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Economic development hero lauded
Economic development hero lauded at
Inaugural
Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment Awards – Celebrating
Excellence
Mr Stuart Trundle, the Chief
Executive of Venture Taranaki Trust, has received
recognition from his peers across the country at the
Inaugural Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Awards, with the receipt of a Distinguished Service Award
(DSA) for his services to regional economic development in
New Zealand.
Nominated by peers for the industry’s
first DSA, Stuart’s nomination won the attention of the
Awards panel because of his strong and tangible commitment
to facilitating economic development in New Zealand through
his role with Venture Taranaki and through his leadership
role with Economic Development New
Zealand.
“Stuart’s intellect,
understanding of the profession, and passionate commitment
for the ‘People’s Republic of Taranaki’ is legendary
within the industry, and the difference he has made to both
the region’s economy and the economic development
profession are commendable,” said EDNZ Chair Dr David
Wilson.
Stuart has been actively involved in Taranaki’s economic development since 1997, and founded Venture Taranaki, New Zealand’s first combined economic development agency and regional tourism office, in 2004. Since then he has steadily grown both the scale of the organisation and the impact it has had on the Taranaki region. The Venture Taranaki model has been progressively adopted by many other regions, including Auckland and Wellington.
Stuart is a past board member for the Economic Development Centre at AUT, a past chair of Economic Development New Zealand, in 2012 was awarded the New Plymouth District Mayoral Award for Business, and is also a winner of the Vero Excellence in Business Support award. Prior to forming Venture Taranaki, Stuart was managing director of the largest Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom, and his work in the formation of regional economic development agencies in Poland and Romania was supported by the British Government and European Commission.
“Over
two decades Stuart has built one of the country’s foremost
economic development agencies and made an immensely valuable
contribution to the growth and standing of the economic
development sector in New Zealand” David said. “In
looking for the Inaugural DSA, Stuart was an obvious
recipient.”
In accepting the award, Stuart pointed to
the positive changes that have impacted on regional economic
development over recent years, such as the greater strategic
frameworks and wider understanding of the potential of
local, smart economic development
interventions.
“Economic development is much greater and more diverse than simply attracting inward investment, and Venture Taranaki has shown the value of a strategic and long-term approach to regional growth,” Stuart said.
“Fostering business clusters is something that we been able to do very effectively in Taranaki, and it has been very heartening that the Team Taranaki approach to regional development has been acknowledged by our peers.”
“The economic development profession is an exciting career for those wishing to make an intergenerational impact on their communities, and its practitioners are experts in making positive contributions in wealth creation,” said Stuart.
“Jobs and GDP are important outcomes, but real economic development can transform lives. I have been blessed to have worked with an amazingly creative executive and governance team over the years, and it is on their behalf that I accept this award.”
The DSA will be
presented on the evening of the 31st August, at the Gala
Awards Dinner to be held at the Rydges Hotel, Wellington.
The Awards are sponsored by the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment and hosted by Economic Development
New Zealand.
________________________________________________________________________________
The
EDNZ Conference will be held on the 31st August and 1st
September in Wellington. You can check out the programme at
www.edanz.org.nz.
For more
detail on the Awards please view this link
For more detail on
the conference please view this video
link...
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