Nelson Regional Development Agency's mission is to
unlock the economic potential of Nelson Tasman to
enable our people and places to thrive.

We do this by leading inclusive and regenerative economic development, supporting our businesses and people to grow, and shaping and amplifying our profile to attract people, business, and investment to the region. NRDA is a Council Controlled Organisation established on 1 July 2016 following merger of the former Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency and Nelson Tasman Tourism.

NRDA is 100% owned by Nelson City Council, and receives a funding contribution from Tasman District Council that enables NRDA services to be delivered with a Nelson Tasman combined regional focus. NRDA also maintains responsibilities as the official Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) for the Nelson Tasman region and is a member of Regional Tourism NZ.

We are governed by a highly-competent, private sector focused board of independent directors that have a commitment to the future prosperity of our region. The board members are appointed by Nelson City Council and guide the strategic direction of NRDA while monitoring business activities.

 

view our 2020-21 Annual report

Our Statement of Intent 2021 - 2022

Under our Statement of Intent, our primary focus is delivery against the Nelson Tasman Regeneration Plan 2021-2031 Project Kōkiri 2.0 (The Regeneration Plan). This Regeneration Plan provides a stepping stone from the original Project Kōkiri response plan to the Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy. Under this plan, and in line with Council expectations (LoE), NRDA will focus on the following targeted outcomes over the SoI period:

Regenerative – The region makes a just transition towards a low-emissions economy, in a way that mitigates climate change, reverses existing environmental damage and protects natural resources (land, forests, fresh water, marine environmental and environmental and indigenous biodiversity) now and in the future.

Productive – A shift from volume production to high value products, unlocking the potential of businesses to thrive, investing in R&D, technology and innovation to achieve productivity improvements, and supporting small and medium enterprise growth.

Inclusive – More even distribution of economic benefits (recognising that some in the community fare worse on wellbeing indicators), skill levels and productivity improvements, achievement of higher incomes and the right skills available for the future workforce.

Resilient – The region is able to respond to and bounce back from disruptions and shocks in a way that reduces harm and overall costs, sectors are diversified to reduce risk, there is local provision of many of the goods and services required, and supply chains are robust.

Creative – The creative talents of our region are recognised and rewarded, with opportunities to showcase and leverage our clever businesses, diversity, arts and artisans, and innovation.

Economic Strategy and Innovation

Leading strategic economic development (Project Kōkiri 2.0)

Regional Economic Insights Programme

Regional Economic Insights Programme

The Regional Economic Insights Programme has the primary aim of collating and communicating a set of business intelligence and insights to improve understanding and support quality decision making, both within the Nelson Regional Development Agency, and for the wider business community. From tourism statistics to industry performance and convention surveys, these insights are invaluable to understanding our region’s economic position.

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Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy

Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy

We are a partner in the development of the Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy. The aim of this strategy is to get an aligned understanding and clarity of the focus of the regional economic development aspirations and priorities between iwi, the Councils, Government, and the private sector. This understanding is centred around the sustainable economic development priorities that will make a difference for the whole of the Top of the South region in the future, with a clearly defined action plan and collective commitment to implementation.

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Industry Sector Resilience

Supporting industry transformation

Destination Management Plan

Destination Management Plan

This destination management plan has been prepared to improve the long-term well-being of our region and its residents by placing our environment and our community at the heart of visitor sector planning. Our aspirations for the sector extend beyond creating mutual benefits for both locals and visitors to rebuilding the sector as a resilient, sustainable and vital part of the Nelson Tasman community. Targeting visitors who balance their desire to explore more with the need to care more for the places they visit is our way of ensuring the region will be well looked after for generations to come.

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Food & Beverage Tourism Strategy

Food & Beverage Tourism Strategy

The Nelson Tasman Food & Beverage (F&B) Tourism Strategy has been developed through a process of consultation, workshopping, and regional discussions. Over 380 representatives from Nelson Tasman’s F&B business and local community were consulted resulting in this document. This document is a guide to enhance the profile of the region as a food and beverage destination, to grow our economy through visitor interaction, and align a series of social, cultural, infrastructural, and environmental considerations.

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Arts Tourism Strategy

Arts Tourism Strategy

The Nelson Tasman arts strategy has been developed to create more opportunities for visitors and locals to enjoy the region’s performing and visual arts. The strategy aims to enhance the unique Nelson Tasman identity and raise the profile of the region for visitors.

