Excellence in local government was celebrated in an awards ceremony at the recent LGNZ annual conference.  We take a moment to acknowledge some of Infometrics’ clients who have been recognised for their work in the fields of community and economic development, as well as highlight some of the economic and demographic monitoring services that are freely available to stakeholders in these communities.

The Fulton Hogan EXCELLENCE Award for Community Impact was awarded to Waipa District Council for its Let’s Get Engaged campaign that was used to engage with the community and gain feedback on the Council’s long-term plan.  I experienced this campaign first-hand, having been a been a guest speaker at a breakfast session launching Waipa’s draft long-term plan, and was impressed with the Council’s involvement of stakeholders in the process.

Waipa District Council also takes the communication of economic information and monitoring seriously, with the economic development page on the Council’s website offering public access to an Infometrics economic profile of Waipa District.  Infometrics also make available a demographic profile of the District.  We congratulate Waipa District Council on its fine achievement and look forward to working with the Council over the year ahead.

The EQC EXCELLENCE Award for Infrastructure Project of the Year was awarded to Horowhenua District Council for a cost-effective upgrade of the Tokomaru water treatment plant.  It is always pleasing to see councils delivering value to ratepayers by achieving infrastructure improvements at such a reasonable price.  Congratulations to the relevant decision makers and employees at Horowhenua District Council who made this project possible.

For businesses wanting to learn more about Horowhenua’s economy, check out the Infometrics economic profile of Horowhenua on the Council’s website.  A demographic profile of Horowhenua District is also available.

For businesses looking to invest or understand conditions in Rotorua’s economy, a good port of call is the Council’s website, where you can find an interactive Infometrics quarterly economic monitor and community profile of demographics in Rotorua.  The quarterly monitor will be updated on 2 September with the latest economic insights from the June quarter.

Waikato Regional Council has also put significant resources into developing a baseline understanding of its local economy.  The Council’s website has a link to a comprehensive economic profile of Waikato Region.  An Infometrics community profile of demographics within Waikato region is also available.

We wish all our local government clients a successful year ahead and look forward to celebrating your achievements again with you next year.