Friday 6 March 2009 - Issue 61

The Job Summit

I attended the job summit and opened it on behalf of our city, welcoming the Prime Minister's government and delegates, and thought that given the importance put on this summit by the government and broader New Zealand community, that my contribution to it on your behalf may provide some useful reading.

The summit was important for its primary focus in unifying the country to deal with the challenge that we all face in this present global recession. In particular it's a chance to acknowledge this recession, as with all previous recessions will probably bite hardest in our own back yard, and we need to do everything we can to prepare for the worst in the hope it does not live up to our worst expectations.

I also wanted to focus on the fact that our business communities have been through these recessions before. They have done the hard yards, and have been able to find real opportunities for growth and development through these difficult times and come out the other end stronger and ready to take advantage of the next wave of growth.

Speech Delivered at Jobs Summit

I wish to acknowledge you Prime Minister and your government for choosing to host this job summit at the Telstra Pacific Events Centre and Manukau. You are delivering a strong message of support for our community and a positive message of encouragement and hope to our young people.

This summit is set against a backdrop of global recession.

Our city has been hit by previous recessions, early and hard. For example in Otara between 1987 and 1992 the community lost 50 per cent of its employment base, and unemployment was sitting at around 25 per cent at its worst, during that time. But we are resilient in this city and we don't lie down in difficult times. We just get back on our feet and get on with it.

Today is an opportunity for us to construct a unity of purpose, not only within our city and region, but in the country - to remake, to reassess and to retrain our people, and lift ourselves to the next step and building our nation.

In this region, councils will be investing $2 billion over the next two years into infrastructure. Local Government leaders across the Auckland region are pleased at the Government's acknowledgement that the investment in infrastructure is a potential stimuli to the region and country's economy.

Manukau City has a proposed capital expenditure budget of $1.6 billion over the next 10 years which will create thousands of new jobs. Our businesses are helping us hedge towards contributing 10 per cent of the nation's GDP.

Already we contribute around $12 billion per annum worth of economic activity. We will help to set the platform to survive this recession but we need to invest in our greatest resource – our people – to ensure we come rocketing out of this recession and take the next wave of growth.

There are two crucial drivers for economic change and growth in our community that are significant for the future and well-being of our country.

Ours is a migrant city. We sit at the epicentre of the social and economic techtonic plates of this country. Some 55 per cent of our community are born overseas and in our population of more than 360,000, some 31 per cent speak more than one language.

As a migrant city, those who come from within the country and from overseas, arrive with a positive spirit. They just want to get ahead, to get an education, to get a job. This is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit in our city. This spirit has over the short life of our city, delivered great growth and creation to our region and council.

In recent years, we have had an average of 820 new business per annum have been set up with our city experiencing GDP growth rates per annum of between three and eight per cent over the past seven years in particular.

There are still, however, people with science degrees driving taxis. It is a time to harness this unused potential.

It is also a kids' city but we are leaving too many of our young people behind.

I spend too much of my time focusing on drug dealers, gangsters and families in crisis. You know, we reap what we sow, but let us so at this time of extraordinary opportunity, a glorious crop in education. We need to build a greater number of Early Childhood Education centres. We need to invest in tertiary education, skills training and apprenticeships.

The opening of Clubhouse 274 and the building into our schooling system of a much stronger commitment to the digital revolution is essential in preparing our children for the new job market.

I fill our childrens' heads with dreams of hopes and aspirations.

We are not just working through a recession. We are building a legacy in a country that our young people will be proud to inherit.

That is the reason I stand here with these young leaders from our city. This summit needs to hold out to them, a beacon of hope, a dynamic city, a nation stepping up and moving forward. No doubts. Lets just get on with it.

Have a good week

Len Brown
Mayor of Manukau


ENDS

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