Kia ora tātou,
We’ve recently completed our half yearly performance report outlining the work to date across our key pillars of economic development, People, Place and Business in partnership with our stakeholders.
It has been a challenging time, requiring agility and adaption to face the impacts imposed by the pandemic.
I am pleased to say the region and overall business sentiment has and is performing well. Highlights over the last six months include positioning our region as the Central New Zealand’s Distribution Hub enabling more efficient movement of goods through New Zealand, boosting productivity and access to the market, The Manawatu Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion Strategy, labour market profiles and action plans and our new regional identity enabling us to tell our story of the region and profiling the region through media and some pretty exciting marketing initiatives.
Reflecting on the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve endured a suite of impacts and changes including new strains, lockdowns and restrictions. We’ve also recently watched from the sidelines as our housing market across the country enters a cooling phase while experiencing a significant cost of living increase with record breaking grocery and fuel prices as well as numerous other challenges in supply chains affecting nearly all sectors.
As well as the recent announcement of upcoming changes to the COVID-19 settings with fewer restrictions including vaccine passes no longer required, we are soon to encounter another shift in the economy as many of our regional events can operate at full capacity again and local businesses can build towards recovery with more certainty in place.
As I find my feet here at CEDA and reflect on the many changes that our community has endured, and the agility and resilience shown by our businesses, I’d like to reinforce that although restrictions have lessened and we are on the road back to normality, there is still a long road ahead.
The team at CEDA are as committed as ever to supporting our business community and driving outcomes for our region, and we look forward to working with you all in the year ahead.
