Editorial: Make it easy for businesses to move here

Trevor Craig said Bin Inn's core business remains,

Earlier this week we reported that Bin Inn will hold its national conference in Tauranga in May bringing 70 to 80 store owners and their partners, from Kerikeri to Invercargill, to town.

This is a great coup for the city, as is the company's headquarters being based in Mount Maunganui.

Bin Inn's conference being held here was, in part, made possible by the new conference centre at Papamoa TOP 10 Holiday Resort. It comfortably seats 100 people, has the convenience of accommodation on-site and is ideally located right next to the beach. It's perfect for those business owners who use their annual conference as a bit of a holiday from real life.

Tauranga is a city that's built its reputation around being a great getaway location. And it really is. But it's also a great place to live and do business.

I love that we started as a sleepy, little seaside town. But the reality is we aren't a sleepy, little seaside town anymore. We've outgrown this persona and it's important we ultimately expand our economic horizons to fit our growth. Our approach to business and economy needs to continue to evolve and grow as our population does.

Tauranga is a great city year-round and it's important we use this to our advantage. It's the perfect place for anyone who wants to run a successful business, but also have a great quality of life outside of work. I'm sure our many successful businesses already based here will agree.

The Bay is a great holiday spot but tourism and retail are seasonal. And ask any local retailer and many will tell you that cruise ship passengers don't spend a lot of money when they're here. They have limited baggage space and all their meals are paid for on-board.

Not to mention, how do these tourists help our other local businesses?

They're not going to need electricians, or plumbers or land surveyors or accountants, or any one of the many other businesses that operate in our city.

Tourism and retail will always play a part in our economy, of course, but it is vital we ensure we have as many year-round revenue streams as possible to take the lead in our economic planning. We need more big businesses here to provide more good jobs for our growing population.

Ultimately, our city must ensure it provides for its growing population, which will in turn feed businesses. The more residents we have, the more people there are out shopping on weekends, eating out during the week and spending their wages at local businesses. More residents means more rates being paid.

We will need more infrastructure, so planning such as SmartGrowth are crucial so we are ready when it is needed.

There's no reason why we can't grow as a business hub with Auckland three hours away, our successful local port and the possibilities that ultrafast broadband offers.

Tauranga's population is forecast to grow significantly over the next 30 years, so now is the time to be thinking about what sort of city we want to grow into. If we want to attract leaders in business and innovation (and we'd be silly not to), we need to build on our marketing plans so more people in other parts of the country, and world, know what we can offer.

It will be important that the council and all associated agencies ensure it is as easy as possible for businesses to shift to the Bay.