Revitalising our region: The latest economic development news
Published on 11 December 2023
Welcome to our quarterly economic development newsletter. In this last issue of 2023, we look back at our work to support the district's economy through cyclone recovery, the Coromandel Cure (scientifically proven to be #goodforyoursoul) and how to harness the positive powers of AI for your business.
Reflections on revitalising
Over 2023, our Council has maintained its focus on pulling in and allocating resources to fund our region’s revitalisation. Making sure our business owners and industry players are supported in their recovery and growth aspirations will continue to be a top priority over the coming year.
“It’s good to look back at what’s been achieved over such a challenging period,” says our Mayor Len Salt. “Just as important as fixing infrastructure is letting our business owners and industries know we have their backs, by doing everything we can to help them feel energised and ready for the all-important summer season.”
Council action has included securing and distributing highly-contested central Government funding for economic recovery.
Recovery Highlights
- Distributed +$8 million in Business Recovery Grants.
- Secured $200,000 from MBIE (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) for tourism marketing and promotion.
- Secured $300,000 from MBIE to enable Business Associations to deliver locally-led events and business support.
Other highlights
“One of our areas of economic development focus is to support projects that grow our sustainable tourism offering,” says our Mayor.
“I’m particularly impressed by the progress that’s been made toward turning the Coromandel into a nationally-significant mountain biking destination, which saw the Whangamatā Ridges Mountain Bike park hosting the national schools championships in September."
Hauraki-Coromandel Recreational Biking Strategy
Our Council supports a regional, collaborative approach to natural surface track and trail development across Hauraki-Coromandel. The Recreational Biking Strategy aims to create off-road, recreational cycle trails and family-orientated bike recreation throughout our region.
In 2023 we prepared a Draft Recreational Biking Strategy and sought community feedback. The survey received 564 responses, with the vast majority of respondents supportive of the overall goals:
- Establish 40 kilometres of shared trails, accessible within ten minutes of cycling of primary hub centres – Thames, Coromandel Town, Whitianga, Whangamatā.
- Establish 400 kilometres of linked, epic recreational backcountry trails between primary hubs and outlying nodes with multiday adventure riding as the key experience. Link north to south and east to west by bike.
- Establish a mobile, regional, sustainable Trail Care Team, drawing on local capability and capacity to deliver innovative high-quality products.
“Our Council will remain heavily involved in the next stages of planning to achieve these outcomes,” says our Mayor.
“The strategy work is a great milestone, and means we know exactly what needs to be done to make the vision a reality.”
Visit tcdc.govt.nz/recreationalbikingstrategy.
Migration rejuvenates growth in our region
Statistics New Zealand’s latest subnational population estimates show a strong trend toward people moving from the cities to regions, including Thames-Coromandel.
Population growth nationally accelerated to June 2023, which saw New Zealand’s population lift 105,900 people in just 12 months to reach a total population of 5.22 million.
That growth was spread throughout the country — of New Zealand’s 67 territorial authorities, 65 recorded growth. Our district of Thames-Coromandel was 15th on the list of regions showing population growth, with net internal migration of 430 new residents.
Economist Benje Patterson says that reflects a clear pattern of Kiwis deciding to leave cities and seek out the good life in the regions. His analysis of Auckland’s population growth showed that the city gained 47,800 international migrants, but lost 11,200 internal migrants to other parts of New Zealand.
What’s driving the trend?
The exodus of people from Auckland and some of our other big cities into the regions is being driven by a combination of ‘push’, ‘pull’, and ‘enabling’ factors, says Mr Patterson.
On the push side, a key factor is house prices. On the pull side, a key factor has been lifestyle. “The unsettling pandemic period has been a wake-up call for many and given us time to reflect on what matters in life. The allure of the ‘good life’ pulls people into our regions,” says Mr Patterson.
Some of the other factors that attract a migrant into a region may be strong local job prospects, or that the region is located close to opportunities and amenities on offer in a larger nearby population centre.
“The reality is that while many people are happy moving to a region, they still value having easy access to social and business opportunities in nearby cities. In other words, cities aren’t completely broken – it’s just that New Zealander's eyes have reopened to the charm of our regions,” says Mr Patterson.
Take part in the Coromandel Cure
Destination Hauraki Coromandel, our Regional Tourism Organisation, continues to work on its biggest-ever summer campaign, designed to build back confidence in the Coromandel as the place where kiwis holiday.
Launched on November 29, the campaign runs through to mid-December, then picks up again in late January to run through to mid-April. The goal is to promote Hauraki Coromandel as a place to visit and all our operators, businesses, business associations and other community groups are encouraged to participate.
