Fast Forward Northland October 2022

Despitethesetbacksand slowdowncausedbyCovid andsubsequenteconomic challenges,theWhangarei Districtremains ahigh growthDistrictthatcan expectsustainedgrowth overthenext30years.

Ifanything,remoteworking,the volatileeconomyandrisinghouse priceshavedrivenpeopletoseekthe betterlife/workbalancethatcanbe foundinourDistrict.

Growthisagoodthing,anditisourjob, asCounciltocatertoitandwherepossible, stayaheadofthecurve.Thatincludes ensuringenoughlandiszonedfortheright kindofdevelopmentintherightplaces. We needtoprotectthecharacteristicsweeach treasure.Weneedgoodtransport,water supply,wasteremoval,sewagetreatment, andactiveandbuzzingbusinesssector, buildingsgoingupsafelywithinreasonable timeframes–andcouncilhasaparttoplay inallofthese.

Whilemajorgrowthhasbeen happeninginnorthTikipungaandKamo, MaunuandThreeMileBush,itisalso surginginthesouthoftheDistrict.The populationofMarsdenPoint/Ruakakais closetothatofKaikoheandDargaville. Ruakakawillprobablybelargerthanboth by2023.

Someplansfordevelopmentinthatarea mighthavestalledin2020,butIbelieve theyarerampingupagain-Northporthas recentlysubmitteditsresourceconsent applicationtoexpanditsoperations,our irstcruiseshipvisitisbookedforearly 2024andinterestingplansarebeing discussedfortheoldreinerysite.Such

thingsasthedrydockandrelocationofthe Navymaystillbeonthetable.

Notonlydoweneedtocatertothe infrastructurerequirementsofthis population,Councilalsoneedstofoster thekindsofactivitiesandeventsthat enhancewellbeing.TheRally,Rugby WorldCupandeventsofthatscaleshow theworldwhatwehavetooffer.They rewardourowncommunityandattract visitorswhoboostoureconomy.Local eventscreateasenseofcommunityand togetherness–withtheEndlessSummer, FringeandSilverfestivalscateringtoa widerangeofpeopleandinterests.

Ourdistrictisbecomingincreasingly culturallydiverseaspeoplefromawide rangeofculturescomehere,become embeddedandcontributeexpertise, businessknow-howandfreshideas.With anunusuallyevenrural/urbansplitin ourdistrictitseemswereallycanprovide somethingforeveryone.

OverallWhangareiDistrictisinastrong position.Oureconomywillimprove,our naturalenvironmentisoutstandingand wearebuildingbetterfacilitiesforour citizens.Mostofthechallengesprovided byanexpandingpopulationwithhigher expectationsaregoodproblemstohave. TheDistricthasanexcitingfutureandIam proudtobeatthehelmofthisCouncilfor thetermtocome.

VinceCocurillo, Whanga¯rei Mayor

CONNECTIONAND COMMUNICATION

Inthelastfewyears,wehavecometorealisehow important agoodcommunicationnetworkcanbe.

Overthelasttwoyearsespecially,wehave becomemorereliantonhigh-speedinternet connectionstokeepusincontactwiththerest oftheworld,andkeepusentertained,while manyofushavebeenforcedtostayhome.Whileinternet usagejumpeddramaticallyduringlockdowns,itnever returnedtothelevelsseenbeforeCovidhit.Anditdidn’t takelongforthistobecomethenormalandminimum expectedofinternettechnology.

DavidClark,theMinisterfortheDigitalEconomy andCommunicationssays,“theCOVID-19pandemichas

Lookingback,itisamazingtoseehowfarcommunication technologyhascome,andhowquicklyimprovements continuetobemade.

Itwasn’tthatlongagothatthe ibreoptic,ultra-fast broadbandnetworkstartedtobebuiltinNewZealand.On8 May2014,WhangareibecameNewZealand’s irstcitytobe fully ibredundertheGovernment’sUltra-FastBroadband initiative,givingWhangareitheenviablepositionofgetting aheadstartontherestofthecountry.

