'Skills and talent” are the keys to building the Western Bay economy and this is an issue for the region which must be addressed for sustainable growth to be achieved.
This was the principal message delivered by Western Bay economic development agency Priority One's chief executive Andrew Coker at the organisation's annual general meeting on Tuesday.

In his speech, to about 250 of the Bay's business and civic leaders, Andrew outlined the importance of attracting more young people to the region and some of the steps Priority One has taken to make this happen.
'The partnership between University of Waikato and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic is critical for growth in our economy.”
Priority One has been instrumental in driving this relationship with education providers that has so far produced impressive results including the establishment of a marine research institute called Intercoast – a partnership between University of Waikato and the University of Bremen. The German Government is investing $5.5 million into this project. The institute begins in February 2010 with 39 internationally recognised PhD's to be studied there.
Andrew says this is a great example of the kind of project which the Bay needs and will benefit the region in a number of ways.
'This is relevant for the region because the students will work on targeted projects for the port.”
There are major technological advancements occurring in the transport industry constantly and for Port of Tauranga to have some leading scientific research on its backdoor step helping it to integrate and cater for new technology will be most beneficial. Andrew also highlighted some of the environmental benefits of Intercoast for the region.
'People are moving to the coastal areas and we need to protect the coastline.”
A marine research institute also fits nicely with Priority One's flagship programme; the development of the Harbour Central Marine Precinct at Sulphur Point. This development would see the construction of a significant boat building industry there.
While the marine projects are a key focus for Priority One, Andrew acknowledges there must be a broader strategy for the region and the ultimate goal must remain the attraction of skilled and talented young people.
An approach taken to this is the creation of the www.backinthebay.co.nz website, which aims to entice ex-pat New Zealanders to return to the country and move to Tauranga.
Andrew says there has been interest shown in the website from 25 different countries and is all about changing perceptions of people who may have emigrated many years ago.
'Lots of Kiwi ex-pats think Tauranga is still a retirement village.”
Priority One has also established a young professionals forum which comprises 81 people, who live and work in the Bay, and which is providing a voice for this demographic in the region.
Andrew says the real key to attracting young people to the region though is development of education providers, institutes and research opportunities. It is in this that the partnership with the University of Waikato is so important.
This relationship has not always been an easy one and it has only been in more recent times that the university has jumped on board with Priority One. Andrew attributes this to a strong commitment from the current management team at the university. It has also helped Priority One that one of its board members is Doug Sutton from the university. At Tuesday's AGM, Doug talked about the range of benefits for the region achieved by this partnership and how industry growth and education opportunities feed off each other.
'They compliment each other well and will bring people with high degrees and qualifications. They will see the money and opportunity here in Tauranga.”
An issue raised about Tauranga's ability to attract young people was raised by AGM attendee Peter McKinley, who commented that without a more bustling arts and culture scene in Tauranga, this demographic was unlikely to move there.
Andrew is aware of this problem and believes the issue is a result of Tauranga's success in recent years.
'We have grown so fast we have left some of that stuff behind and so we need to invest now.”
Andrew sees great value in investments in projects such as the Tauranga Indoor Sports and Exhibition Centre and the museum and hopes they will be followed through with swiftly. When engaging with this issue of improving the city's culture Andrew applies the question, 'why bring a young family here?” and cautions with the answer, 'We can't rely on the beaches – what happens when it rains?”
The objective of attracting young professionals and researchers to the Bay of Plenty is a concept that was well received by the 250 people who attended the AGM.
To have such a turnout for an economic development agency's AGM is uncommon in New Zealand, but Andrew says it is an indication of the business and civic leaders' support of these initiatives and ideas.