June 2007

Funding for regional visitor plan confirmed

AucklandPlus has secured funding from New Zealand
Trade and Enterprise for the development of a regional visitor plan.

This initiative is a feature of the Metro Project Action Plan, and together with the development of a regional brand and regional major events strategy, is seen as critical in the transformation of Auckland into a world-class destination.

The Metro Project highlights the fact the visitor industry is well placed to play a pivotal role in Auckland’s economic transformation. (It already accounts for 11 per cent of the region’s GDP and 11 per cent of its full-time equivalent workforce.) But Auckland currently lacks an overarching regional visitor plan.

AucklandPlus is jointly funding and co-ordinating the project to develop the plan. David McConnell, Managing Director of McConnell Limited is leading the project. The project also has the support of Tourism Auckland.

McConnell says the project’s core objective is to develop a clear and concise 10-year plan that allows the region to realise its potential as a world-class destination.

"We want to develop a clear vision for what Auckland could / should offer as a world class visitor destination in 2017," he says. "Once we have the vision we can identify the actions required to transform Auckland into the world-class destination we know it can be."

The 2011 Rugby World Cup will be a focal point for the project, which will clearly identify what needs to be done in the visitor industry pre and post that event, but McConnell doesn’t see Rugby World Cup as an end point.

"The Rugby World Cup is a great opportunity for Auckland and we need to maximise it, but we need to think about Auckland as a visitor destination beyond 2011 as well."

McConnell says the plan’s development will be a collaborative effort significantly guided by the visitor industry.

The development of the visitor plan will involve four broad steps:
1. Identify the current situation (What does the Auckland visitor industry look like in 2007?)
2. Develop a 10-year vision
3. Gather relevant information (What have other cities done? How? Funding options? Expected payoffs?)
4. Identify the specific actions required to achieve the 10-year vision for the Auckland visitor industry.

With the project already underway, development of the regional visitor plan is expected to be complete by September this year.

For more information please contact Tracy Moyes on 09 366 2071 or tracy.moyes@aucklandplus.com.

A brand that tells the whole story

As its guardian since 1985, Tourism Auckland has nurtured, defended, and built equity in ‘The City of Sails’. CEO Graeme Osborne says the time has come for a cohesive brand that builds on this position to reflect the promise of the whole of the Auckland region.


Auckland has urban sophistication, a prominent waterfront, nature within arm's reach, a warm welcome and a unique Pacific flavour. It has exceptional people, a beautiful and accessible environment and unique landscapes. It is rated the world’s fifth best lifestyle city internationally (Mercer Index, 2006 and 2007). The challenge is to develop a brand identity that reflects all of these attributes and establishes a global reputation based on them.

Despite the equity already established through the City of Sails , it has been undermined by the mish mash of sub brands telling different parts of the story. They are all relevant but what is missing, as articulated in the Metro Project Action Plan, is "a cohesive regional brand" that unifies and adds value to existing brands.

The Plan says "A strong and compelling regional brand identity that complements the regional visitor strategy will be a crucial tool in positioning Auckland as a ‘must see’ destination. It will also help to attract business investment and high-skilled employees to the region by positioning it as an attractive place to live and work."

The international marketplace is already crowded with compelling and distinctive destination brands all struggling for cut through. If you have not lived in a place or have no good reason to know a lot about it, you will think about it in terms of a handful of qualities, a promise or some kind of story. What do people think of when they think of Auckland ? The international market is for a single, well defined entity called Auckland . The simpler and clearer the Auckland brand proposition, the more likely it is that our messages will connect with key target markets.

At its launch last year the Metro Project Action Plan prompted much debate over Auckland ’s moniker. The "City of Sails" positioning for Auckland has been used by Tourism Auckland since 1985, the investment in building value in this positioning for ‘brand AUCKLAND’ has ensured the brand has strong equity. Its strengths are its reflection of our migratory origins, our coastal aspect and our affinity with the sea. However, does it capture the essence of our volcanic landscape or our indigenous and Pacific peoples and other diverse flavours of Greater Auckland? The time has come to examine what we want as a regional identity - one that encapsulates Auckland' s story and total package of attractions for people to visit and invest in.

It is no coincidence that the key elements of a memorable visitor experience are absolutely the same criteria that make Auckland a desirable place to live and invest. The same imperatives identified as key to Auckland ’s economic success are the ones that make it a desirable visitor destination - with perhaps one exception, the " Auckland story".

Auckland ’s unique heritage stories represent a significant point of difference for visitors. The pity is that these stories - historical, cultural and landscape - struggle to survive. This is not a situation unique to Auckland . However some New Zealand regions do it much better than Auckland and are arguably the richer for it.