Atthetimeof ibre’sinstallation,itwasthebiggest boosttoNewZealand’sinfrastructurefordecades,and NorthpowerFibre,whobuiltthenetwork,stated,“Fibre isthemostimportantglobalinfrastructureofthe21st century.”

Sincethenwehaveheardthattheoldercoppernetwork iscomingtotheendofitsusefullifeandwillsoonbe

switchedoff.Choruswhoownthecopper networkstatethatatthemomentthisis onlybeingdonewhere ibreisavailable, buteventuallyitisexpectedtobeswitched offcompletely.

Whilethe ibrenetworkdoesn’t reachmanypartsofruralNorthland,the governmenthasalsobeenworkingona schemetogetmobilecoveragetoalmost allofNewZealand.Inthelate2010s,the governmentinitiatedprogrammeslike theUltra-FastBroadbandProgramme,the RuralBroadbandInitiativeandtheMobile BlackSpotFundtohelpdeliverimproved broadbandandmobileservicestoall NewZealanders.Evensomeruralpartsof

Northlandwillnoticeinthelastfewyears theirmobilecoveragehasbecomestronger, andmanyplacesaregettingsignalforthe irsttime.

Nowinternetandmobileretailerscan providesolutionsforhigh-speedinternetin people’shomesandworkplaces,including wirelessoptions.Plusnowwithtechnology likeStarlinkwhichusesalarge,loworbiting satelliteconstellationtoprovidecustomers withhighspeedbroadbandinternetin remoteandruralareas,evenmorepeople haveaccesstofast,reliableinternet.While thistechnologyisstillquiteexpensive, especiallytosetup,inrelationto ibreand wirelessoptions,likemosttechnologies

itislikelytobecomecheaperandmore accessibleovertime.

Wecanexpectinthefuturethatthe demandforfastandreliableinternet connectionswillcontinuetoincrease ashomesandbusinessesbecomemore reliantonthemintheireffortstoconnect totherestoftheworld.Andthatthe reachintomoreruralandremoteareas willexpandtoo.Withtheadvancementof technologies,wecanonlyimaginewhatis comingnext.

Presence, Participation andProgress

Theimportanceofstudentattendance andengagementineducation.

Thepastfewyearshavecreated signiicantchallengesforeducation acrossthecountry.Morethanever, theattendanceandengagement ofourtamarikiineducationisvitally important.Studentsneedtobepresent inourearlylearningservices,schooland kura,participatingineducation,andmaking progressinordertoreceivetheeducation thattheydeserve,fromearlylearningright throughtoemployment.

There’snothinglikeapandemictomake usfeellikeweareallinthewakatogether.

Whicheverwayyoulookatit,thereis nodenyingthattheCovid-19experience hasprovokeddebates,surfacedissues,and presentedopportunitiesregardingremote stylesoflearning

Connectionandcollaborationinearly learningandschool,foundedonstrong relationships,ishavingavaluableimpact onattendanceandengagementofour tamariki.AcrossTaiTokerau,schools,kura, ngāKohangareoandearlylearningcentres areexploringinnovativewaystoengage andretainstudentsineducation,working withwhanau,hapuandiwi.Wearehearing inspiringstoriesofresourcefulteachersand resilientfamiliesmeetingthechallenges headonandensuringthatstudentsare continuingtolearn.

Increasingaccesstoearlylearning servicesinremoteregionsinTaiTokerau hasbeenafocus,withTargetedAssistance toParticipation(TAP)fundingusedtoboost participationratesbyincreasingcapacity intheregion.Over150childspaceshave beencreatedintargetedareasaroundTai Tokerau,includingthedevelopmentofafull immersionMāorilanguagecentrethatcaters fortamarikiwithadditionallearningneeds. Removingaccessbarrierstoearlylearning forourtamarikiiscriticalwhenaimingto increaseparticipationatanearlyage.

Addressingaccessbarriershaveneeded creativeproblemsolvingforschoolaged studentsalso.Duringthepandemic schoolagedtamarikiwererequiredto stayathomeduetoillnessorisolation requirements,requiringschoolstoprovide learningexperiencesforstudentswhile theywereathome.WetermedthisHybrid Learning,whichmayhavebeennewto schoolsandfamilies,andmuchofthe relateddevelopmentoccurredasitevolved inrealtime.

