared with all other countries, New Zealand stood recently at 45th position, below Cyprus and above Slovenia.
- Yet in 1970, New Zealand had roughly the same per capita income as Australia.
- This graph shows that we've fallen significantly behind.
NZ Growth: History
If we had grown at one percent faster each year for the last thirty, we would now have a living standard equal to Australia's.
- How would things have been different?
- Incomes: 1% higher growth since 1970 would mean that the average worker would now receive an additional $175 a week.
- Health: An additional 1% growth would have meant we could invest $3.7 billion a year more on health. To put this into perspective, free primary health care currently costs us one tenth of that. (To extend free primary health care to all New Zealanders would cost an additional $5-6 hundred million).
- Education: $4.2 billion more would be available per year. That's roughly an additional $3,500 per student. In one year it would almost wipe the current student debt of $5.4billion.
- If our GDP had grown at the same rate as Australia we could have invested twice as much on roading over the last 30 years.
The case for lifting our growth rates is easy.
- The action to achieve it is harder.
This coalition government will play its part.
- New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is committed to working in partnership.
- The Prime Minister has just outlined the Labour-Progressive coalition's commitment to an economy based on innovation and investment.
We need partnership and a commitment to building capability.
- We need long-term strategy for regions and for business growth.
- We need vision.
But the most important ingredient in reaching our goals is leadership.
- Leaders make the difference between success and also-ran status.
- As economic development leaders, we all have a responsibility to make a success of development in our regions.
Successful leaders have common characteristics:
- They are open to ideas - especially audacious new ideas
- They aim high - and have high expectations of others
- They lead by example and they are consistent.
Effective leaders:
- Set clear directions
- Involve all the communities they serve
- Are action-oriented themselves and unfailingly support the efforts of others.
Leadership requires us to engage our heart as well as our head.
Leadership in regional development is not something we can leave to politicians, mayors and other civic leaders alone.
- Every one of us here is a leader of regional development.
- Each one of us must aspire to achieve more for our regions.
We are going to leave here, go back to our regions and go to work.
- We need to go with a sense of passionate belief in our regions.
- A sense of determination to help our region to flourish.
- A commitment to break down barriers, and exploit every advantage.
We have much to do.
- We have learned a lot at this conference.
- And we have formed a renewed sense of commitment.
- Let's go from this conference in Timaru to lead our already re-vitalised regions to even further social and economic progress. Progress that improves the wellbeing and quality of life of all our people while at the same time lifting the reputation of New Zealand as a country of new ideas, innovation and the most progressive small nation-state in the world.
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