The opportunity then, is to embrace these and other Auckland stories in a regional brand; to tell and celebrate our stories, and then as hosts share these stories with our visitors and deliver on the brand promise.

By most measures Auckland ’s economic performance is lagging behind that of key global benchmarks and the Metro Project Action Plan seeks to reverse that trend. The Plan is a ‘tipping point’ and a one-off opportunity, to transform the Auckland economy. A clear, compelling, widely recognised regional brand is a vital ingredient.

If we miss this opportunity for economic transformation and ignore the catalytic opportunities before us such as the Rugby World Cup 2011, then we risk Auckland redefining Stephen Hawking’s paradox of a ‘black hole’.

Graeme Osborne
Chief Executive Officer

Tourism Auckland

Tourism Auckland is working in partnership with AucklandPlus to develop a regional brand for Auckland .

Regional brand update

The development of a regional brand for Auckland is rapidly gaining momentum with the recent completion of The Auckland Workshops.

The workshops (pictured) have been one of the highlights of the project so far. They brought together Auckland leaders from arts, sports, business, local and central government, economic development, community and ethnic groups to tease out their perceptions of Auckland. Participants worked in teams and were given the challenge of agreeing on everything from architecture styles to shapes and colours that best represent their ideal Auckland. There was no shortage of whole hearted, robust debate and passionate discussion over the course of the two days of workshops.

A regional brand was cited as a must have for Auckland by the international panel of economic development experts who visited these shores last year as part of the Metro Project. It’s seen as a key step in achieving the Metro Project Action Plan’s stated objective of transforming Auckland into a world-class destination.

The brand development project is jointly funded by AucklandPlus and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. The project team, led by AucklandPlus, includes those players likely to be amongst the biggest users of the regional brand, such as Tourism Auckland, Air New Zealand, Auckland City, other local councils and the Ministry of Economic Development. The contracted branding consultants are DesignWorks Enterprise IG who are widely respected both internationally and in New Zealand. (Those who mix in Auckland economic development circles will have seen an example of their work with the very smart Waitakere Enterprise brand launched earlier this year.)

The first key stage of the brand development process is all but complete. It has involved a wealth of information gathering internationally, around New Zealand and of course in Auckland. Interviews, vox pops, surveys, audits of existing brands, competitor audits and a stack of desk research have all played their part in uncovering the truth about Auckland.

With the information gathering at an end, the results will be analysed and presented as a brand hypothesis. This in turn gives birth to a brand strategy - including a positioning statement, brand values and a single organising idea (the essence of the brand boiled down and captured in a simple, memorable and compelling truth.) Once the strategy is agreed, the brand expression - visuals, key messages, toolkits for communications and marketing - is created. All of this is expected to be completed by November.

The AucklandPlus e-newsletter will keep you up to date with developments.

For more information on the development of a regional brand for Auckland check out these questions and answers or contact Tracy Moyes at 09 366 2071 or tracy.moyes@aucklandplus.com.

New Board Members for AucklandPlus

AucklandPlus has added three new members to its Advisory Board.

Company director ICTNZ Chair Ross Peat, Microsoft Managing Director Helen Robinson, Tourism Auckland Chairman Rodney Walshe take up their new positions in June.

The three new members will join incumbents Michael Barnett (Chairman), Greg Muir, Craig Norgate, Jim McLay and Diana Parry.

Board Chairman Michael Barnett says the role of business leaders in supporting and reviewing AucklandPlus’ work programme is critical. The new appointments and the increase in the size of the board from 5 to 8 members will add to the valuable input AucklandPlus already enjoys from a wide range of business leaders.

Ross Peat
Ross Peat is a company director and a member of the Auckland Regional
Economic Development Forum. Ross chairs ICT NZ, is President of the IT Association of New Zealand and is a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Otago Business School.

Helen Robinson
Helen Robinson is the Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand Ltd. Helen currently chairs the leadership group for the innovation workstream of the Metro Project. She is on the board of the New Zealand Institute and is patron of Business Mentors New Zealand and the Foundation for Business Excellence.

Rodney Walshe ONZM
Rodney Walshe is Managing Director of Walshe Group, Chair of Tourism Auckland, former president of the New Zealand Tourist Industry Federation, and a former member of the New Zealand Trade
Development Board. Rodney is Honorary Consul General for Ireland.

Screen Production MRI moves ahead

It’s an exciting time for Auckland’s screen production industry with the country’s largest sound stage rapidly taking shape in Henderson and the start of a Film Auckland-run programme to build industry capability.

