BAY OF PLENTY SUPERCITY 'WAIT & SEE'
Western Bay of Plenty's Mayor isn't ruling out a Bay of Plenty Supercity, and says to ‘watch this space’. It's been on the back burner as the region's mayors wait to see how the Auckland Supercity evolves. It could see the Western Bay, Tauranga, Whakatane and Rotorua amalgamate in the next term. Mayor Ross Paterson says it would be ultimately up to the ratepayers, and a lot of work would need to be done to iron out issues that have been thrown into the spotlight, in Auckland. Ross Paterson says speculation they'd privatise water is a definite no if they become a Supercity.
AIR NZ DOUBLES CHRISTCHURCH FLIGHTS
Air New Zealand is now doubling flights between Tauranga and Christchurch. The airline has had to increase capacity to its domestic operations, in particular additional flights at peak times, as a response to customer feedback. Regional capacity between the two cities has increased by 120 percent. Group General Manager Australasia Bruce Parton says there's definitely a demand now for domestic travel. He says there's now between five and eleven return services per week.
BOOST FOR PORT
Port of Tauranga's bid to become an international hub port has just received a major boost. The Shippers Council has recommended the port as a logical choice to accommodate larger container ships. Most international container ships now carry 7 thousand 'twenty foot equivalent' containers onboard. That means ports around the world are having to expand to accommodate. Port of Tauranga CEO Mark Cairns says his port is already New Zealand's largest by volume. He says the port could take on the extra work without adding debt. And Zespri says upgrading shipping ports for larger ships is the way to go. Shipping Manager Mike Knowles says that'll be the deciding factor for export industries securing international supply. He says they cannot afford to turn the bigger ships away from our ports, and risk having shipping services become increasingly ‘boutique’ in nature.
TAURANGA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NOW ONLINE
A new website has been created to profile the Western Bay of Plenty's premier networks for young professional people. The Priority One Young Professional's forum and the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce Rocket network have partnered in the initiative to make it easy for the sub-regions younger professionals to meet one another and get involved in local business and civic issues. To view the website visit
www.taurangayp.org.nz