How to Participate
The campaign features products and packages on offer from participating partners, so if you want your business, experience or product to be included, this is your chance to collaborate.
There are two options for taking part in Coromandel Cure:
- A special product (e.g. limited-edition product, dish on a menu, or experience)
- A combo, package, add-on, anything that's good for your soul. This could be solo or in collaboration with other operators in your area.
Product: Let us know what your special product cure is when it is available and how you are presenting it. We can help you decide how to use the campaign's creative assets and provide additional resources, such as stickers.
Package: Upload details of your Coromandel Cure with campaign lockups to the website. There is a special landing page so people who have seen campaign promotions can find their Coromandel Cure.
There are also range of creative templates available that can be customised to best fit your chosen channel, including thecoromandel.com.
Putting ChatGPT to work for your business
Our Council has been running workshops to get local businesses up to speed on Chat GPT technology that can benefit their companies. The first two workshops were held in November at the Tairua Golf Club and at our Council Chambers.
Presented by Waikato-based Mosaic Partners, the workshops demonstrated to business owners how they can put ChatGPT to practical use in their day-to-day operations. Areas of benefit from the technology include improving internal communication and interactions with customers, as well as more efficient and smooth operation of the business overall.
“We see it as part of our job to give local businesses additional tools for growth, when we’re all operating in such a fast-changing environment,” explains our Economic Development Lead, Mitch King. “We need to stay on a level playing field with our metropolitan neighbours, and it’s been awesome to see the extremely positive feedback we’ve received from participants.”
Mosaic Partners is led by Jamie Moore and Jeremy Suisted, who have local links to our area and understand the challenges and opportunities for regional business.
“In the most recent workshop, we had participants unlock new revenue opportunities for their business, get headway on business tasks that had been weighing them down for weeks, and really begin to see how much more efficient life can be when you understand the basic skills of ChatGPT,” says Jamie.
The pair will be running further workshops in early 2024. These will be scheduled after 5pm to cater to those who weren’t able to attend the previous workshops. If you’d like to register your interest in the next workshop, email mitchell.king@tcdc.govt.nz.
Pāuanui Pink Walk – Beneficiary of our Recovery Plan
Things were looking rosy in Pāuanui at the inaugural Pāuanui Pink Walk held recently to celebrate community revitalisation and raise breast cancer awareness.
Organised by long-time local residents Mandy Alexander and Paula Leen from Hello Friday, the walk was part of our Council’s Business Recovery Fund work to help communities move past the recent challenges of weather events and road closures.
The Pink Walk transformed the township into a sea of pink and celebration, as over 130 enthusiastic participants donned vibrant outfits, wigs and accessories and walked together through Pauanui's scenic pathways and along the beachfront. Local businesses also joined in, decorating storefronts with pink balloons and offering promotions to support the event throughout the weekend.
Our Council's Business Recovery Fund focuses on local initiatives and projects aimed at invigorating communities following the impact of events like the Kōpū-Hikuai road closure. The Pauanui Pink Walk aimed to bring attention to the importance of breast health and the valuable work carried out by the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
Following the walk, a prizegiving was held at the Pāuanui Club and spot prizes were given out, the majority of which were vouchers for local businesses, to help ensure resources continue to circulate within the local area and economy.
The walk was the first of three events planned for Pāuanui. Coming up are the Pāuanui Long Lunch on 24 February, followed by Music at the Point on 9 March. Head to the What’s on Pāuanui Facebook page to keep in the loop with these events.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Music on the Pepe, Tairua
- Saturday 16 December 2023 1pm – 5pm. Bring a picnic and enjoy the festivities.
Summer Concerts and Festivals
Coroglen Tavern
- Thursday 28 December – Blindspot
- Friday 29 December – The Upbeats, State of Mind, MC Tiki and more
- Saturday 30 December – Tiki Tane, Black Comet, Flaxxies and more
- Sunday 31 December – The Black Seeds, Sarah Morcom and more
- Wednesday 3 January – “The Beach Ball” featuring Sir Dave Dobbyn and Elemeno P”
- Friday 5 January – The Feelers
Stay up to date on the concert schedule here.
Beach Break
- Friday 5 January Williamson Park, Whangamatā – Ocean Alley, Flaxxies and more
Visit Beachbreak.co.nz.
Coro Classic
- Saturday 6 January – Coromandel Luxury Escapes, Matarangi. Sublime, Alcemist, Coterie and more
Visit thecoroclassic.co.nz.
Stay up to date on all these events and more on our Council’s events page.
To get in touch with our Economic Development team, please contact our ED lead mitchell.king@tcdc.govt.nz.
