Fruitbowl - Fresh Ideas from Hawke's Bay

For the 83 Hawke's Bay people who took part in the Human Resource Institute of NZ (HRINZ) Hawke's Bay Branch discussion at the Opera House at the end of August, we have finally compiled the report generated from the discussion points of the evening.

It's taken way longer than expected, but is well worth the read.  The exec summary is below, with a link to the full report at the foot of the page.

To answer the obvious 'so what?' question on what happens to all these combined suggestions & priorities for our region's future, the report will be forwarded to all participants, who included:

• The Chamber of Commerce & newly formed Business Hawke's Bay Group
• Hawke's Bay's MP's
• Many active Fruitbowlers
• Key influencers in many HB businesses

The Hawke''s Bay HRINZ committee would like to publicly thank our Vice President, Sue Whiteley, for putting in the hours to compile such a diverse group of people's thoughts into one cohesive document, Unison Fibre for their sponsorship of the event & the Opera House for hosting us.

Executive Summary of Findings
In the full document, the method and detailed findings of the workshop are laid out, but by way of executive summary the key findings are as follows.

Human Capital
•    The further development of Literacy and Numeracy (including Computer Literacy) for school aged children must be a focus for all – not just for our educators
•    Local tertiary providers must align with Universities to provide specific degree programmes which genuinely support the needs of the local current and emerging industries/sectors
•    Continued development of  Centre’s of Educational Excellence should be aligned to these key industries and sectors
•    Industries must create developmental opportunities and career paths to retain talent in region
•    An understanding of the infrastructure requirements required to attract and retain young people in the region should be developed
•    The development of leadership and management capability is key to enhancing the productivity and engagement of the human resource
•    Policies and infrastructure to support and enable the aging population to continue their contribution to the region’s economy must be developed
•    Strategies should be developed to ensure that young people see the Bay as a vibrant, dynamic and attractive place to settle
•    Regional pay rates need to attract talent from out of region and retain talent within region – relying on a “lifestyle” and “cheapest is best” approach will stifle regional and organisational development

Regional Competitiveness
•    Greater and more visible integration and collaboration between the councils is required to enhance and develop the region as a whole
•    Regional strategies are required for business development, tourism and other economic development activities
•    Communities must work together for the good of the region.  Fragmented approaches waste energy – we must have a focused and visible approach to addressing issues which prevents such fragmentation – people should know how to and be encouraged to get involved
•    Organisations should seek opportunities to work together for mutual benefit
•    Out of region is not best - buy local.  To facilitate this local providers must ensure they are expert and competitive
•    Leverage what we do well – identify the top ten current and emerging industries in the region and focus development activity in these areas
•    Attract related industries to the region – provide incentives where possible
•    Conduct research into the perception of the region with businesses – why do businesses locate here and why do they choose elsewhere
•    Maximise the tourist spend
•    Ensure our events schedule is attractive to the younger generations not just Baby Boomers

Infrastructure
•    Seek ways to improve access to the region
•    Ensure the port is supported
•    Technology infrastructure is key
•    Improved space based planning is required to improve the ease of access to and aesthetic of our outdoor and shared purpose spaces
•    Cut the red tape required to do business

Social
•    Improve the support migrants to the region obtain
•    Improve the tolerance, acceptance and local perception of migrants
•    Promote success stories in Hawke’s Bay particularly in relation to success in business – tell the world what we do well
•    Seek to reduce the gap between the “have’s” and “have not’s” in the region
•    Improve consultation with and participation from lower socio economic groups in economic development activities
•    Execute with excellence – address the culture of mediocrity of service delivery and the “cheapest is best” mentality – replace it with the understanding that “Do it once, do it right…gives value for money”

Cultural Diversity
•    Continually work to celebrate our cultural diversity
•    Encourage pride in our cultural heritage

Environment
•    Protect our clean green image now
•    Eco Tourism should be encouraged
•    Ensure our water is used productively and is fairly available

See the full report here & click on the pdf for the August event