True North

What’s Northland worth to Auckland and the rest of New Zealand? Are we delivering? And why must we still make the case for better infrastructure in our region?

In this week’s episode of the True North podcast we speak with Julian Smith, group secretary of the Northland Corporate Group, about a report it launched in Wellington today. It maintains that Northland has the potential to contribute much more significantly to economic growth in New Zealand generally, and to Auckland in particular. But only if there is continued investment in connectivity –transport, energy and telecoms - in the region.

It says Northland could conceivably boost its forecast GDP for 2050 by 50 percent, or an additional $20 billion, to a whopping $60 billion – but only if potential investors here are given the certainty and confidence they need in core infrastructure to unleash $38 billion dollars in latent capital investment.

How close did Northland’s Ngāwhā geothermal plant come to being closed down? Spoiler alert – very close indeed. Why? And how did lateral thinking save the day?

In this week’s episode of the True North podcast we speak with Fabian Hanik, assistant plant manager at the Ngāwhā geothermal power station near Kaikohe, about how close Northland came to losing its prized geothermal generation plant.

And how some radical out-of-the-box thinking, backed by some Number 8 wire and a company with a lot to lose, averted closure.

There are some fantastic lessons in here for businesses anywhere. About fostering and enabling innovation at subject matter expert-level, about trust, about capability, andabout backing your own people when the temptation might be to rely on the views of outsiders.

Links to items referred to in the show:

News stories about the government’s City and Regional Deal decision:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/565742/government-begins-negotiations-with-councils-for-regional-deals

https://www.dia.govt.nz/Regional-Deals-MoUs-underway

RNZ story about the payment to former FNDC chief executive Blair King:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/565312/far-north-district-council-ordered-to-pay-former-ceo-blair-king-210-000

Kaipara District promotional website:

https://www.kaipara.govt.nz/news/post/859-New-website-launched-to-showcase-Kaipara

Northern Advocate story about McKay building electric ferries for Samoa:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/on-the-up-whangarei-firm-mckay-to-make-samoas-first-electric-boats/CIGYUSFTPFAFPHJPNQDORSAPO4/

Ngawha 'Carbon Zero' Project - detailed technical presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAvRtZy1vCE

How much focus is our regional economic development agency placing on inward investment? Is Northland’s vibrant “no!” culture scaring investors away?

Why is take-up of space at the Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park so thin from companies outside Northland? Why has the promise of heavily discounted electricity not proven more of a game-changer for potential investors in the park?

What inward investment barriers does Northland face other than the obvious ones around transport infrastructure? And what do Northland businesses and iwi entities need to do tohelp sell Northland to potential investors both domestically and internationally?

In this week’s episode of the True North podcast we speak with Paul Linton, chief executive of Northland’s regional economic development agency Northland Inc, about what’s being done – and what still needs to be done – to tempt investors to buy into the Northland promise.

Links to items referred to in the show:

Results of each council’s consultation on their recommended way forward:

Whangarei District Council

Kaipara District Council

Far North District Council 

ASB’s Q1 2025 Regional Economic Scoreboard:

https://www.asb.co.nz/documents/economic-research/regional-economic-scoreboard.html

Media stories with details of the names and composition of each consortium bidding for the next section of the Northern Expressway:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/three-bidders-confirmed-for-next-northland-expressway-section/LR43WNPAYZCWZKCZC6BRRUJM7Y/

https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/infrastructure/global-builders-investors-shortlisted-for-multi-billion-dollar-northland-expressway-project (PAYWALLED)

How will our local roads be funded in future? Will commercial traffic be tolled? Is local road funding likely to keep up with population growth and usage trends?

In this episode of the True North podcast we speak with district councillor Ann Court, one of the most clued-up people in Northland on the vexed issue of our historically woeful road network.

Ann’s very clear – continued and ongoing conversations around Northland’s economic potential, and locally-driven moves to realise that potential, are the quickest and best way to ensure that Northland’s roads get the attention they're crying out for.

And while at least one of Northland’s three district councils is now inspecting its belly-button – yet again – and conducting a reality check over its wild ambition to manage its local road network in-house, we explore with Ann the thinking (or lack of it?) that prompted local government in the region to kill off the regional roading organisation, the Northland Transportation Alliance.

It’s a funny old world. And this back and forth on roading policy might indeed be worth a laugh – if it didn’t cost anything. But it does.

Links to items referred to in the show:

Stuff NZ: Barrier Air article

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/360697868/we-are-here-stay-tiny-nz-airline-taking-air-new-zealand

How close did Northland’s iconic R. Tucker Thompson come to being driven onto the financial rocks? How did those at the wheel steer the ship into calmer waters?

In this episode of the True North podcast we speak with Jane Hindle, a perpetual energy source for the R. Tucker Thompson Sailing Trust, based around the beloved and iconic tall ship in the Bay of Islands.

Jane helped establish the Trust along with original owner Russell Harris back in 2006, and served for many years as anExecutive Trustee. Now, 20 years later, and after a small break, she recently joined the Trust’s Board. 

We explore the ups and downs, ins and outs, and whys and hows of her journey with the Trust and the beautiful old vessel at the heart of it all, the R. Tucker Thompson herself.

