Isn't it frustrating to us all when individuals and organisations, that really should know better, make observations or provide commentary that is potentially damaging, or at the very least misleading, to the ratepayers we all serve. Maybe those that claim that the Regional Council has no shortage of money, and don't do our fair share in the region are just being mischievous.
I know that as we near election time others might chose petty point-scoring. But, I strongly believe that across all sectors we should strive to make our communities a better place to live by showing leadership, rather than resort to criticising others. It's only by working collaboratively and together that we will begin to solve the real problems our communities are facing.
There are many examples of how the Bay of Plenty Regional Council has shown this type of leadership. Since 1991 the Council's Quayside Holdings Ltd has provided distributions and capital worth $500 million for the benefit of the Region.
25% of our annual revenues come from Quayside. This allows us to provide more services to communities while maintaining affordable rates. In terms of direct benefits to ratepayers in the Bay of Plenty, this represents an average saving of $347 for each household this year, and this amount increases each year.
Additionally, Bay of Plenty Regional Council supports projects to further benefit the region such as funding infrastructure projects and to grow jobs and the economy. Recent examples include the new university in Tauranga and returning the Kaituna River to Maketū Estuary.
Real, sustainable change takes a long time, especially when multiple partners are involved. But we are in it for the long haul, and the credit must go to those who sat around the Council table in the past and today, who have had the vision to act in the interest of the ratepayers of the whole region.
So, leadership is also about vision, and making hard calls. It can sometimes be about making difficult decisions to not provide short term solutions that some ask for - but to think longer term, and invest limited resources to do the things that genuinely invest in the future.
Our strategy is to invest in the longer term, and in a sustainable way. One of the ways we do this is by building up an annuity that will be there for future generations of Bay of Plenty residents and communities. To do that, we've allowed Quayside investments to grow.
Quayside provides long-term financial security for community funding used by the Regional Council through a diversified investment portfolio and ensuring the Port of Tauranga continues to thrive. It has the second largest investment portfolio of any regional council in NZ and is one of Bay of Plenty's largest investors. Quayside provides intergenerational support and security to Bay of Plenty ratepayers while helping the region to thrive. Recently, for example, this includes investing in kiwifruit development across the Bay, notably with Māori kiwifruit producers (Huakiwi), as well as the development of Rangiuru. These activities bring in business and recognition to the Bay of Plenty as a desirable and ideal place to establish and operate learnings or businesses.
The lessons of the past are clear – it's better to take the long view. To do that we all need to show the right kind of leadership by putting the community and their environment first.