NeedingtoknowmoretomakeHybrid Learningpracticeeffectiveandsustainable intothefuture,trialshavebeguninTai Tokerau,withoneearlylearningcentre andsixschoolsinvolved.Withtheaimof ensuringcontinuityoflearningforstudents regardlessofwhethertheyareonoroffa schoolsite,thetrialshelpretainkeylessons learnedduringthepandemic.Thesetrials alsosupportstrongerrelationshipswith whānau,connectingthemandtheirtamariki withreal-timelearning.Thepotential forfurthercollaborationbetweenearly learning,schoolsandkurabeyondthetrials willalsopositivelycontributetoamore seamlesstransitionfortamarikiasthey leaveearlylearningandenterschool.

Relationshipsarefeaturingheavilyin transitionworkbeingcompletedatthe otherendofthestudentschoolingjourney. EventssuchastherecentE2ESpeedMeet Event(pictured)bringtogetherpotential

employersandstudentslookingtoexplore careerpathwaysbeyondsecondaryschool. Businessesarealsosupportinginitiatives inschoolsaimedatgettingstudents excitedaboutcareersinSTEAMindustries (Science,Technology,Engineering,Arts andMathematics).Localeventssuchasa recentSTEAMcampatMorningsideSchool supported(pictured)offerstudentsa chancetoexperimentwithfuture-focused technologiesandengageinauthentic problem-solving.

Keepingstudentsexcitedabouttheir learningishugelyimportant,particularly whenthefocusisonimprovingattendance. Wellbeingandachievementarelinkedand reinforceeachother.Studentwellbeingis

bothimportantinitsownright,becauseitis akeyfactorinenablinglearningtooccur.

Arecentinitiativeisthe“Let’sGetto School-TaiTokerau’‘ETeTaiTokerauHoaketātoukitekura”campaign.

Thecampaignisaregionalcollective, collaborationwithprincipalleaders, ministrystaff‘doingwhateverittakes’toget ourstudentsbacktoschool.Thecampaign involvedthedevelopmentofasocialmedia packwithphotosandmessaginginformed bylocalstudentstouseontheirsocial mediaplatforms.

Socialmediahasbeenakeyfactorin reachingwhānauandstudents,withschools allreceivingasocialmediakittolaunch theircampaignsandsharetheirsuccess stories.Schoolshaveutilisedstudentvoice tocarrytheirmessage–thatpresenceat schoolisimportant,thattheymisstheir mates,thatschoolsarewantingtohelpand supportwheretheycan.

MinistryofEducationattendancedatafor theweekstartingAugust8–theweekthe campaignlaunched-shows79.2percent ofstudentsinNorthlandwereattending school.AsoftheweekstartingSeptember 5thatnumberincreasedto81percent-an increaseofabout493students,about2.5 averagesizedNorthlandschools.

Ultimately,aswelooktowardsthe futureofeducationhereinTaiTokerau, themessagesremainthesame–Presence, ParticipationandProgressmatter. Relationshipsandconnectionunderpin thesethreegoals,andwillsupportpositive outcomesforourstudents,nowandinto thefuture.

Education to Employment TaiTokerau team

IslaandBrooklyn -HeWakaEke Noa

JackandHarith work togetheratthe recent STEAM campheldatMorningsideSchool

MovingtoThe Park

Regent TrainingCentreisexcited andproudtobemovingtoournew campusattheNgawhaInnovation andEnterprisePark(ThePark)in KaikoheinJanuary2023.ThePark istheplacewherebusinessesandthe localcommunitythrivetogether.

Ourprogrammes–including

wayofpracticaltraining,predominantly

havearealheartfortaitamariki.Atthe Park,RTCBuildingstudentswillfurther enhancetheirlivesandimpactmore positivelyupontheircommunitiesby buildingnewdwellings,aspartoftheir training,tohouseneedywhanau.Usinga tuakana-teinamodel,ourBuildingLevel 3studentswillcementtheirownlearning byleadingabuildprojectandsupporting ourLevel2studentstolearntheskills requiredforthatproject.

