FAQs

Economic wellbeing considers the wellbeing of our people, culture, environment and ecology as key parts of a thriving economy. It’s a shift in thinking from economic development, which was primarily focused on growth.

Economic wellbeing relates to everything and everyone, and includes factors such as income, education, employment, housing, medical care, community safety, access and equity and social support.  It also means making sure our economic activities add to our quality of life, that we don’t leave any one behind, and that whatever we do does not have a negative impact on our environment.

It means being economically well at a district, town, rural, iwi, hapū, family and individual level. Our focus is on how we grow a more sustainable, balanced and inclusive economy. 

A strong and sustainable economy provides better job opportunities, higher wages, and a higher living standard for residents. It also builds business confidence, provides business opportunities and attracts more investment into the district.

Many of the activities and functions we do, provide and fund as a Council already contribute to and enable economic wellbeing.

The strategy will identify what economic wellbeing looks like for the Ōtorohanga District and will include an action plan for what is needed to achieve our shared vision.

The strategy will ensure the focus of effort is on agreed priorities; that our investment delivers the economic wellbeing outcomes we desire; and will consider ways Council could enhance its role in economic wellbeing and development.

 The Economic Wellbeing Strategy will:

• Identify our economic priorities, ways to leverage our existing strengths and resources, opportunities for innovation and diversifying our local economy
• Explore ways to nurture and support a more resilient inclusive and more circular local economy
• Explore opportunities to harness a better wellbeing for te tangata me te taiao (for people and environment).
• Identify ways to invest, retain and attract people, more opportunities to work together, partner, collaborate and opportunities for attracting external investment.
• Explore synergies and shared goals we might have with iwi/Māori, businesses, other agencies/organisations, and communities of interest, and what opportunities a collaborative approach might offer. 

We’re working alongside mana whenua, stakeholders, agencies and our communities to understand the challenges they face, shared goals, and opportunities to collaborate and work together to ensure the strategy and action plan reflect collective aspirations. 

This includes kanohi ki te kanohi conversations and co-design workshops in Ōtorohanga and Kāwhia with partners, stakeholders including iwi, local businesses, community members, agencies and organisations, and rangatahi.

We will take what we’ve heard and learnt in the co-design workshop, along with our research and analysis, to develop a draft strategy, which will go out for community consultation in March. High level strategic direction and impacts will form part of the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan process.