March 2007

Profile Clyde Rogers

If there is one thing AucklandPlus Group Manager Clyde Rogers wants his organisation to be, it is the catalyst for regional co-operation and collaboration around economic development.

Clyde is something of an economic development veteran having spent 12 years heading up Enterprise Waitakere, one of New Zealand’s leading economic development agencies. He has chaired the Economic Development Association of New Zealand (EDANZ) for three years and has been a member of that organisation’s professional development and policy governance groups. For his contributions to economic development, he was recently made an Honorary Fellow of EDANZ’s College of Practitioners.

His on-the-ground experience in the economic development arena has left him in no doubt as to what needs to happen to get Auckland’s economy moving in the right direction.

"Auckland’s piecemeal approach, that sees a range of organisations competing with each other, is holding the region’s economy back," Clyde says.

"We need to change the culture so that the right people across all sectors are working together for the benefit of the whole region’s economy."

Launched last year as a stand alone business unit of the Auckland Regional Council, AucklandPlus is already seen by key central government players (such as the Auckland-based Government Urban and Economic Development Office and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) as the logical conduit for a regional collaboration in economic development.

AucklandPlus is the delivery agency for the Auckland Regional Economic Development Strategy (AREDS). It has three clear platforms for action:

• Regional promotion to attract national and international business to the Auckland region.
• Acting as a single point of contact for current and potential investors. This includes information management and communications, promotion, enquiry response and aftercare.
• Facilitating regional economic development projects (large, multi-agency, cross-boundary/council projects that receive external funding), including the Metro Project Action Plan.

So what does this rather prosaic description mean for the team at AucklandPlus?

Clyde believes it’s about getting the key players around the table to co-ordinate a regional response to economic development challenges and opportunities.
"When the region pools its resources and responds with one voice we will start to see real progress in the region’s economic development," he says.

Clyde highlights the model being used to respond to Rugby World Cup 2011 where a range of cross organisational workstreams (bringing together representatives from all relevant sectors and organisations) report to a regional steering group.

He sees the potential for AucklandPlus to lead similar regional responses to future Auckland opportunities, from a major events strategy to national initiatives along the lines of Export Year 2007 or specific responses to skill shortages, such as the New Zealand Expos at London and Manchester.

"Up until now, nobody has been consistently looking at these challenges, opportunities and issues and responding from a regional perspective. That’s what we aim to change."

Despite the enormity of the task, Clyde is adamant that AucklandPlus will not be another bureaucracy which is long on strategy and short on action and results.

"We are a delivery agency and we expect to deliver and be judged on our results," he says.

Export Year - An Auckland response

New Zealand has traditionally described itself as a nation of exporters. The reality is we haven't lived up to this tag for years. In fact only 4% of New Zealand's small to medium sized businesses currently export. In a recent address to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Minister of Finance Michael Cullen put it this way…

"The picture over the last generation on innovation and exporting is not that pretty. We have one of the lowest rates of business research and development in the OECD. Exports as a per cent of GDP have barely moved in the last thirty years by OECD standards, despite all the economic reforms. The May 2006 DHL Export Barometer found that only two in five of the exporters surveyed had introduced new technologies in the past year and only one in four had a physical presence in export markets.

For New Zealand to succeed in its Export Year 2007 objectives Auckland must meet the challenge. If Auckland fails New Zealand will fail to significantly increase exports as a percentage of its GDP. So what do we need to do to succeed and how is the Auckland region responding to export year?

We won’t be anything like a nation of exporters until businesses change their mindset. Any small to medium sized business should have an export element in their business plan, and those already exporting should be asking how they can grow their existing efforts. Yes, increasing productivity is important for strengthening the economy but real growth will only come from success in markets outside New Zealand. Exposure to an international perspective will ensure New Zealand businesses become competitive, innovative and creative in order to succeed. And success breeds success.

The Government’s Export Year 2007 programme has put the spotlight on exports with a range of initiatives designed to support New Zealand exporters breaking into overseas markets.

Auckland’s focus is on regional co-ordination to raise export aspiration and awareness in the region, build export capability of current exporters and potential new exporters, and create a lasting legacy.

AucklandPlus has been invited by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to join a regional group comprising Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Export NZ, Employers and Manufacturers Association, Ministry of Economic Development, Kiwi Ex-pat Association (KEA) and export training provider Gosling Chapman.

The group is looking at existing activity in the region, to ensure that the approach is co-ordinated and rolling out a plan to fill any gaps as they look to build on existing initiatives and develop new ones to complement what is already happening.

Importantly, the Metro Project Action Plan will deliver a number of key actions which will support Auckland’s export growth. Workstreams around infrastructure, innovation, as well as skills and education will build capacity to develop the high value goods and services the region needs for export.

The Visit Auckland workstream will raise awareness of Auckland globally and create a portfolio of major events from which Auckland can leverage export opportunities. With a world netball championship this year, a Rugby World Cup in 2011 and the possibility of hosting an America’s Cup (here’s hoping!) in between, the capacity to leverage business opportunities and exports from these events needs to be built now.

More information:
www.exportyear.co.nz

Metro Action Plan Update

Launched by Prime Minister Helen Clark in October, the Metro Project Action Plan articulated five clear objectives, underpinned by a range of strategies and a total of 31 actions designed to kick-start the process of Auckland's economic transformation.

AucklandPlus is facilitating the roll out of many of the actions now underway. This update highlights progress towards achieving the action plan's five objectives.