MovingtoTheParkoffersourlearners amazingopportunitiestolearn,gain qualiications,supporttheircommunity andmoveontoemploymentorhigher learningopportunitieswithinthePark

oncetheyhavegraduated.Adedicated SkillsandEmploymentCoordinatorwill workwithemployers,trainingproviders andlearnerstocreateconnectionsand opportunitiesforallonthePark.We alreadyhaveasuccessstoryasaresult ofourmove,witha2022RTCGraduate beginningherapprenticeshipwithalocal builderattheParkin2023.

Ifyouknowofayoungpersonaged 15-24yearsoldwhocouldbeneitfrom gainingqualiicationsandlifeskills,then supportthembygivingRTCacallon0800 REGENT,therearenofeesorcoststothe students–andthatalsoincludestransport andlunchforeligiblestudents.

PLENTYOF REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC

“Whanga¯reihasmassivepotential. Astunningenvironment,innovative industriesand awell-locatedport withtheeasiestaccessforoverseas tradingpartners.”

Whenwelookaroundthe world,thereisnodoubtthat thingsaregettingtough.

NewZealandisasmallboat onabigsea,andwecan’tavoidsomeofthe incomingwaves,butwehaveplentyinthe pipelinetolookforwardto.

Northporthashugepotentialtodrive ourfuturedevelopment.Anindependent reportintothesocialandeconomic potentialofplansforgrowthatNorthport saysabout1500newjobscouldbe createdinanaroundMarsdenPoint, Whangārei,andthewiderNorthland regionbyexpandingthecontainerport. Theflow-oneffectsaremassive.It’sa high-valueindustry.Historicallywe’ve beenacentreforship-building,andhere isanopportunitytokick-startitagain.A proposedshipyardandfloatingdrydock ontheport’swesternboundarycouldbe thecatalystforanother1,135newjobsin thearea.

TheGovernmenthasalreadycommitted tocreatinganationalsupplychainstrategy focusedontheUpperNorthIsland,andin 2017wecommittedtorehabilitatingthe NorthAucklandRailLine.Wecompleted thetunnelupgradeslastyearandnow KiwiRailhaspurchasedmuchofthe necessarylandfortheMarsdenPointspur andexpecttopresentadetailedbusiness casetoMinistersshortly.

Ourbiggestachievementisgettinga massiveBudgetcommitmentforourlongneglectedWhangāreiHospitalovertheline. It’soneofthebiggestpieceofinfrastructure fundingthatwehavehadforgenerations, andwillbeahugeeconomickickstartfor Whangārei.Tendersfortheconstructionof RadiationOncologyandnewChildHealth

Centrearenowclosed.Constructionfor theRadiationOncologyunitisexpectedto becompletedby2025.Thismeansalarge amountofNorthlandpatientswhonow receiveradiotherapyorchemotherapy treatmentatAucklandHospitalwillbeable toreceivethistreatmentinWhangāreiina fewyears.

Remaininghospitaldesignworkis underwayandwillmostlikelyutilisea largeamountofundevelopedlandavailable betweenHospitalRoadandWestEndAve. Notonlywillitprovideanothersigniicant sourceofconstructionworkbutalsohelp addressourhealthinequities.

Meanwhile,aswemoveawayforfossil fuels,local irms’expertiseinalternative energygivesusanimportantheadstart. Iamenthusiasticaboutthepotentialto makeTaiTokerauacentreforrenewable energy.TheReineryhasgone,butthere’s hugepotentialinMarsden.Wehaveagreat

transmissionlinethroughtoAuckland, wonderfulsolarandwindpotentialeven beforemorehigh-techstufflikehydrogen andthebiofuels.

Innovationwillbethekeytocommerce inthefuture.CH4Aotearoaopenedits commercialfacilityatNIWA’sAquaculture CentreatRuakakathismonth,growing methane-bustingredseaweedforfarming.I amexcitedaboutthemassivepotentialthis hasforouragricultureindustry.Research showsthatwhenfedtocattleinsmall amounts,thesesupplementscanreduce methaneemissionsofupto90%,andmay evenallowcattletogainmoreweight,from betterdigestionsofthesamefeed.

