John Cronin BOP Regional Council Chairman www.boprc.govt.nz

Local government is under pressure to limit rate rises; that is no surprise and absolutely what is needed.

But at the same time, we the council have been listening to you the public, the six territorial councils in the Bay of Plenty, groups such as Forest and Bird, Federated Farmers, business and land developers, community boards, and Maori trusts – i.e. almost every sector of our Bay-wide community making up the 176-plus submissions to our Annual Plan.

Our council has been listening but realistically we cannot deliver what is requested without increasing rates and that is not a realistic option within the tight economic framework of the country as a whole.

In my personal view, our council is very good at financial management, but we must always strive to do better and reduce costs out of the system to the benefit of you, the ratepayers.

The Government has given a clear message. It has reduced it costs in the central government sector and it expects local government to do the same, and that is why we should all embrace local government reform to get a better democracy and a better local government.

We are all sick of blueprints, plans and strategies, and the mire of red tape and form filling or the lack of willingness to make a decision and be accountable for the actions, rather than hide behind a consultants' report.

Economic good news in the Bay of Plenty

We have just had some good news from BERL, the Business and Economic Research company that ranks all parts of New Zealand based on indicators of economic activity, such as population, employment, GDP, and business.

The Bay of Plenty was one of the top performing regions in economic development last year, second only to Auckland and improving five places since 2010.

This news emphasises the value of our economic strategy, Bay of Connections. Regional development is vital to encourage economic growth nationally. Understanding what causes economic growth is vital too. All of us that live in the Bay of Plenty are an integral part of that growth.

All parts of the region featured well, but Tauranga is the top city for economic performance. The Eastern Bay of Plenty also performed well, with Opotiki third in the biggest gains made by local authorities, Whakatane fourth, Tauranga City fifth and Rotorua seventh, and all placed in the top 10.

If the Government's drive is economic performance and the creation of real jobs within the economy, all of us in the Bay of Plenty can take some satisfaction that we appear to be on the right track, but we must strive always to do better and less cost. If we can drive for a better Bay of Plenty, we will have done our part for a better New Zealand.

If you have a view on this or on any other regional council matter, please e-mail me: [email protected]