Beyond 2025: Aquaculture, tourism key pieces to economic diversification
“Today I believe is a truly pivotal day, it is the end of the beginning. Now the hard work begins on the next phase of our development and our success as a region.”
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A billion dollar aquaculture industry and tourism growth can play significant roles in diversifying Southland’s economy, according to a new development plan.
The Beyond 2025 Regional Development Plan was launched at a function in Invercargill on Wednesday.
It was put together by a team at Great South led by Bobbi Brown.
It was the culmination of 18 months of work and shares aspirations for Southland’s future economy, environment, and people.
The plan points to the opportunity the potential $1b aquaculture industry could provide the region.
“We could be the number one region in the world utilising our natural advantages of a cooler climate and clearer waters,” the plan explains.
It is proposed to grow aquaculture in Murihiku Southland into a $1b industry by 2035 contributing one-third of New Zealand’s $3b goal.
This would equate to Southland increasing its salmon production from 5000 tonnes to per tonne to approximately 40,000 tonne.
The plan also circles tourism as another key area in helping diversify the economy.
At its peak in 2019, the visitor spend in Southland had reached $700m and was on track to hit $1b by 2025.
However, Covid had a “catastrophic effect” with international borders closed and domestic travel limited for two years.
The plan has pointed to two possible scenarios for tourism in Southland.
One was based around a “Big World” where international travel returns to its pre-Covid levels through more affordable travel options and New Zealand being viewed as a premium destination.
The plan says by 2029 guest nights, as a percentage of pre-Covid levels are expected to reach 165% in “Visit Southland” and 142% in “Visit Fiordland”.
The second scenario was based around a “Small World” where a combination of impacts makes travel beyond short-haul severely constrained.
Under this scenario Visit Fiordland will take until 2026 to reach pre-Covid levels.
By 2029 guest nights as a percentage of pre-Covid levels are expected to reach 160% in Visit Southland and 136% in Visit Fiordland.
Speaking at Wednesday’s Beyond 2025 launch Great South chair Ian Collier said: “Today I believe is a truly pivotal day, it is the end of the beginning. Now the hard work begins on the next phase of our development and our success as a region.”