Take effective and efficient action to transform Auckland’s economy

Actions from this objective focus on Auckland’s leadership and delivery mechanisms. These have both been under the microscope as local councils have worked with Central Government to consider the best governance for Auckland in the future. A joint proposal from all Auckland councils was deliver to Minister of Local Government Mark Burton in December and an official response is expected shortly.

This objective also incorporates the development of a single plan for Auckland and the Auckland Regional Council is progressing this concept.

Develop world-class infrastructure and world-class urban centres
While several elements of this objective are being led by the Auckland Regional Council, AucklandPlus is focussing on facilitating the delivery of broadband infrastructure requirements. This action is being led by Ross Peat, chair of ICTNZ and former managing director of Microsoft New Zealand.

Milestones to date:

Links with private sector to discuss broadband future in Auckland	Established
Participation in Auckland City's fibre advisory group	Ongoing
Research into barriers to wireless broadband solutions (especially RMA management)	Underway in partnership with ARC
Discussion with relevant business to identify skill needs required to roll out broadband in the region	Underway
Auckland Councils Officers met to discuss Metro Project Broadband initiative	Support gained

Contact: simon.roche@aucklandplus.com

Transform Auckland into a world-class destination

AucklandPlus is at the forefront of the actions which fall out of this objective: a regional visitor strategy and a regional major events strategy (projects co-ordinated by AucklandPlus and led by David McConnell, Managing Director, McConnell International and Rodney Walshe, Chairman, Tourism Auckland); and an Auckland regional brand identity (Project led by AucklandPlus with Michael Barnett, Chairman of AucklandPlus as its champion).

Milestones to date:

Steering group for regional identity project (includes project partner Tourism Auckland)	Selected and Active
Secure funding for regional identity project	Secured NZTE joint funding with AucklandPlus
Competitive RFP process to appoint branding agency	Completed
Appoint brand agency	Appointed - Brand specialist Designworks/Enterprise IG
Project planning and desk research	Underway
Scoping and steering group for Visit Auckland strategy	Underway
Secure funding for Major Events strategy	NZTE and AucklandPlus funding secured
Regional Project Team for Major Events Strategy	Established and active

Contact: tracy.moyes@aucklandplus.com

Develop a skilled and responsive labour force

AucklandPlus is facilitating this workstream which is led by Peter Menzies, company director and former Chief Executive and Chair of the Mainzeal group. Peter is a member of the University of Auckland Council and sits on the Government’s Growth and Innovation Board and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Board.
Click here to read Peter’s comments on this objective and progress to date.

Contact: jennifer.cook@aucklandplus.com

Increase Auckland’s business innovation and export strength

Microsoft New Zealand Managing Director Helen Robinson is leading this workstream which is facilitated by AucklandPlus.

Milestones to date:

Recruitment for leadership (steering) group	Underway
Project structure and deliverables for five working groups	Developed and identified
Key relationships with public and private sector players	Established
Link Metro objective to Ministry of Research Science and Technology's Capitalising on Research and Development Action Group	Linked
Desk research	Underway

Contact: susan.milner@aucklandplus.com

AucklandPlus will shortly revamp its website to provide more comprehensive and dynamic updates of the Metro Project Action Plan projects. Look out for future features on the Metro Project in the AucklandPlus e-newsletter.

Metro Project - Focus on Skills

Developing a skilled and responsive labour force is the fundamental first step to economic growth for Auckland according to Peter Menzies. And he describes the pay off for achieving this as better living standards for Auckland and New Zealand communities.

Peter leads the skills workstream of the Metro Project Action Plan and, as a passionate Aucklander with children and grandchildren living in the region, he is committed to making a difference.

Peter’s business pedigree, as a company director and former Chief Executive and Chair of the Mainzeal group. Peter is a member of the University of Auckland Council and sits on the Government’s Growth and Innovation Board (GIAB) and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Board.

He traces his involvement in the Metro Project back to his role a Chairman of group charged with leading the formulation of the Auckland Regional Economic Development Strategy in 2001.

He says that process brought into sharp focus the fact that Auckland was failing to grow its GDP per capita and therefore failing to increase its economic performance and improve standards of living for its communities.

"I also became very aware that if Auckland fails, New Zealand fails, because countries need strong, vibrant urban economies to succeed," he says.

But Peter is optimistic about Auckland’s chances, especially with recognition from Central Government (in its Economic Transformation agenda) of Auckland’s importance to the country’s economy.

The Metro Project revealed that there are a number of very good skills initiatives underway across the Auckland region but that these are mostly at a local or sub-regional level. They are not well knitted together, best practice is not shared and no-one looking at what the gaps are regionally and how to fill them. That’s what Peter’s workstream will address.

Peter has worked with AucklandPlus to establish a high-powered leadership team encompassing knowledgeable and passionate people from across the relevant sectors of Auckland.

He says research has begun with more to come in order to get a clear picture of where the skills gaps are in the Auckland region. "One such area is in the technical skills needed to implement a regional broadband network."

"The next step in the skills workstream is to complete the research project so the leadership team can respond to the detailed regional picture and the activities proposed to address the issues," Peter says.

He is particularly keen to explore links between immigration and Auckland’s skills gap, and wants to have a working group active in this area as soon as possible.

One initiative already in the pipeline in this area is developing an Auckland regional presence at New Zealand Expos in London and Manchester later this year which will be used to recruit staff for New Zealand businesses. AucklandPlus, Auckland Chamber of Commerce and local economic development agencies are working together to progress this.