Expert comment: Government, Tairawhiti leaders join forces

Expert comment: Government and Tairawhiti leaders join forces - is it enough?

Peter Sherwin, Partner, Grant Thornton New Zealand in Wellington, says that announcement that the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment were joining forces with the local authorities of the Tairawhiti Region, was a step in the right direction, but only a first step and hopefully a forerunner for other "remote" regions of New Zealand.

• This will help unlock the economic potential of a region that is beset with both road and rail bottlenecks and concerns

• Hopefully the opportunity is taken to include iwi in this process; rather than the focus being on "righting the wrongs of the Treaty" here is a chance to actually look forward and look at ways of developing the potential of the region in unison; increasing both the wealth and skills of the population.

• Other "remote" areas of NZ would also benefit from this approach – Northland, Taranaki, Nelson and West Coast. Had State Highway 1 gone through Taranaki, how much more developed would it be today?

ENDS

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