Northland eyes economic boost with regional deal proposal

Future energy, tourism, marine manufacturing, primary and other manufacturing are the four economic growth opportunities promoted by Northland in its regional deal proposal. Photo / NZME

Future energy, tourism, primary manufacturing and marine manufacturing are all highlighted in a regional deal proposal that is to land on the Government’s desk before the end of the week.

The quartet has been selected as the major economic growth opportunity for Northland’s initial “light touch” regional deal proposal.

Northland’s joint regional economic development committee chairman John Vujcich has previously said the four could significantly benefit the North.

“They have the potential to double Northland’s economic production,” Vujcich, who is also a Far North District councillor, said.

The four areas of opportunity are confidential but have been referenced in a Northland council meeting agenda.

Vujcich would not comment on them when approached.

“The Government has asked for this to be confidential because it wants to make its decision unencumbered by local politics or local expectations,” he said.

Northland’s “light touch” regional deal economic development proposal will go into a selection process before the Government decides by the end of the year whether and how to progress it.

Regional deals are part of Government plans to develop a joint approach with local councils, the private sector and iwi/hapū to build economies locally.

A staff report to a Northland Regional Council (NRC) Te Taitokerau Māori and council working party meeting said the “light touch” proposal was the first step in a negotiation process.

It said there was a likelihood some proposal opportunities would be dropped during the negotiation process and others added.

About 20 regions across the country registered their interest in applying for a regional deal when then Minister Simeon Brown wrote to local government across New Zealand in late November inviting these proposals.

The report said Cabinet would agree on next steps for each region by mid-2025. The intention was to finalise the first regional deal for one selected New Zealand council by December. Two more deals would be finalised by October 2026, ahead of the next general election.

Northland’s “light touch” proposal must list its chosen high-level opportunities and their expected outcomes. It must also indicate Northland councils’ contribution to these, and outline what the region’s seeking from the Government to achieve them.

The report said regional deals were between central and local government, but there was an expectation the private sector and Māori would participate in the deals’ negotiation. The form of this participation would be determined once it was known in mid-2025 how the Government would deal with Northland’s submission.

The Northland regional deal proposal uses the region’s 2024 100-year Te Rerenga, Te Taitokerau Northland’s Economic Wellbeing Pathway document.

Northland Inc is co-ordinating the proposal’s development with support from Far North, Kaipara and Whangārei District Councils as well as NRC.

Northland’s joint regional economic development committee, which is made up of two politicians from each of these councils, is the governance entity for developing the proposal, engaging with the Government and regional deals decision-making.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.