Councillors at yesterday's Dunedin City Council meeting signed off a new ''Otago regional economic development framework'', which set out new ways for councils across the region to work together on initiatives.
That was expected to begin with the appointment of two new advisers to progress the work, based in Central Otago and Dunedin, paid for by $400,000 over two years from the Provincial Growth Fund.
Councillors voted to adopt the report outlining the initiative yesterday, which deputy mayor Chris Staynes described as a ''red-letter day'' for the region.
He told the meeting he was ''old enough to remember'' the failings of an earlier exercise in regional economic co-operation, called Otago Forward, and expected the new approach would deliver results.
''It shows a desire to start to work together for the region's economy ... to help take projects forward.
''This is a bit of a red-letter day. It pulls us together as a region,'' he said.
One of the region's weaknesses in the past had been an inability to work together effectively, but the new approach made sense, he believed.
''When we fight each other ... the outcome is never as good as when we can work together.''
Cr Jim O'Malley agreed, saying the old adage ''united we stand, divided we fall'' was applicable.
The new regional approach should even be extended in future, to include Southland councils, should it prove successful, he suggested.
Only Cr Aaron Hawkins sounded a note of caution, saying the framework did not go far enough in spelling out the need to consider environmental challenges, climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy in decision-making.
He hoped the collaborative approach would allow Dunedin to ''encourage'' its neighbours to do more on such issues in future.
He also sought an assurance regional collaborations which went against DCC interests would be brought to the council to consider, which council chief executive Sue Bidrose said would happen.
