Businesses planned in decades, not terms, “and they want to see leaders with the courage to do the same”, Business South chief executive Mike Collins said.
“The projects that matter most to Otago are the ones that outlast election cycles.”
Business South had been advocating with Business New Zealand for bipartisanship across the country on education, health and infrastructure projects.
Mr Collins said with local elections and a new political cycle approaching, he expected incoming councils to back up opportunities with action — particularly around housing and infrastructure.
Businesses had lost trust and confidence in some local governments “and that comes through now as just pure frustration”.
“A lot of businesses have just given up with engagement because they’re frustrated.
“To build trust, it’s only achieved through action.”
Decisions made by local governments that affected businesses were too often “made in silos”, Mr Collins said.
“Councils work separately, and the result is duplication, higher costs and missed opportunities.
“Business owners see this every day — when infrastructure projects don’t line up, or when red tape slows down investment.”
Larger businesses operating across Otago also dealt with several local governments, which could create variability around cost structures and procurement processes.
To create more certainty for businesses, there needed to be a more cohesive investment plan across the region — one that was longer than the three-year election term cycle.
While councils had their own long-term plans, “they’re probably not looked at with confidence from businesses’ perspective”, Mr Collins said.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said he agreed with Mr Collins.
“Although I think it would be fair to say that there has been quite a bit of regional collaboration on health particularly concerning the new southern region tertiary hospital.
“Joined up initiatives produce the best results in my observation.”
He hoped the next set of councillors would be more business-enabling “because we definitely need higher per capita incomes in this city”.
A theme of his re-election campaign was to “retain more of the brains we train” — which Mr Radich said he believed would get the city focused on investment, businesses, growth and better paying jobs based in technology.
This would create a brighter future for everyone “because a rising tide of income lifts all boats,” he said.
Otago Regional Council chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said it supported businesses that relied on natural resources or the reputation of the region’s environment.
It did this through evidence-based decision-making, long-term planning and fostering collaboration across councils, iwi and communities, Cr Robertson said.
“We agree that no one council, and no one leader, can shift economies alone.
“Progress depends on collaboration between councils, businesses, iwi and communities, supported by leadership that focuses on outcomes rather than egos.”
tim.scott@odt.co.nz
