Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker, who addressed a seminar and stakeholder update meeting on business migration last week hosted by Settlement Support, said he did not underestimate the work the agency was doing.
"We work collaboratively with others to position Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty as a serious business destination. What they do is all part of the package," he said.
"Simply put, the service that Settlement Support NZ provides in assisting migrants to settle, and importantly stay, is one of a number of important components in assisting to build our region's competitive advantages.
"Our migrant efforts are really about the challenge of attracting and retaining talent in a world that's extremely competitive in that space."
The new Settlement Support system was expected to be more centralised than the current arrangements and would, according to MBIE slides, include a face-to-face service "embedded in an existing information service" and would provide broadened reach and delivery through existing budgets.
Ms Andersen said she understood under the new service, initial contact by immigrants was likely to be with one of a range of service providers in a region, possibly located in libraries, citizens advice bureau or other locations, who would take details and then direct people to a migrant retention specialist - not necessarily be based in Tauranga.
At the moment, Settlement Support handles the full range of inquiries.
Since July this year, the service has responded to inquiries from 138 clients (migrants/newcomers); 142 service providers/employers; and has done 13 individual interviews with employers of migrants and been involved in 44 individual personal contacts.
"I think a lot of us nationally are worried about how it is going to work," she said, predicting there would be less of the face-to-face involvement, which she said was crucial in settling new migrants, and in particular in attracting the interest of local employers.
"We put a lot of personal time and effort into getting employers to sit up and take notice. We contact them individually and go out and see them personally."
Mr Coker said that the region competed nationally and internationally for talented people - "what is increasingly being termed the global currency of the 21st century".
"Priority One's workstreams focus specifically around positioning the region as a destination for talented and skilled people, and attracting businesses that need those skills. It's important that as a country and as a city/region we focus on what we're good at and build our community infrastructure to attract and retain skilled people, both locals and migrants."
Guests at last week's seminar included employers, local MBIE staff, a representative from the Settlement Unit at Immigration New Zealand and one from the Attraction Unit, registered immigration advisers and a recruitment consultant, as well as some migrants, the council and the Te Puke Community Board.
