Posted 17/07/13
I responded to a post by Allan Dick on his Oamaru Today Facebook page. He was calling for any new mayor to focus on jobs. Luckily, that is precisely one of the major policies that I have! The following is my response to his post which not only talks about getting more jobs for locals, it actually gives some indications on what I intend to do to make it happen! Actions speak louder than words and Waitaki needs action, not rhetoric!
(The post is quite long, but I hope you take the time to read it. I have modified the end part to give a little more information.)
"Improving the job opportunities is one of my highest priorities Allan. My campaign for Mayor is due to my want to see the Waitaki District move ahead economically faster than it is.
I am a Work Broker at the moment, I have been a business owner and employer for most of my working life and I currently chair the North Otago committee of the Otago Chamber of Commerce. All this means I have a pretty good understanding of the current job market, the opportunities we have and most importantly, some good ideas of how we get the new job opportunities. First of all, I'd like to point out that our economy is actually quite strong. Thanks to the agricultural basis to our economy, boosted by irrigation, we have a number of businesses doing very well. This includes stock firms, engineering firms, motorbike dealers, the construction industry etc. However, we need to do better.
The role that the council can play has several strands:
1. Get out of the way. Let business get on with what it does best with the minimum barriers required to ensure other people can still enjoy their properties etc. Forget about the "book" and look at what makes a difference.
2. Be proactive about attracting business. We have a new industrial park being developed and other industrial land available now for new businesses. Apart from the marketing done by the various developers, what has Council done to attract new business? I want a more aggressive approach to this with businesses identified and targeted to come to Oamaru. Ideally, they should provide jobs, not compete directly for the local market because they have their own markets around NZ or the world, bring middle and upper management roles to the district and be able to take advantage of our location, lifestyle etc.
3. Improve the available workforce. I deal with unemployed people every day. They come in a wide range of abilities, motivations and many have barriers. I will work with local business, training providers and government agencies to use what we already have with a goal of getting many of these people into work. We have the jobs for all of them, when you consider the very large number of immigrant workers we have working here, as well as the businesses which often struggle to find suitably qualified and interested people for their jobs.
4. We need to make more of our high schools as economic drivers for our economy. International students are a money maker for the schools and help to provide greater resources for all students. I am already working with the schools in a limited way, trying to improve their connections to the Chinese student "market" through my work with the Otago Chamber. Dunedin has a significant relationship with Shanghai and they are more than happy to have us piggy back on that. The schools don't have a lot of money to work on this but I think Council can help with a great pay-back over time.
And yes, self-employment and entrepreneurialism are fantastic opportunities to take advantage of as well! I started my first business at the age of 22 and grew it to have a nation-wide presence. It employed around 10 people when I eventually sold it. The great thing about Oamaru is that it can be an excellent place to start a business but we need to ensure we have the infrastructure to allow them to grow."
I responded to a post by Allan Dick on his Oamaru Today Facebook page. He was calling for any new mayor to focus on jobs. Luckily, that is precisely one of the major policies that I have! The following is my response to his post which not only talks about getting more jobs for locals, it actually gives some indications on what I intend to do to make it happen! Actions speak louder than words and Waitaki needs action, not rhetoric!
(The post is quite long, but I hope you take the time to read it. I have modified the end part to give a little more information.)
"Improving the job opportunities is one of my highest priorities Allan. My campaign for Mayor is due to my want to see the Waitaki District move ahead economically faster than it is.
I am a Work Broker at the moment, I have been a business owner and employer for most of my working life and I currently chair the North Otago committee of the Otago Chamber of Commerce. All this means I have a pretty good understanding of the current job market, the opportunities we have and most importantly, some good ideas of how we get the new job opportunities. First of all, I'd like to point out that our economy is actually quite strong. Thanks to the agricultural basis to our economy, boosted by irrigation, we have a number of businesses doing very well. This includes stock firms, engineering firms, motorbike dealers, the construction industry etc. However, we need to do better.
The role that the council can play has several strands:
1. Get out of the way. Let business get on with what it does best with the minimum barriers required to ensure other people can still enjoy their properties etc. Forget about the "book" and look at what makes a difference.
2. Be proactive about attracting business. We have a new industrial park being developed and other industrial land available now for new businesses. Apart from the marketing done by the various developers, what has Council done to attract new business? I want a more aggressive approach to this with businesses identified and targeted to come to Oamaru. Ideally, they should provide jobs, not compete directly for the local market because they have their own markets around NZ or the world, bring middle and upper management roles to the district and be able to take advantage of our location, lifestyle etc.
3. Improve the available workforce. I deal with unemployed people every day. They come in a wide range of abilities, motivations and many have barriers. I will work with local business, training providers and government agencies to use what we already have with a goal of getting many of these people into work. We have the jobs for all of them, when you consider the very large number of immigrant workers we have working here, as well as the businesses which often struggle to find suitably qualified and interested people for their jobs.
4. We need to make more of our high schools as economic drivers for our economy. International students are a money maker for the schools and help to provide greater resources for all students. I am already working with the schools in a limited way, trying to improve their connections to the Chinese student "market" through my work with the Otago Chamber. Dunedin has a significant relationship with Shanghai and they are more than happy to have us piggy back on that. The schools don't have a lot of money to work on this but I think Council can help with a great pay-back over time.
And yes, self-employment and entrepreneurialism are fantastic opportunities to take advantage of as well! I started my first business at the age of 22 and grew it to have a nation-wide presence. It employed around 10 people when I eventually sold it. The great thing about Oamaru is that it can be an excellent place to start a business but we need to ensure we have the infrastructure to allow them to grow."
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