Retaining existing businesses and industries in the Waitaki
district and determining what impediments there are to
expansion is the subject of a survey being undertaken by the
Waitaki Development Board.
"While there is a tendency to focus on attracting new
businesses, you also have to make sure existing businesses
stay here and expand," board chairman Peter Robinson said
yesterday about the survey.
Since September, the board has been surveying the top 30
employers in the district. These ranged from the large
employers - the Alliance Group's Pukeuri freezing works and
Macraes gold mine - through to others employing 25 or 30
staff.
It is about two-thirds through the project and expects to
have it completed by the end of June.
Already, it has been able to help businesses. It assisted one
which was facing a huge cost to install an electricity line
and another having difficulties employing an immigrant.
Mr Robinson said in the past the board had focused on
attracting new businesses, but had not looked closely at
existing businesses.
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