At each of these events, I inevitably ended up talking to regional government officials — here that’s local councils and in Australia or the USA it’s state government economic development teams. These people are visible, proactive and deeply connected to the industries they support.
And it made me realise something: I have absolutely no idea what our own city does in this space.
In all the years I’ve run a Dunedin-based company, I have never once been invited by the Dunedin City Council’s economic development unit to host or engage with a visiting delegation. Not once.
We need real ambassadors — people who get out of the city, meet potential investors, entice strategic delegations and tell the world what Dunedin offers. And they need to be properly embedded in our business community, not operating from the sidelines.
I get that Dunedin doesn’t have the budget of Sydney or Adelaide, but where we lack in budget, we should be overflowing with creativity.
In Sydney, every Australian state had a stand. They weren’t there for decoration — they were there to win business. The offers were remarkable: grants to relocate, subsidies on land and buildings, 100% funding for apprentices, free office space while evaluating their regions and concierge-style introductions to local universities, research institutes and suppliers.
That’s what competing for business looks like.
I’ve heard rumours of around $30 million flagged for economic development in the city. If that’s true, I’d love to know what’s actually being done with it. Because from where I sit, it’s hard to tell.
We’ve got a new council, a proposal for an independent economic development unit, and a clear signal from voters that they want change.
There is some serious commercial acumen now sitting around the council table. My hope is that the new mayor’s appointments — especially to key committees like the one overseeing economic development — are made on the basis of skill, experience and results, not political buddying-up.
Right now, Dunedin is at risk of being left behind. New Zealand is already at the edge of the world, but Dunedin is the edge of the edge.
That’s not a disadvantage — it’s an identity. Wherever I go globally New Zealand is known globally for our problem-solving, for our lack of ego and trustworthiness. These are real assets that make international companies want to work with us.
When I spoke at the Aerospace Summit, I talked about exactly that — and about how one of Dunedin’s biggest advantages is our connection to the university and the polytechnic. Cities like Boulder, Colorado, have built thriving deep-tech industries off the back of their universities. Dunedin could too.
You know what the No 1 topic of constraint is globally — talent, particularly attracting youth into engineering and tech pathways. As a city of about 130,000, with 30,000 students and academics, surely we’re one of the most talent rich per-capita cities in the world? Let’s find out and do something with that.
We already have a rich history of commercialising science and research — Animation Research, AbacusBio, AD Instruments, Education Perfect, Scott Technology — all world-class examples that grew from our local institutions.Why aren’t we doubling down on that?
Now, with the new Dunedin hospital a billion-dollar-plus infrastructure investment right in our backyard, we’ve got an opportunity to build a proper med-tech ecosystem around it.
Not just a building, but innovation — new jobs, start-ups and research collaboration, a city where clinicians, engineers and entrepreneurs work side-by-side to create the next generation of medical technology and patient-care solutions.
Instead, it feels like we’re letting the opportunity slide by. The cranes will come and go, the hospital will open and unless we act the rest of the economic potential will disappear along with them.
Five years ago, 35% of my company’s work was in Dunedin. Today it’s 1.7%.
Yes, we’ve grown a lot since then, but that statistic tells a story. If we hadn’t focused relentlessly on exporting outside the region and country, we wouldn’t still exist.
So here’s my challenge: give me a reason to stay.
I want to promote Dunedin as a strategic business location.
Because "we just love it here" doesn’t cut it any more.
Integration between industry, the polytech and the university is growing.
That’s our real global positioning, a city where innovation, nature and community co-exist in a way that simply can’t be replicated.
I want my son to grow up here and have the choice to build a career here. Wouldn’t it be great if Dunedin was known as the city where talent lives.
I want that when I travel, and people ask, "Why on earth Dunedin?", the answer isn’t defensive.
It’s proud. I want being from Dunedin to make us great by association, not despite it.
• Sarah Ramsay is chief executive of United Machinists.
