Eastern roading corridor key to city's growth

The city's eastern roading corridor will be key to unlocking the district's growth potential and contributing to regional growth, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick says.

"The biggest issue for the Rotorua district, besides fresh water, is finding the right traffic solution for our eastern corridor."

Her comments follow the launch of the Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Economic Action Plan which sets priorities for regional growth.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Economic Development Steven Joyce confirmed the government's commitment to work alongside the region to implement the plan.

"It's heartening that the government has a lens on provincial New Zealand and that we have the opportunity to work in partnership for the benefit of our regional economies," Mrs Chadwick said.

"We need to unlock our growth potential in Rotorua and the eastern corridor remains crucial to our district's future and our wider contribution to the region.

"We know there is a real opportunity in roading infrastructure and connections across our region and we're continuing to work on finding a solution," she said.

"It's great we have government attention on our issues through the regional growth programme."

The action plan launched today sets priorities for regional growth, following on from the Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Growth Study (RGS), one of four regional economic growth study programmes launched by the Government last year.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Growth Study programme is a partnership between Bay of Connections and the Ministries of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Primary Industries (MPI) at a central government level.

The regional study identified opportunities to increase investment, employment and incomes, focussing on the wider region's strengths and opportunities for central and local government, iwi, industry and the community to work together.