SmartGrowth's support for educational collaboration between the Bay of Plenty Polytech and the University of Waikato has helped produce another step forward with the release of the region’s first tertiary education plan.

From my perspective SmartGrowth is all about maximising the value of a collaborative approach to deliver tangible results for everyone in the western Bay. The tertiary education plan is fundamental to this as it helps build and retain a pool of talent that can help the sub-region meet the challenges and opportunities associated with ongoing population growth.

The action plans three goals are to increase participation in tertiary education, increase research and commercialisation capability in areas where the region has a competitive advantage and to ensure that tertiary education and interventions help optimise regional productivity and economic performance.

I look forward to working with my Council team to help realise these goals.