GEM Report researchers included four regional snapshots in their study this year, and plan a full-scale study of 16 cities and provinces in 2003.
"We cannot say they are representatives of other regions but they point the way to next year's comprehensive study," says principal author Howard Frederick.
Manukau City, with 14.8
per cent involved in entrepreneurial activity, and Waitakere City, with 14.6 per cent, were above the 14 per cent recorded for New Zealand as a whole.
North Shore City (13.5 per cent) and Taranaki province (11.9 per cent) were below.
All four regions were more optimistic than the rest of country but Taranaki was by far the most cheery, with 63 per cent of respondents seeing good prospects for starting a business in the next six months - 20 per cent more than the national average.
Taranaki, a dairying region that has enjoyed boom years in commodity prices, beat its city cousins by a country mile in the proportion of opportunity entrepreneurs, as opposed to those with no choice but to start a business.
Just 6.5 per cent were in the latter category, compared with 20 per cent in Manukau and 17 per cent nationally.
Manukau scored well in entrepreneurs associated with new technologies or procedures, a result the city council says reflects its young population.
Says Mayor Sir Barry Curtis: "We've got 20,000 business enterprises, 120,000 jobs and 17,500 registered unemployed. These results make us determined to keep working harder."
Waitakere, which lacks Manukau's heavy manufacturing base, has the highest level of entrepreneurs with a tertiary qualification - 72 per cent, compared with 59.2 per cent in Manukau, 66.7 per cent in North Shore and 63 per cent in Taranaki.
Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey is focusing a lot of his attention on developing the industry's role in the film and television industry, and says the city has always been a haven for creative people.
North Shore City acknowledged it was surprised by the survey findings. The results did not fit its image as a progressive city with a focus on high technology.
Among respondents, 16.7 per cent described themselves as unemployed on the Shore, compared with 11.7 per cent in Manukau City, 5.6 per cent in Waitakere and just 3.3 per cent in Taranaki.
North Shore Mayor George Wood expects the GEM findings will be examined closely next year when the city council works on its new economic strategy.
For the regions to further excel, a lift in national entrepreneurial performance is also needed. GEM's authors suggest a National Commission on Entrepreneurship to provide policymakers and leaders with a roadmap of how to sustain and expand a flourishing entrepreneurial economy. Targets and performance indicators are a vital part of the mix.
Herald feature:
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report - 2002
GEM Report researchers included four regional snapshots in their study this year, and plan a full-scale study of 16 cities and provinces in 2003.
"We cannot say they are representatives of other regions but they point the way to next year's comprehensive study," says principal author Howard Frederick.
Manukau City, with 14.8
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