Former Victorian Premier John Brumby's keynote speech at the Priority One AGM this week described the similarities between Tauranga and Geelong.

Geelong – 75km south of Melbourne is similar in many ways to Tauranga according to John, who spoke about the advantages of waterfront developments, central city university campuses and the importance of a hotel conference centre in the CBD.

Former Victorian Premier John Brumby says waterfront developments are key to developing a city like Geelong – and Tauranga. Photo: Marcus Wong.

John received his invite to speak in Tauranga after someone from Priority One heard John's keynote address at the NZ Local Government Conference in Queenstown earlier this year.

'I think the message was well received,” says John.

'Priority One wrote to see if I was willing to come over and do the AGM. I've never been to this part of New Zealand before. It was a nice letter, a nice invitation, it fitted my diary so I said yes, as simple as that.”

Drawing on the Victorian state government's reputation for being Australia's best at regional development, John focuses on how regional governments can attract jobs and investment and improve lifestyle.

'In all my years in public life, in federal and state politics I've been passionate about regional development,” says John.

'A country is stronger, a state stronger, if all the parts are growing rather than just the big cities.”

John says Geelong, situated on the Great Ocean Road on the western side of Port Philip Bay, was dying until it was given new life through a waterfront development established through a joint partnership of the state government, Deakin University and the Geelong Council.

'This was a turning point of the waterfront from what was an old industrial area that was sort of windy and dirty that no one used, to a vibrant open waterfront area, with restaurants, cafes, art galleries, hotels - and part of the key to that was out regional infrastructure development fund and we provided a grant of $12 million to Deakin University.”

With some additional funding from the Government the university restored a ‘couple of old wool store buildings' on the waterfront into a university campus and student accommodation.

'It's a fantastic story for the university because it gives them a CBD presence, and fantastic for the renewal of the waterfront because it meant another 2000 people there every day, moving, eating, drinking, studying, staying and as consequence of that there's been a hotel development with a small convention hall as well.”

It's a good case study because of the similarities with the proposals for Tauranga's central city, but John says it also shows the importance of universities.

'I think a lot of people take universities for granted a bit. But in our regional cities; Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat; after the hospital the next biggest single employer is the university.

'That's probably going to be the case for you in the future as well.”

The first stage of the Tauranga waterfront redevelopment is terrific says John, but there's more to be done, like a decent waterfront hotel with a smaller convention hall attached.

'The market for conventions is growing world-wide. It's not going to go away. It sort of builds on itself, but you have got the get the first bits of the jig saw in place.”

He's also a firm believer in the economic value of well-run and marketed regional art galleries.

'My home town is Bendigo, and the art gallery there has been spectacularly successful in the last four years with the special exhibitions.

'Most recently the Grace Kelly exhibition - all her photos, all her clothes.”

The Grace Kelly-Style Icon exhibition brought 152,000 paying visitors to the regional art gallery, placing the Bendigo Art Gallery's exhibition among the top 20 paying art exhibitions in the world, says John

The golden Age of Couture exhibition three years ago drew 120,000 paying visitors.

'So this is just a modest regional gallery with a bit of creative thinking and a bit of marketing,” says John.

Eighty per cent of the Grace Kelly visitors were from out of town; coming from Melbourne, Sydney and quite a few from New Zealand.

'People would come across for the weekend, fly over Friday night drive up Saturday and then back.

'Hobart Tasmania is a little bit bigger, but not much bigger than you guys. They've got this museum there that a private individual has set up, The Mona the museum of old and new art.

'It is now by far the biggest tourism draw card in Hobart. Some of the art is a bit out there -but it draws people from around the world and Australia.”