Covid-19: Bay of Plenty Regional Council believe Bay fearing better than anticipated

Bay of Plenty Regional Council say the regions economy is faring better than the country as a whole. Photo / File

Economic data suggests despite the significant early impacts of Covid-19, the Bay of Plenty's economy is faring better than the country as a whole, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council has announced.

A quarterly Infometrics report commissioned by the council shows as a result of alert levels 4 and 3, Bay of Plenty's GDP was down by 1.6 per cent for the year to June 2020 compared to a national drop of 2.1 per cent.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder said despite the relative resilience of the overall regional economy, due in part to sustained growth in dairy and horticulture, other industries within the rohe [area] have been badly hit.

"Tourism employs just over one in 10 people in our region, so the 11 per cent annual decline in tourist spend is causing significant hardship, particularly in Rotorua and also in Whakatāne, which had already been hard-hit by the Whakaari eruption aftermath.

"We can't forget that any significant business downturn causes job loses that can result in personal and family hardship which flows through to the wellbeing of our communities."

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder. Photo / File

Leeder said the pandemic response had provided an unprecedented opportunity to work in partnership with central government to accelerate projects that had "far-reaching" benefits for the region.

Local government and iwi entities across the Bay have seized those opportunities, securing funds through the Provincial Growth Fund's and other funding channels such as the Department of Conservation's Jobs for Nature, Leeder said.

He commented that these funds have activated a range of projects to save and create jobs and incorporate training and development that will foster employment sustainability.

"While addressing job loss is an immediate result, the projects deliver core outcomes such as business infrastructure development and digital connectivity for the longer-term benefit of our towns and cities.

"Close to Regional Council's heart, of course, are the projects that also produce environmental gains and support safe and resilient communities."

Forestry was one of the first sectors to be hit in the region with a 26 per cent drop in annual performance but it has since bounced back as export orders recovered. Other sectors such as construction had continued to be hit hard.

"The 29 per cent decrease in non-residential consents up until the end of June reinforces just how critical it was to secure the Crown Infrastructure Projects (CIP) funding to activate projects and demand within the construction and engineering industry."

Leeder said the Infometrics report emphasised regional recovery must be co-developed in collaboration with people from all sectors and across the rohe.

"We should also note that in the post-Covid period up to the June Infometrics report around 960 fulltime equivalent jobs have been created through recovery funded projects. The number is currently over 2000, with further announcements anticipated."