Business North December / January 2021

| 3 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Far North District Council Community pulls together for future T T Karen Phelps Kerikeri Inlet - one of the many attractions in the Far North region. F ar North Mayor John Carter credits the local community for coming together to bring government funding and work to the region, citing the significant effort needed to ensure projects met funding criteria and before contracts could be signed off. “Community, including farming, business and iwi leaders, all worked together to apply for funding for various projects in the region. It made me proud.” With some 23 infrastructure and economic recovery projects nominated by the council and local communities for the COVID-19 eco- nomic recovery, Provincial Growth Fund and NZTA Innovating Streets programme 18 pro- jects worth over $67 million will be delivered by Far North District Council alongside local communities. The remaining five projects worth $40 mil- lion will be delivered by the council’s commer- cial arm Far North Holdings Ltd. Projects that have already begun are two Te Tai Tokerau Redeployment Package projects aimed at providing urgent economic relief for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and two Strategic Road projects, including the Ruapekapeka Road upgrade. Work on a new Northern Animal Shelter in Kaitaia has also begun. John says that meeting government dead- lines on certain projects is essential and so the council has formed a Programme Steering Group (PSG) to provide governance oversight of COVID-19 economic recovery projects in the district. Projects that will be overseen by the PSG include Bay of Islands Sports Hub, Kerik- eri Domain, Lindvart Park Pavilion, Mangonui boardwalk, Te Hiku revitalisation, Twin Coast Cycle Trail through the Northland Adventure Experience, and maritime facility upgrades.  “We are now working closely with the local groups to deliver these projects to tight gov- ernment deadlines,” he says. “Legal entities are being established for each project to provide a signatory for the funding agreement with central government.  Working groups will answer to these legal enti- ties and will gather public opinion and develop solutions for each project.” He says getting community input on each project is important, which he acknowledges can sometimes be a difficult process.  “There are many passionate groups in the community with strong and sometimes con- flicting views about how each project should be implemented.  “ Agreeing project plans will require a great deal of faith and compromise in some cases to ensure we meet deadlines and retain funding.” “There are many passionate groups in the community with strong and sometimes conflicting views about how each project should be implemented.  Agreeing project plans will require a great deal of faith and compromise in some cases to ensure we meet deadlines and retain funding.” John Carter Although 2020 has been challenging for the tourism reliant region, which also had to deal with drought and floods, John says there have also been many positives outcomes that will exist long after the projects have finished adding considerable value to the Far North. “For example during the pandemic we started having weekly conference calls with business and iwi leaders and sectors such as farming and tourism. “This will continue as we found the more we work together the better the outcomes. So in future there will be far better communication and engagement.” He says while there has been good support of the region by Kiwis travelling significant challenges still exist – there is a looming drought, commercial vacancies as more peo- ple work from home and uncertainty about the tourist season ahead with no overseas visitors. Council is already making preparations for the drought, working closely with the farming sector, and putting plans in place. But John says that significant raft of work underway will help shore up the local econo- my during the pandemic and will have huge benefits going forward – not just locally but for wider New Zealand. As an example he points to new cultural tourism experience in Opononi, Manea Foot- prints of Kupe, which has been supported by the PGF. The centre will celebrate Kupe’s voyage to Hokianga and his journeys across Aotearoa and include a combination of guided tours, interactive performances and technology stations, complemented by taonga repatriated from various museums. It is estimated the centre will create up to 14 full-time jobs by providing additional tour- ism opportunities for Northland’s West Coast. “A lot of this investment in the region will not only make it easier for people to get to Northland but will give them a reason to visit and stay longer. “There will be significant spin offs for local businesses and the economy. We now have to look at what more we can do going forward.” Projects that will be overseen by the PSG include Bay of Islands Sports Hub, Kerikeri Domain, Lindvart Park Pavilion, Mangonui boardwalk, Te Hiku revitalisation, Twin Coast Cycle Trail through the Northland Adventure Experience, and maritime facility upgrades.