Both projects are part of Auckland’s screen production MRI (Major Regional Initiative) which sees New Zealand Trade and Enterprise funding the region’s screen production industry to the tune of $2 million. The objective of the MRI is to increase the number of projects undertaken by the industry in Auckland, and thereby achieve greater stability of employment for the specialised and skilled workers who live in the region.’

AucklandPlus holds the contract with NZTE for delivery of the MRI outputs. In this capacity it works in partnership with Film Auckland to support the MRI process.

AucklandPlus staff together with chairman Michael Barnett, ARC Councillor Wyn Hoadley (Chair of the Council’s Finance Committee) and Film Auckland Chairman Pete Rive recently toured the new sound stage construction site and couldn’t help but be impressed with the scale and quality of the development (pictured).

The sound stage is due for completion in September and construction is on schedule. It will be New Zealand’s largest sound stage (in cubic metres). The developers tell us you could fit a 737 aircraft inside the studio and shoot a live scene. With space for wardrobe, make up and support offices attached, the studio’s dimensions, technology set-up, flexibility of use and soundproofing will fill a clear gap in the market and enable the region to attract more international productions to Auckland. The sound stage will be run as a commercial operation, utilising private sector expertise.

Over the past 12 months Henderson Valley Studios have been 90% full (compared to an international occupancy rate of approximately 40%) and demand continues to be high with two significant projects and several smaller ones vying for use of the site. In fact, studio project manager Greg Parker of Waitakere Project Ltd has signalled an intention to build a further two new studios once the current project is complete.

As well as building infrastructure, the MRI aims to build capability in the screen production industry. Film Auckland recently launched the MRI’s capability development programme under the banner "Up yours". The programme aims to upskill existing Auckland-based industry practitioners by making funding available for appropriate projects twice a year. Applications are currently being sought for the first round of funding and must be in to Film Auckland by June 1.

For further information on the Screen Production MRI please contact Margaret Farrell at AucklandPlus on 366 2000 ext 8251 or margaret.farrell@aucklandplus.com

Navigating the pathway to export

At least 50 Auckland companies will benefit from an "Export Navigator" pilot programme at the heart of the region’s Export Year activities.

The Export Navigator programme is part of the Auckland region’s response to the government’s Export Year 2007 initiative.

An Auckland Export year Group has been formed to develop and deliver the regional plan. AucklandPlus Group Manager Clyde Rogers chairs the group which includes representatives from Export New Zealand, Employers and Manufacturers Association, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, WHK Gosling Chapman and Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

The EMA’s Bruce Goldsworthy says Auckland’s Export Year plan is multi-faceted but the Export Navigator is a key component.

"The aim of the Export Navigator is to identify small to medium sized businesses with export potential and connect them to the existing framework of export-related assistance."

"We want to provide companies with a logical pathway to initiate, accelerate and improve their export market development."

Export Navigator will be an integrated programme using the combined resources of all those in the Auckland Region Export Group and the region’s economic development agencies to add value to potential exporters.

Bruce Goldsworthy says each company entering the programme will undergo an agreed "capability assessment" carried out by WHK Gosling Chapman, following which an individual action plan will be drawn up based on the assessment. The action plan will include a follow-up and review process.

"NZTE will manage the process for selecting companies to participate in the programme and AucklandPlus will be responsible for the ongoing co-ordination of the Export Navigator Programme through recently appointed programme manager Justine Cummings."

As well as Export Navigator, the Auckland regional plan includes the documentation and co-ordination of existing activity, and a communications and advertising campaign to support both the regional and national Export Year initiatives.

Opportunities beyond 2007 are also an important component with plans to focus on major event and key sector leveraging through research into the Business Club concept developed in Australia. The Auckland Region Export Group will also oversee the development of a schools "Robotics" project around innovation, science and technology and will host a Beyond 2007 summit in November, bringing together key business leaders and exporters to present key issues for the future, to government.

Keep an eye on this newsletter for updates on the summit and other Auckland Export Year initiatives.

Business and Economy 2007

As an AucklandPlus e-newsletter subscriber you will be amongst the first to receive Auckland’s Business and Economy publication when it is released on Tuesday 26 June.

The publication presents an up to date regional view of Auckland’s economy with key statistics and perspectives from those in the know.

Highlights of this of this year’s edition will include:

• Auckland’s performance in an international context - an essay by Danielle Bowen of the New Zealand Institute
• An outlook for the year ahead
• A summary of recent trends
• Sectoral synopsis
• A column from widely respected commentator Rod Oram on Auckland’s future

The Bus