Wellington

Regional Investment Plan

HenleyHutchings was asked by the Wellington Regional Strategy Committee to facilitate the Wellington Regional Investment Plan, designed to align with the current Wellington Regional Strategy (WRS) and funded by the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

By developing the idea of a ‘city-region’, we worked with the Chief Executives and Steering Group to draw out a plan that is ‘larger than the sum of its parts’ and which would underpin regional and urban development. As some individual elements of investment projects were already in motion, our role focused on developing an overarching strategy, drawing from economic analysis, new information from focus groups and stakeholders and identifying potential investment sources. All of this work was undertaken with one goal in mind – to focus on investments that could help the Wellington region thrive and meet the significant challenges of the next decade.

The work on the Plan was governed by a Steering Group, comprising senior representatives of each of the local authorities and the Regional Council, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) and NZTA. The local government mayors and chief executives also played an integral role.

Outcome

  • The development of a regional investment plan that will feed into the WRS which aims to support the development of a resilient and diverse economy – one that retains and creates high value jobs, supports the growth of high value companies and improves the region’s position in relation to the national GDP and national employment.

Skills

  • Analysis – input from economic data and extensive stakeholder interviews

  • Strategy – reviewing and synthesising local strategies into a coherent regional strategy that focuses on future opportunities

  • Communications –information flow on progress between the Steering Group and key stakeholders.

  • Facilitation – drawing out opportunities, challenges and their solutions through focus groups and stakeholder workshops

  • Collaboration – with Mayoral Forum and Steering Group

Team