NorthChamber to reveal progressive strategic plan

NorthChamber has vowed to up the ante on a crusade to help fast track Northland-wide regional development.

Chief executive Steve Smith will reveal the key strategic goals this week following NorthChamber's AGM today.

He is calling on NorthChamber members to attend the 5pm AGM, followed by the strategic briefing from 5.30pm.

"I want to see Northland get ahead once and for all but that is going to take collaboration and real drive from a number of stakeholders and individuals within our community," Smith said.

"We have massive opportunity to take our region forward at a pace not seen before due to the calibre of businesses, individuals and community organisations in our midst.

''For us to really take a leap forward we have to get our heads together to focus on thought leadership, commit to a set of common goals and press go. I am particularly focussed on how we can improve Northland's roading infrastructure.''

Smith has already highlighted a desire to breathe life into Whangarei's CBD and create a central hub to bring vibrancy back to the CBD.

His comments come on the back of Future Crunch - a seminar led by keynote speaker and scientist Tane Hunter (whose father hails from Northland) – and which was held in Whangarei this week with 150 representatives of Northland businesses and schools in attendance.

Future Crunch is the first of NorthChamber's new 'thought leadership programme', and ironically, was intended to raise more questions than it answers.

Smith considers thought leadership among the most important battles of the new business era.

"The impact of science and technology is something that is not intuitive to most business leaders; NorthChamber's thought leadership programme is designed to throw light on many misunderstood areas of up and coming technology and its impact on commerce and industry."

His sentiments are echoed by Northpower's customer experience manager Rachel Wansbone.

"We were thrilled to have students from several high schools attend along with their teachers because encouraging students in science and technology is one of Northpower's key community objectives," Wansbone said.