Regional Council To Be Set Up By Chamber

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30819, 3 August 1965, Page 1

Regional Council To Be Set Up By Chamber

The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce planned to set in train almost immediately the machinery for the finest regional council in New Zealand, with commercial and industrial leaders participating, to make detailed economic studies aimed at the identification of resources for the development of Canterbury, said the chamber’s president (Mr A. R. Mackay) yesterday.

“What we are really aiming at is unity for Canterbury in the national picture,” said Mr Mackay. “It ail boils down, when competing against the Auckland colossus, that divided Canterbury falls and united it stands.” A strong regional council speaking for Canterbury, he said, could be the answer to the undue favouritism that was shown in the capital to the Auckland province. Mr Mackay said that the chamber’s setting up of the machinery for a strong Canterbury regional council was in immediate response to the worthwhile and valuable advice given in Christchurch last week by the chairman of the N.S.W. Industries’ Promotion Advisory Council (Mr W. W. Pettingell). Nucleus

The chamber, said Mr Mackay, had already built up the nucleus of a strong regional council in Canterbury for the purpose of expediting the coordinated development of the area.

The first move was taken by the chamber in 1963. Later there developed the Canterbury Economic Survey Conferences sponsored by the chamber, the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, the Canterbury Progress League, and the New Zealand Federated Farmers (Canterbury branch).

Worthwhile conferences on the lines suggested by Mr Pettingell had already been held by the survey organisation, with representatives coming from some 35 different Canterbury organisations. Mr Mackay said that the Canterbury Economic Survey organisation already had in hand a number of comprehensive reports on aspects of the province’s economic life, such as forestry, transport, employment, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, regional planning, and finance. Many other studies were either under way or in the planning stage, he said. In Focus

Mr Pettingell, said Mr Mackay, had focussed for the public the essential requirements for the development of Canterbury. He had emphasised the need for co-ordination of all the facts concerfiing Canterbury’s resources and potential.

“We shall be quick to capitalise on Mr Pettingell’s interpretation of Canterbury’s development problems,” said Mr Mackay. “While development depends on our own efforts and initiative, obviously Government understanding will be necessary. We feel that willing co-operation of all sectors

of the Canterbury community will enable us to approach the Government with a united voice. This is something that has been lacking up till now. Lobbyists

“It is well known that departmental heads in Wellington are continually invaded by sectional lobbyists, who cannot speak authoritatively for the whole voice of any community. “This has made Government departments reluctant to make promises to any one existing organisation, when they know

there might be. and usually are, another eight or nine organisations from the same area coming along in a matter of weeks with totally divergent views. “But when the Government departments realise that the picture has changed—and that representatives of one regional council coming from Canterbury are speaking as the official voice for the whole of the region—they will be likely to take notice. What is more, they will be much more inclined to make quick decisions.”