Whangāreiisintransition,notonly economicallybutalsoaswe,asanation grapplewithworldwidesupplychainissues, inlationandclimatechange.Wehavetobe realisticaboutthesechallenges,butwehave plentyofreasonstobeoptimistic,too.

OpeningCH4 commercial facilitybasedatNIWAinRuakaka

JamesShawandEmilyHendersonattheopening ofCH4 facilitybasedatNIWARuakaka

Hospital redevelopment

Imagescredit:TeTeWhatuOra TeTaiTokerau

Authorised byDrEmily Henderson MP, Parliament Buildings,Wellington

WhatcanYOUDOtomake ourroadssaferandsave lives?Weareseeingdailyan increaseofheadlinesand tragicstoriesinthemediaaboutfataland seriousinjurycrashesonbothNorthland roadsandacrossthenationalroading network.Thereisstilltwoandahalfhigh riskmonthstogo.

Nationallymostfatalcrasheshappenon localroadsbutinNorthlandoverdoublethe numberoffatalcrashesoccuronourregions StateHighwaynetworkscomparedtoour localroads.

Areourdrivers/riderslearning?Nonot really,asthesamemistakesarecontinuing eachyearwhileinnocentvictimsand familiessuffer.Thissufferingforthose familiesisnotjustwhenthetragedy happensbutlifelong.

Fatal&seriousinjurycrasheshavebeen steadyduringthelast5&¾yearsasshown below,evenwhenconsideringfewercars travellingonourroadsduringtwoyears ofCovidrestrictiontimesandlittleorno visitingoverseasdrivers.

Toomanyofourcrashesstillinvolve preventableissuesrelatingtothosecrashes -therearecommonthemes-impairment

(alcohol/drugs),failingtokeepleft,too

Overalongperiodoftimethesenumbers havebeenreducingbutsadlyinrecentyears thetrendsarerisingagain.

LeadingFactorscontributingtofataland injuryroadcrashes

Eachyear,the4leadingfactors contributingtofatalcrashestendtobelost control,failedtokeepleft,alcoholordrugs, andtoofastforconditions.

The5leadingfactorscontributingto injurycrashestendtobelostcontrol, inattentionorattentiondiverted,failedto givewayorstop,didnotseeotherparty,and toofastforconditions.

seekstoreducedeathsandseriousinjuries

withouteveryone’ssupport,agreaterlevel ofsupport&investmentfor-SafeRoads& Roadsides,SafeSpeeds,SafeVehicles,Safe RoadUse.

RoadSafetyIsEveryonesResponsibility http://northlandroadsafety.co.nz

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

TaitokerauNorthlandhasbeenan extraordinarymeetingplaceover centuries.Thebirthplaceofmodern AotearoaNewZealand,visitorshave beendrawntoourregiontoexplore andexperienceourpeopleandplace.

Throughthisdesiretoengage withourrichhistoryandcultural icons,thevisitorindustryhas becomeanimportantelement oftheTaitokerauNorthlandeconom However,balancingtheimmediateeconomic beneitsofthevisitorindustrywiththe longtermneedsandpotentialoftheregion, community,iwiandhapūrequiredstrategic planningtoensurethattheindustrywas onewhichprovidedsustainablebeneits toTaitokerauNorthlandlong-term.Thus, theTaitokerauNorthlandDestination ManagementPlan(TNDMP)wasdeveloped.

TheglobalshiftintoDestination Managementforthevisitorindustrytakes aninclusive,strategicapproachwhich supportsparticipationacrosscommunities, industries,education,agencies,and localandcentralgovernment.Itaimsfor alignmenttocreatebettermanagementof thewellbeingoftheregion,itspeopleand visitors;toensurethatthebeneitsthe visitorindustryprovidesareseennotjust forourgeneration,butforthosetocome.

