Leap Day tomorrow sees the official launch of Business Hawke's Bay (BHB), with the announcement of "ground-breaking" initiatives promising to create jobs and grow the Bay economy.
The launch was due to be at The Mission but demand forced a move to the Hawke's Bay Opera House, in Hastings, with
more than 400 expected.
BHB is an autonomous arms-length business unit of the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce and sets a precedent in New Zealand, being funded primarily by the private business sector with support from local government.
The collaborative activity is aimed at fostering business development and business growth but also focussed on marketing the Bay as an attractive place to start, grow or relocate a business.
A soft launch of BHB was held in August last year and since then work has begun on a number of market-driven initiatives to create jobs and grow the region's economy.