Tauranga city centre's Mainstreet Tauranga organisation has appointed Ash Gee as the new chair of their board, along with John Dewes-Hodgson as vice chair.

The move signals the next phase for the organisation tasked with representing business owners and marketing the city centre.

Ash Gee, owner of Miss Gee's Bar & Eatery, says the board is strategically gearing up for the next phase and it is an exciting time for the organisation.

'Our city centre is going through what has been described as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime' transformation.

'We are setting a robust strategic direction to even more closely align with the changing city centre and our board is energised by the opportunities in front of us. I do want to acknowledge the role former chair Brian Berry has had in bringing the Mainstreet Tauranga board to this stage.

'We are delighted Brian is staying on the board as his experience is hugely valued.”

Ash says with the 1.5 billion in investment across 20 major catalyst developments planned for the city centre by 2030 there's a lot of work to do.

'We are actively engaging with other city centre stakeholders to ensure our city centre is well poised through the transformational change and our members are actively supported.

'We also need to ensure opportunities are leveraged to attract new businesses into the city centre who want to be here as we take our rightful place as the civic, cultural, and commercial hub of the region.

'That all takes a fresh approach, a strong strategic direction and solid collaboration with stakeholders. We have a robust and very capable board and I'm focused on the challenge and excited by the opportunities in front of us.”

Ash says looking after and effectively advocating on behalf of their members is a primary role of Mainstreet Tauranga.

'There's no denying there are some real challenges that businesses in the city centre are dealing with right now. Our job is to support our members through this phase and leverage opportunities.

'We have amazing business owners and operators. Yes, we have a number of empty stores and a lot of construction going on, but we are not the only CBD in New Zealand going through these tough times.

'There is a lot to be proud of. We have a huge range of restaurants, cafes and bars offering first-class dining options, boutique shopping, services and art and culture to enjoy here.”

Retaining existing businesses alongside the attraction of new businesses is also a key focus for the board.

'It's extremely encouraging to see the number of commercial businesses returning to the city centre. It shows that we are on the right path with creating a business hub for our community.”

Former chair, Brian Berry, who remains on the board says he's looking forward to the next phase.

'It's been a privilege being chair of Mainstreet for the past six years. Now is the time for a robust strategic direction and, with that, a new chair and vice chair to lead us through this next phase. I'm looking forward to continuing to contribute and to rolling out our new strategy.”

Ash says now is the time for the public to embrace and support the city centre through transformational change.

'I am also a business owner in the city centre, so I know, firsthand, what the challenges and opportunities are.

'There's a lot to be proud of and new opportunities on the horizon. It's about resiliently focusing on all that is good and reminding the public that there are some pretty cool and unique offerings in our city centre.

'We appreciate the support from Tauranga residents who recognise this and actively support our deeply invested business owners.”