MEDIA RELEASE

24 April 2002

Manukau City Council last night launched a strategy aimed at transforming the city into a “knowledge society” - a smart city.

Stakeholders from the business, community and education sectors in Manukau gathered at Mountain View School in Mangere to hear how the SmartManukau strategy will produce a new kind of city. A city with a highly educated workforce and a 21st century business community with leading edge enterprises.

Mayor Sir Barry Curtis says that SmartManukau is a blueprint for progress. "It is also a change of direction we must take.

The emerging new industries that will provide the jobs and growth in the future will use knowledge to create sophisticated products and services with new, capital-intensive technologies and a highly skilled workforce.

“They will expect the place where they conduct their business to be a switched-on, “wired” city with every household using the Internet and other electronic communication tools.

“It will have a well-educated workforce and be a technologically advanced place to do business. We want that place to be Manukau.

“We need a commitment to achieving that vision. The SmartManukau strategy is the first step on the path.”

The SmartManukau strategy is closely aligned with "Tomorrow's Manukau", a plan for the development of the City over the next decade. Both strategies aim to create a better standard of living and quality of life for everyone in Manukau.

Sir Barry says, “Achieving this will require a joint effort with many other agencies and groups in the City, as well as changes by the Council. We intend to take up that challenge and to adopt a leadership role on behalf our diverse, multi cultural communities.

“We will:

- encourage education and training initiatives to support business and community development.

- promote wider understanding of the importance of education, lifelong learning, innovation and entrepeneurship.

- promote participation by everyone in the Knowledge Society in partnership with others across the public and private sectors

- support national and regional economic growth strategies, promote mentoring of emerging businesses and innovation in new-technology industries.

- develop partnerships to drive the growth of industry clusters and other Knowledge Society initiatives.”

The SmartManukau Strategy was developed in response to recommendations made to Council by the Smart Manukau Reference Group, chaired by Dr Jack MacDonald, Chief Executive of Manukau Institute of Technology.

Copies of the Reference Group Report and the SmartManukau strategy are available from Council’s website www.manukau.govt.nz or by phoning Council.

Ends

MEDIA NOTE: A media pack containing a copy of both documents and Sir Barry’s speech is available on request.

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