No incentives to lure Christchurch businesses south

Dunedin City Council representatives say there is no intention, and has never been any intention, to offer financial incentives for earthquake-affected Christchurch businesses to move south.

That assurance follows comments from Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend on radio yesterday, criticising the council for trying to attract business to Dunedin.

A brochure at the centre of the debate, which has not been released publicly, makes no mention of any financial incentives.

Mr Townsend said from Melbourne yesterday he had seen incentives mentioned in another newspaper, but both Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull and economic development committee chairman Cr John Bezett said there were none.

Mr Townsend said he had no objection to Christchurch businesses moving wherever they wanted, but he would be disappointed if Dunedin offered financial incentives.

He said he also thought Dunedin businesses might object to Christchurch businesses being encouraged to compete with them.

Cr Bezett said yesterday release of the brochure had been deferred because of concerns from Christchurch.

Other aspects of Dunedin's response, including meetings to discuss the issue, had also been deferred, because of a recent government financial package for Christchurch.

The council would only provide help to a business that had decided to move, and that help would be no different from what would be provided to any other business.

"I'm just trying to do the right thing," Mr Bezett said.

Mr Cull said someone had got the wrong idea of what the brochure was intended to do.

"They are saying it's offering rates relief to companies from Christchurch.

"From what I understand that's not in the brochure.

"We weren't."

Just 400 brochures were printed, and they were to go to Dunedin companies and Dunedin real estate agents.

"It was not designed to be distributed in Christchurch."

Mr Cull said council staff had, though, been "brainstorming" ways to offer assistance to Christchurch companies if they decided to leave that city.

"This is about South Island Inc, the South Island economy," Mr Cull said.

"If they are going to leave Christchurch, I would rather they stayed in the South Island."

He said in a press release yesterday Otago mayors had been discussing the impact of the earthquakes on the South Island as a whole, and were exploring the best ways to respond for the good of Christchurch, and the Mainland as a whole.

"Christchurch is working incredibly hard to keep families and businesses there and I fully support those efforts.""We also know of many South Island businesses keen to help in the reconstruction of Christchurch."

He had spoken to other Otago mayors who wanted to encourage people who had chosen not to stay in Christchurch to explore what other parts of the South Island could offer before flying north or west.

"We believe by staying in the South Island, families and businesses can maintain links with their friends, family and professional contacts."

The Otago Daily Times reported on Wednesday that because of differing views on how Dunedin should deal with the issue, councillors were scheduled to meet next week in a workshop and consider recommendations, which were being collated by senior council staff, the Otago Chamber of Commerce and Otago Southland Employers Association.

Cr Bezett said then there were some councillors who wanted the council to go out and market Dunedin, while others were opposed to any sort of campaign.

The meeting was due to be held on Friday.

 

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