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Investment Attraction and Promotion

Shaping and amplifying our profile, destination story and investment proposition

Nelson Tasman Identity Story

The Nelson Tasman Identity Story is one of the key ways in which we intend to be proactive in raising the profile of Nelson Tasman as an extraordinary place to live, visit and invest. The identity is an authentic representation of who we are and what we want to continue to be as a region, and we have developed a range of tools for people to engage, share and spread the story of Nelson Tasman's identity more readily and easily amongst others.

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Talent Attraction & Retention

Talent Attraction & Retention

This area of activity is focused on the ultimate outcome of raising the profile of the region as a place to live and work whilst also contributing to the attraction of increased investment in the region. The talent attraction programme is focused on addressing one of the consistent messages from the business community around their major barriers to growth. The identity provides the baseline proposition and this programme creates the destination pitch to wrap around the businesses or organisation’s needs.

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Investment Attraction

Investment Attraction

The Investment Attraction programme is designed to leverage our regional strengths to attract and support companies with employees in the target areas to invest in Nelson Tasman, adding value to the future of our clever companies and community. We undertake this activity to generate greater value through connecting people, ideas and new technologies.

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Domestic Consumer Marketing Programme

Domestic Consumer Marketing Programme

The Domestic Consumer Marketing Programme has the primary aim of stimulating repeat visitation to the region throughout the shoulder seasons and inspiring others to share their extraordinary visitor stories and experiences. Focusing on the high value domestic markets, the programme involves delivering targeted campaign activity throughout Autumn and Spring, ensuring strong integration with the Major Events calendar, and the Regional Identity Framework.

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International Marketing Programme

International Marketing Programme

The International Marketing Programme has the primary aim of stimulating the value of international visitation to the Nelson Tasman region over the shoulder seasons and is very closely aligned with Tourism New Zealand, Nelson Airport, Port Nelson, and our other key partners. The international trade and media programmes are focused on the in-market influencers of international travel as opposed to an end-user consumer approach.

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Event Sales & Marketing Programme

Event Sales & Marketing Programme

The Business Events Sales and Marketing team are the first point of contact when planning an event in the Nelson region. This sales and marketing programme leads the SPICE (Sporting, Professional, Incentive, Conferences and Events) strategy and has the primary aim of growing the awareness of the Nelson Tasman region’s business events value proposition, generating leads and converting enquiries.

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Major Events Programme

Major Events Programme

The Major Events Programme is driven by the Nelson City Council Events Strategy which has the vision of bringing events to the region that ‘strengthen the region and its identity, stimulate a prosperous, vibrant and engaged community and deliver value at the right time’. The Major Events Programme supports both events that foster community wellbeing and events that grow Nelson’s economy, with the ultimate aim of amplifying the extraordinary city experience that Nelson is.

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Business and Workforce Development

Supporting our businesses and people to upskill, innovate and grow

Regional Business Partner Programme

Regional Business Partner Programme

The Regional Business Partner Programme is a key component of the Nelson Tasman business development and innovation ecosystem. The primary aim is to build the capability and capacity of the region’s business community to assist them to start-up, grow and innovate. This is done through a central Government partnership around the delivery of support programmes in the areas of business development services, R&D, and mentoring.

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Mahitahi Colab

Mahitahi Colab

The physical co-location regional innovation and collaboration hub at NMIT is where existing businesses and start-ups can connect with local and national Business Development & Innovation (BDI) organisations and NMIT students. The Mahitahi Colab is a partnership between the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and Nelson Regional Development Agency and is designed to place local businesses and the tertiary sector at the heart of the Nelson Tasman innovation and business community.

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Nelson Tasman Innovation Neighbourhood

The Innovation Neighbourhood Community (INC) concept has grown out of the initial launch and activation of the Wynard Innovation Neighbourhood in Auckland, which is now being introduced in regions such as Hamilton, Taranaki and Nelson. Supported and coordinated by Datacom, the INC comprises of a collective of non-competing, for-profit companies working to help one another to pursue growth and strengthen their capabilities through a culture of innovation and sharing.

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Nelson Tasman Innovation Framework

Nelson Tasman Innovation Framework

The Nelson Tasman Innovation Framework has the primary aim of raising the awareness of and facilitating a more coordinated and integrated approach to the delivery of the services contained within the innovation ecosystem. The two primary focus areas are the establishment of the Mahitahi Colab, and raising the awareness and profile of innovation through supporting innovation networks and events such as the Young Enterprise Programme, Hack Nelson and the Nelson Tasman Innovation Neighbourhood.

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Business Reports

Statement Of Intent 2021-24

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Annual Report 2020-21

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