Food comes to life

Hawkes Bay will the toasting the Prime Minister at the Regional Development Conference next week……..literally.

The region’s bi-annual Edible Art Fest will be holding an exhibition at the national conference, which will showcase a large portrait of Helen Clark make from toast and a sculpture made from vegetables of the Minister for Industry and Regional Development Jim Anderton.

Conference spokesman Roger Wigglesworth, Principal Advisor for the Ministry of Economic Development, says it is great the conference coincides with the festival which celebrates the culinary arts of the region.

He says the festival’s participation shows the people of Hawkes Bay are getting behind a significant event for their region.

“This conference is about regions looking at what makes them unique and what they do best, and then building on this. Hawkes Bay has certainly made a name for itself with its wonderful food and wine so it’s a great example of this.”
The Regional Development Conference – Our Future – Our Potential – Our Choices – runs from March 21-23 in Napier. It is focused on moving regional development in New Zealand up a level to meet the demands of a changing international environment.

The conference will feature regional development success stories from Hawkes Bay and other parts of New Zealand. Delegates will also hear from expert speakers in regional development and will be part of discussions around issues impacting on regional growth.

Roger Wigglesworth says it will be the third time the conference has been held, and past delegates have said it was invaluable.

“It gives them opportunities to tap into expertise and to develop strong relationships. The feedback we get from business people, from local government representatives, from a wide variety of people connected with regional development is that it is well-worth investing a couple of days to be part of this conference.”

This year’s Regional Development Conference is the third to be held and runs from March 21-23. It is jointly hosted by the Minister for Industry and Regional Development, Jim Anderton, the Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, EDANZ and the Hawke’s Bay region. The exhibition is being held at Napier’s Exhibition Centre and is open to the public from Monday 21st March noon to 6pm, Tuesday 22nd March 8.30am to 6pm, and March 23 8.30am to noon.

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