This is the first of our ‘Northern Lights’ series of chats with unexpected Northlanders. For this first episode we’ve beena little untrue to our vision for this series. It’s meant to focus on some of the surprising people who, unexpectedly, live among us. People who have carved out successful careers for themselves – often internationally – and who now call Northland home for a variety of interesting reasons. They live among us, quietly and unrecognised, and we aim to tell at least some of their surprising or entertaining stories.

As one of our most high-profile business leaders, Jane doesn’t exactly fit this bill. But we hope you enjoy the chat anyway.

Links to items referred to in the show:

Northland Inc (Tai Tokerau Impact Fund)
https://www.northlandnz.com/business/get-business-support/te-tai-tokerau-impact-fund

Merlin Labs news release
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250522589351/en/Merlin-Secures-Experimental-Certificate-of-Airworthiness-in-New-Zealand-Accelerating-Certification-Flight-Testing

How can Northland businesses win Crown or Council work? Will new Government Procurement Rules eliminate the social engineering? Or is it the same old same old?

In this episode of the True North podcast we speak with George Hulbert of The Clarity Business, which specialises in helping businesses win bids and tenders. Particularly bids and tenders from government agencies and local government .

If you’re involved with any sort of organisation tendering for any type of work from New Zealand central government, a government agency or even local government, you’ll want to be across what George has to say about proposed changes to the Government Procurement Rules.

At first glance it looks like the proposed changes may kill off the previous Labour government’s ‘Broader Outcomes’ procurement policy – which required companies bidding for the government dollar to demonstrate delivery against various social, cultural, environmental and economic measurements.

However, on closer inspection it seems that this might not quite be the case. For the full picture, take a listen to this episode.

Is Northland tourism choking on its own planning? Is anyone driving execution and delivery? Whose responsibility is this? Why is it always the same people?

In this episode of the True North podcast we speak with Northland tourism champion Riki Kinnaird about what the sector needs to do to get its mojo back. We’re at risk of talking and planning ourselves to death, he says.

Northland tourism is drowning in destination management plans, resource libraries, industry blueprints, tourism white papers and the like – but who is distilling all of this and actually putting it into action?

For the full picture, and Riki’s views on the knotty challenges facing our regional tourism sector, take a listen to this episode.

How will Northland fix its water infrastructure? How will we be able to afford to? What alliances and partnerships are being formed? Will deadlines be met?

In our third episode of True North we speak with Far North mayor Moko Tepania about our region’s crumbling water infrastructure. With the demise of the Three Waters initiative that would have seen central government investing in the upgrade and modernisation of regional water infrastructure, where does that leave Northland’s Councils? And, more importantly, its ratepayers and businesses?

What are our Councils’ options in this post-Three Waters environment? What’s next for our water infrastructure, how will this be upgraded and how will these upgrades be paid for? How much government funding, if any, is available to subsidise the massive amount of expansion and modification that is required for the region’s water infrastructure?

Links to items referred to in the show:

BusinessDesk article: Central government churn worsens council credit ratings (paywalled)
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/finance/central-government-policy-churn-drags-down-local-government-credit-ratings

BusinessDesk article: Growing infrastructure pipeline 'not translating into projects coming to market’
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/infrastructure/growing-infrastructure-pipeline-not-translating-into-projects-coming-to-market

Electricity Authority news release: power retailers’ Consumer Care Obligations
https://www.ea.govt.nz/news/press-release/new-zealanders-have-new-rights-as-power-consumers/

Is the promised 40-minute sea glider service between Whangārei and Auckland still on track? Why select Northport as the terminal instead of the Town Basin?

In our second episode of True North we speak with Ocean Flyer CEO Shah Aslam about his company’s plans and how they’re progressing.

Two years ago he told us this would be happening next year. Is that still the plan? How does he expect Air New Zealand to react? How is Ocean Flyer dealing with consumer nervousness around the safety of this new mode of transportation? And is there a cost to our region to establish the charging infrastructure required for these innovative, electric-powered… what are they? Vessels? Aircraft? 

For the inside track on these and other questions take a listen to this episode.

Links to items referred to in the show:

Northland Regional Deal application:

https://www.northlandnz.com/northland-inc/what-we-do/regional-infrastructure-and-investment/northland-regional-deal

New Zealand Transport Agency – Northland Corridor project - Registration of Interest:

https://www.gets.govt.nz/NZTAHNO/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=31264550

New Zealand Transport Agency – Northland Corridor project - more information:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/northland-corridor

Ocean Flyer:

https://www.oceanflyer.co.nz/

What industries will a Special Economic Zone at Marsden Point cover? Exactly how will it streamline investment and establishment? What incentives will be on offer?

For our maiden episode of True North we were lucky enough to speak with Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, to see if we could squeeze out of him some additional detail about his thinking around a Special Economic Zone at Marsden Point.

It was a revealing discussion. We also covered the requirement for minimum employment and investment thresholds, the degree of focus on both foreign and domestic investment, the option of stimulating investment by sector rather than by location, and the extent of local government involvement or oversight (spoiler alert: “Nothing. Nothing!”)

For the inside track on these and many other matters, including the role an SEZ at Marsden Point could play in the next election, take a listen to our very first episode.

Links to items referred to in the show:

Cameron Bagrie bylined article at BusinessDesk (paywalled):
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/economy/big-corporates-lump-too-much-blame-on-the-economy

‘The Pick’:
https://www.northlandnz.com/business/get-business-support/start-your-business/thepick/

Government news release - Special EconomicZones:https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-consider-special-economic-zones