Business North October 2021

4 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Whangārei District Council to page 0 Whangārei looking to the future from page 3 An artist’s impression of the new Whangārei Civic Centre; below, Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai at the first concrete pour at the site. With growth comes challenges however, and according to Mayor Mai some of the biggest challenges facing Whangārei District include pressure on housing, infrastructure, the la- bour market and caring for the environment. “House prices have increased by 55% over the past 10 years. In order to increase housing stock, new projects are needed, particularly townhouses and apartments. Council has estimated that 12,000-20,000 new homes need to be built by 2050 to meet demand. This construction activity gives a boost to our local tradespeople, including trainees and apprentices.” She says that Whangārei’s infrastructure also needs to keep pace with the exponential growth of the district. Key projects include the new town basin park, central city revitalisation, new Civic Cen- tre and the recently completed Whau Valley water treatment plant. Mayor Mai says that the new water treat- ment plant will secure Whangārei’s urban water supply for decades to come by increas- ing the capacity of Whangārei water supply from 15,000 cubic metres processed each day to 22,000 cubic metres a day. “We’ve needed to plan carefully for our growth”, says Mayor Mai. “Our decision-making has needed to be strategic and coordinated, to ensure the demands on our infrastructure, housing, employment and environment are met. Fo- cuses include reducing environmental impact, improving training and education initiatives as well as making the district more resilient.” Early into the Covid-19 pandemic lock- down, Council endorsed a Covid-19 Response Strategy to set a path for the recovery and reset of the region’s economy in response to the economic crisis associated with ovid-19. Mayor Mai says that while it is acknowledged that the economy will not go back to the way it was before Covid-19 Council is taking the opportunity to make the economy better. “As the economy resets, we are working to maximise existing strengths and ensure we are more resilient to future shocks through a broader economic base. “We want to be sustainable for our environ- ment and communities, and more inclusive, to ensure our whole community sees the benefits.” Mayor Mai says Whangārei district’s attrac- tive natural environment with world class beaches, proximity to Auckland and connec- tion to international and national markets through Northport and Whangārei Airport will continue to make Whangārei an attractive place for people to live and set up businesses. “Growth results in change. We need to en- sure that our communities understand what that change looks like and are engaged in the process and decision-making that will impact on their community. “We want everyone to enjoy the benefits of a strong economy and a bright future.” KEY FACTS: • 96,000 population reached in 2019 includ- ing 18.1% population growth 2013- 2018 (NZ: 10.8%) • 30.1% of population identify as Māori (2018) • 2.6% average annual growth 2013- 2018 (NZ: 1.8%) • $48,790 GDP per Capita (NZ: $58,271)