6 | Venture Taranaki REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Building on region’s many strengths T T Richard Loader Taranaki - famous for the maunga bearing the same name, a diversity of innovative industries and some of the best surfing in the world. Photo: Rob Tucker Embracing the left hand hip of the North Island, equal distance between Wellington and Auckland, Taranaki is famous for the maunga bearing the same name, a diversity of innovative industries and some of the best surfing in the world. Returning to the region, the sight of Mount Taranaki presiding over the land like an ancient and sage sentinel bids a welcome homecoming. The rain gods direct their downpour on the mountain, which then flows down the slopes to the multitude of rivers and streams feeding the land below, providing lush and fertile soils that are the lifeblood of the region’s agriculture. With its ability to grow grass Taranaki was the birthplace of New Zealand’s dairy industry with the first dairy exports coming from the region. Dairying is still an important industry, but sheep, beef and poultry are also very strong, with horticulture playing an increasing role. Some Kiwifruit orchards are being planted, avocados already grow in small numbers and hop gardens are being considered. Niche value-add products including Manuka honey, Superfood Smoothies, high-end bakery products like croissants, crepes and very highend spirits and sauces all add to the region’s food industry mix. A Council Controlled Organisation, Venture Taranaki is focused on growing and supporting resilient enterprises and attracting talent, investment and visitors to the region. Chief Executive Justine Gilliland says the organisation works with Callaghan Innovation and other funding companies to support enterprises gain access to R&D funds. “In the six months between June and December last year we had $4m in R&D funding come into the region, doubling our annual average. So that shows a very strong focus on R&D and growth in the region.” Synonymous with the energy sector, Taranaki has long had a connection with oil and gas but an increasing focus on low emission energy includes gas utilising carbon capture, use and storage. There is also the creation of hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as offshore wind, Justine says. “For example, hydrogen can be used as a fuel replacement for diesel, particularly in heavy vehicles. “It can also be used as a replacement for gas powering the industrial plants. In a low emissions’ future there may be opportunities to export energy as hydrogen.” Engineering, construction, health, and increasingly emerging IT technologies make up the region’s other main industry sectors. A very strong engineering base supports both the energy and food sectors. “That means a whole range of growth opportunities in the engineering sector around manufacturing and aligned with technology as well. “We have some very innovative firms here that do some quite complicated things based off work with the energy and food sector.” Justine explains that the region’s growth opportunities are around leveraging existing strengths rather than creating a ‘new something’ from scratch. “Food and fibre is New Zealand’s biggest export sector by far. So the more we can do with that sector and leverage the existing strengths to capture more value for New Zealand the better. In terms of the energy sector it’s looking at a low emissions future. “Adjacent sectors like agri-tech present wonderful opportunities because they leverage food and fibre and the engineering sector. “Our growing IT sector taps into the agritech space too, and because we have a very strong manufacturing and engineering base in our region there’s also alot of advanced manufacturing.” Niche value-add products such as those from Egmont Honey add to Taranaki’s food industry.
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