Prime Minister Helen Clark's itinerary today features visits to a cheese factory and a vineyard, but she is in one of New Zealand's premier wine regions for business, not pleasure.
Helen Clark and a top level delegation of Cabinet ministers are attending a Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce-organised business forum.The gathering will see around 150 regional business leaders and local government representatives assemble for a reprise of a meeting held in 2002.
That forum was one of a series of regional economic roadshows staged after the election. While the Government continues to hold meetings with Maori representatives, union leaders, and other community and business groups, the Hawke's Bay forum is the first regional business gathering for three years.
Helen Clark said today's revival of the business meetings was unlikely to be a one-off.
"We are stepping up the economic transformation agenda. We have things we would like to communicate around the regional forums and I'm sure business has things it wants to tell us about what's happening in its own region."
Chamber chairman John Morrell said the original forum had been well received, and local businesses had wanted to hold another gathering to generate further opportunities for the Hawke's Bay economy.
"Part of the reason [for today's forum] is to look at 'where to from here' because the Government, for whatever reason, hadn't been out with another series. We felt that given the first one was very successful, we should reconvene the format and at the same time look to create a follow-up session afterwards."
Ministers at today's forum include Finance Minister Michael Cullen, Steve Maharey, Trevor Mallard and Lianne Dalziel.
Mr Morrell said he was delighted so many leading ministers were able to attend. He hoped an action programme would be drawn up, and said everyone at the forum would be invited to a follow-up session in September to gauge progress.
