Iti te Kōpara – Hapū Economic Development Plan

Iti te kopara kai takiri ana i runga i te Kahikatea.

Hikurangi Takiwa Trust (HTT) with support from Eastland Community Trust (ECT), commissioned the preparation of a draft Economic Development Plan to help identify opportunities and plan action to raise the economic wellbeing of the Takiwa.

Scope

HTT Trustees agreed at their meeting in March 2016 that it made sense for the plan to include people and places in the wider district and not be restricted just to the geographic and population communities that Hikurangi Takiwa Trust is established to benefit. This plan has a focus on the area generally from Te Puia Springs and Waipiro Bay through to Poroporo and Rangitukia.

It is by no means comprehensive or authoritative, it has no explicit mandate from the people in this district but we have tried to involve business owners and local residents in identifying priorities and opportunities to progress. We have provided drafts of the plan to a number of external stakeholders with a particular interest in our communities.

Structure

Through a process of local stakeholder engagement and research, a broad range of opportunities have been narrowed down in the development of an Action Plan to ensure limited resources can make the greatest short to medium term difference.

The projects in the Action Plan have been organised together into three broad work streams:

• WHAIRAWA / CAPITAL GROWTH
• AHUWHENUA / ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
• KUHUKUHU / SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS

 

The Whairawa / Capital Growth work-stream focuses on identifying and growing six asset classes in the district:

• Natural Capital: Regenerating a healthy natural environment.
• Manufactured Capital: Ensuring the infrastructure that enables economic development and wellbeing is available.
• Human Capital: Building local capability for economic development through education, training, mentoring and whānau relocating back to the district.
• Intellectual Capital: Developing and protecting knowledge-based assets including traditional knowledge and intellectual property.
• Financial Capital: Encouraging capital investment in local ventures.
• Social & Cultural Capital: Maintaining and growing healthy relationships, traditions, creativity and resources within the community.

The Ahuwhenua / Enterprise Development work-stream focuses on supporting the local development of high value industries and the business service sector. This includes new products and services and expanding existing enterprises while reducing associated business costs:

• Tourism & Hospitality: eco-tourism, cultural experiences, agricultural tourism, etc.
• Bioactives: manuka, kanuka, hemp, pine, etc.
• Energy: solar, hydro and biomass for heating, fuel and electricity
• Research & Technology: online businesses and services, consultants and technical support, etc.
• Forestry: diversifying species, improving environmental management, utilising waste stream, etc.
• Beef & Sheep: diversifying breeds and improving production
• Horticulture: cropping, nuts, truffles, saffron, Nati Kai Kete, etc.

The Kuhukuhu / Sustainable Livelihoods work-stream focuses on supporting whānau to stay in the district, maintain sustainable lifestyles based on traditional whenua and access to natural resources through:

• Supporting Existing Businesses: identifying & deploying priority business support for existing enterprise;
• Reframing Development: using progress indicators that measure wellbeing instead of income;
• Supporting Subsistence: enabling public policy supporting rather than penalising subsistence lifestyles based on hunting, gathering and harvesting;
• Digital Development: improving digital infrastructure and skills for telecommuting.

Next Steps

To progress the goals of the plan Hikurangi Takiwa Trust supports the establishment of a new entity to lead job creation and economic development opportunities in the takiwa and neighbouring hapū. Subsequently this planning process has resulted in the establishment of Hikurangi Huataukina Trust, a charitable trust focused on job creation and economic development – initially in the communities between Waipiro Bay and Rangitukia.

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DOWNLOADS:

• Iti Te Kōpara (screen version)
• Iti Te Kōpara (print version)
• Iti Te Kōpara diagram

East Coast Digital Development Hui

Hikurangi Takiwa Trust is hosting a hui 10.30am-12pm on Monday 31st August at Kariaka Pa for East Coast residents and businesses to discuss digital capability development opportunities for the whole Coast and our specific communities.

Gisborne District Council is preparing a Digital Enablement Plan (“DEP”) to submit to central government by mid-September. Community input on the DEP will start on Tuesday 25th August, Hikurangi Takiwa Trust is keen to ensure Coast communities knowledge and priorities help shape the DEP.

The Gisborne Regional Digital Strategy will build on the good work done as part of Gisborne’s Gigatown project which had significant community support. The Strategy will cover Leadership, Community, Business, Environment and will seek to address three key issues: Affordability, Accessibility and Digital Literacy.

Central government continues to send a clear message that broadband access is a priority for New Zealand. At end of March, government announced its commitment to building world leading internet speeds to more of our population. There is to be an increase in funding for three programmes:

• Ultra Fast Broadband 2 (“UFB2”) extension: aims to roll out fibre to 80% of NZers in urban areas – funding increase of $210m;
• Rural Broadband 2 (“RBI2”) extension: aims to provide upgraded broadband services in rural areas – funding increase of $100m;
• Mobile ‘black spots’ (MBSF)’: aims to increase mobile services to tourist areas and priority areas on State Highways – funding of $50m.

Government is looking to invest in areas where deployment will be relatively cost-effective, where uptake can be demonstrated to be high and where broadband services are unavailable (defined as less than 5Mbps). Council, with the support of key stakeholders, has completed the first stage of a submission for improving our digital infrastructure – a Registration of Interest – Support. Stage two of the process is to complete a Digital Enablement Plan (“DEP”). The DEP will outline the benefits of the programme funding for Tairāwhiti and how we will activate uptake.

The DEP is due 12pm, 16 September. The Regional Digital Strategy will be our DEP.

Regardless of the success or otherwise of the bid for government funding, the Digital Strategy will guide our digital future by setting some key priorities for action. It will refine the Gigatown Plan for Success.

It may be useful to think about the three capability development layers used in the Plan: Infrastructure, Services & People – what should these look like for the Coast?