A steering group is working on a recipe for Franklin to be recognised as the nation’s food bowl.
Franklin Local Board chair Angela Fulljames says the board believes business is critical to local economic wellbeing.
“That’s very much our business. Access to jobs and business opportunities supports prosperity, and the type of businesses and jobs influences our quality of life."
“What sets us apart is the fact so much of the food on people’s plates comes from our area, and we need to recognise and maximise the potential of that.”
Board economic broker Christina Rogstad recently joined industry figures, business leaders and government officials at a workshop to develop a Franklin Food Strategy.
“It was fantastic to be able to bring many perspectives together and flesh out some regional ambitions,” she says.
“There’s a commitment to making more of what we are good at - food production. Not just because we all eat, but because of the jobs, the opportunity to market the area as a food bowl like parts of Italy and France do, and the economic benefits that can bring.”
A working group will continue to push a food tourism strategy for Franklin.
The workshop did some swot – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis, and developed ideas that can be progressed by a steering group.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Jo Verry says it was exciting to see so many people from different sectors of the industry engaged.
“It was invigorating to sit next to growers, local board members, government agencies and community members while we workshopped how we could all support Franklin and its ambitions for its future.”
Auckland regional workforce manager Mel Lousi says the steering group will schedule further meetings, with ANZ having already offered to host a session, its own terms of reference, and decide on the best ideas to work with.
“Given the enthusiasm the challenge is resisting the temptation to raise more ideas when we need to let the group focus on making achievable ones happen.”
Fulljames says investing in attracting economic opportunity will continue.
“The board funds the broker role to connect business with regional, national and global opportunities, and we will continue to work with others to support business growth.”
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