October2022markstheone-year anniversarysincetheTaitokerau NorthlandDestinationManagement Planwaslaunched,duringwhichwe haveworkedtowardsenhancingthe valueoftheregion’svisitorexperiences, forthebenefitofeveryonewhocalls Taitokerauhomebothnowandinto

thefuture.Developedinpartnership betweenNorthlandInc,TeAuMārie SestercentennialTrust,TeHiringaTrust& BusinessPromotions,andTePuniKōkiri (TPK)Taitokerau,thePlanhasalready madegreatstridesinitsfirst12months.

Despitethechallengestheregionhas facedasaresultofCOVID-19lockdownsand borderrestrictions,bothheavilyimpacting thevisitoreconomythroughthelackof visitorstoTaitokerauNorthland,over 60%oftheactionsidentiiedwithinthe TNDMPareeitherunderwayorcompleted. Consideringtheadditionalpressuresthe regionalvisitorindustryhasdealtwith,such progressisnosmallfeat,andatestamentto theresilienceofoperatorswithintheregion. Withafocusonreadyingtheindustryfor areturnofdomesticandinternational visitors,andhowasanindustrywecando betterforlongtermsuccess,gainshave beenmadetowardssettingthefoundations forfuturesuccess.

Changehasbeenseenthroughthe ResponsibleTourismJourneywhich theindustryhasbeenon,facilitatedby

NorthlandInc.Throughthisprocesswe havelookedathowbusinesseswithinthe visitorindustrycantakemeaningfulsteps towardsustainability,throughcultural, social,economicandenvironmental well-being.Tangibleactionssuchaswaste management,educationaroundmeasuring carbonandregionalenvironmental projectsaretopicsengagedwithbya multitudeofregionalbusinesses,joining thejourneytowardscreatingpositive impactintothefuture.

TheTNDMPhasalsodeliveredproduct developmentforthevisitorindustry, focussedonattractingvisitorsbackto TaitokerauNorthlandinwayswhich encouragedthemtostaylonger,andshare inmoremeaningfulexperiences.The launchofofTaitokerauNorthlandFoodand BeverageActionPlanaimstoputaspotlight onourregionalculinarydelights,while threenewNorthlandJourneysmapsaddto thecollectionof10mapswhichshowcase lesser-knownattractionsacrosstheregion.

Knowledgesharingandupskillinghave beenakeyfocusoftheTNDMPtodate, wherethroughthelaunchofprogrammes suchastheAotearoaNewZealand HistoriesEducationalProgrammesandthe QueenstownResortCollegeAmbassador Programme,wehavebeenabletoenhance thequalityofthehistoricalandcultural experienceswhichexistwithinTaitokerau. Theseeducationalopportunitiesonly servetoincreasetheimportanceofthe visitorexperienceswhichwehaveinthe regionforfuturegenerations,addingtoour economicresilience.

Theprogressmadeunderthe‘new’ wayofthinkingissigniicantgiventhe mindsetshiftrequired,andparticularly giventhechallengeswhichtheregionhas facedoverthepasttwoyears.Theshiftto DestinationManagementisanongoing process,butonewhichtheresultssofar showtheindustryislargelyonboardwith, arelectionofthepositivetractioncreated sofar.Evolvingtomeetthechangingneeds ofourcommunitieswillrequireongoing engagementfromindustry,iwiandhapūand supportingagencies.Inordertocontinue momentum,suchbuy-inandfundingto supportinitiativesundertheplanwillbe crucialtosuccess,andensuringsustainable long-termbeneitsaredeliveredthroughthe visitorindustryforTaitokerauNorthland.

To indoutmoreabouttheTai TokerauNorthlandDestination ManagementPlangoto:northlandnz. com/destination-management-plan/

TheNorthlandJourneysmapsencouragevisitorsto godeeperandstaylongerinthe region,including visitingthe Poor Knights.

AmySimpkin,DestinationManagementPlan

PortfolioSupportpresentsat aResponsible Tourism Workshop heldinWhangārei.

Tania Burt,GMDestinationat NorthlandInc

WaitikiLanding Houhora CoopersBeach Kaitaia Waipapa Kerikeri Opononi Kaikohe Kawakawa Dargaville

Matakohe

Raumanga

TownBasin Whangārei

Civiccarpark (TeslaChargers)

Pak'nSave Whangārei

The Warehouse Whangārei Alexander St

Cove