Review of agencies a basis for further consideration: trustees

22 April, 2008

ENTERPRISE NORTHLAND : MEDIA RELEASES 2008

The trustees of regional agencies Enterprise Northland and Destination Northland say the findings of a review by the Northland Regional Council are a useful starting point for discussions to further improve performance.

Mike Simm, chairman of the Northland Regional Council Community Trust, which governs the two organisations, said it was great to see them acknowledged as top performers in their respective fields.

Enterprise Northland is the region's economic development agency, set up in 2002, while Destination Northland, established in 1997, is the regional tourism organisation.

Mr Simm said the two organisations enjoy strong support and engagement from Northland businesspeople. For example, the ratio of private sector financial contributions to Destination Northland's activities each year was among the highest in the country.

He said the review was an indication of the NRC's intention to take a greater interest in the region's economic development.

“The review, carried out by a firm of local Government consultants, contains some interesting suggestions and we are committed to working with the NRC to implement those changes that we agree would improve the performance of the two organisations, guided by the recommendations in the report.”

He pointed out that Enterprise Northland and Destination Northland also had a number of other stakeholders whose interests could not be overlooked – Northland's three district councils, a range of central government agencies and of course, people in business in Northland. These stakeholders also provided funding for activities and projects and as a consequence, held the two organisations accountable. For example, all four councils receive personal presentations on a quarterly basis.

Mr Simm noted that the Far North District Council had commissioned its own review last year, and that meeting the expectations of all parties would always be a challenge because of their sometimes-divergent interests.