'Not just a talk-fest': Mayor says business advisory groups must present viable plan

Wellington's mayor says he's not appointing a group of business advisors to hold a "talk-fest", and they must help present a practical plan for the city's economic growth over five years.

Wellington City Council has appointed 28 business people across three separate business advisory groups: for property, housing and infrastructure; arts, retail and hospitality; and technology and innovation.

All members are volunteers and unpaid.

Late last year Andrew Little scrapped a business advisory group set up under the previous council, after two members quit amid reports they weren't being listened to by council.

While he said there was always a "risk" of that happening again, these groups had practical targets to achieve.

When asked whether the groups were a PR-exercise, Little said "no".

"It's not just a talk-fest, and a chance to talk about what are nice things to talk about, it's actually coming up with a plan that's practical and doable."

The advisory groups must help propose a plan for the council to propel economic growth over five years - as part of the council's Economic Growth and Development Subcommittee.

Little said the advisory groups had not been set up for the purpose of handing cash to struggling businesses, but he wanted to hear fresh ideas.

"The city has had years of low or zero economic growth, low or zero population growth. And frankly it was in a real funk until the end of last year.

"We know there's a lot we need to do, we also know we are resource-constrained."

According to data from Infometrics, Wellington City's unemployment rate increased from 4.7 to 5.1 percent last year, and spending dropped 2.8 percent - compared to a fall of 1 percent for the country.

Wellington, the next Helsinki?

Emma Procter, research manager at Wellington gaming studio Pik Pok, is a member of the technology and innovation advisory group.

Founded in 1997, Pik Pok is New Zealand's largest game studio, now employing about 180 people in the capital. And developing 50 games over its 28 years.

Procter said that success could be replicated.

She points to Helsinki in Finland, which has become a start-up powerhouse.

"Helsinki is a small town, in a relatively small country, in quite an obscure part of the globe I guess.

"It's not known for its great weather, but it is known for having a really strong tech eco-system ... there are a lot of parallels between it and Wellington."

As part of a public-private-partnership, Helsinki City Council co-owned and put funding into Maria 01, a co-working and event space which now hosted over 230 start-ups.

"It's just a great example of how a deliberate focused approach to growth, and being really strategic about where you invest, pays huge dividends."

There will be 'healthy debate'

Jeweller and founder of The Village Goldsmith, Ian Douglas, said he didn't expect members of the advisory groups to agree about the city's revitilisation.

"You're always going to get a diversity of opinion. But, that's a good thing, healthy debate is just that - healthy."

Douglas said retailers had faced tough conditions in recent years, with public sector job cuts, and major construction and demolition in Civic Square.

As a member of the arts, creative, hospitality and inner-city revitilisation group, Douglas said he wanted to see a clearer vision about city streets.

The uncertainty about whether the Golden Mile would go ahead had been difficult, he said.

"When you have mixed messages coming out from council, central government, that's when it makes life very hard for any business - whether it be tech, science, creativity."

Tim Ward, who owns Moon Bar, Hey Dey, and Abandoned breweries in Petone and Porirua, said there was too much business compliance and regulation in the capital.

"I've opened 16 or 17 places over three different territorial authorities - and Wellington was the hardest out of all the authorities I've worked in.

"Porirua City and Lower Hutt City do make it easier - generally speaking - to do business."

Ward said the advisory groups would work if members could set aside their own interests and work together to find new ideas.

"The old ways don't work anymore. We can't go back to a time where we had the Sevens or Homegrown, those times had passed.

"The new ways haven't revealed themselves yet - but I think within this group, there are some incredibly bright people with a lot of knowledge and a diverse range of backgrounds."