Central Otago District Council has formally adopted its Economic Development Strategy for the decade ahead, setting an ambitious target to raise the district’s average wage to match the national average by 2035. 

Central Otago's average wage sits at $66,867, trailing the national average of $78,731. 

The strategy, praised by Mayor Tamah Alley as “aspirational”, also outlines priorities for sustainable growth, thriving communities, resilient infrastructure, and partnerships with local businesses and mana whenua. 

CODC economic development manager Nick Lanham said the strategy would now be put into action, with a 12-month work programme to be presented at the next council meeting. 

Despite only 18 formal submissions received on the draft plan, Tamah said she was comfortable with the level of consultation and feedback from members of the community. 

“The numbers were not as high as we might have liked, but the quality of the feedback that we got from them I thought was really great.” 

She referenced a retired “high-flyer” from Australia with a holiday home in Central Otago, who travelled from Queenstown to meet with her about the strategy. 

She said he told her the strategy was unique in that it included direct reference to aspirational goals, when often such documents could be “airy-fairy”. 

“He was very complimentary of the strategy and that gave me faith that the people we were hearing from...really knew what they were talking about...and it wasn't a tick-box exercise for them.” 

At Wednesday’s full council meeting, the strategy was adopted with unanimous support and little discussion.

Nick recapped for elected members the 10-year plan was developed following extensive engagement with mana whenua and players from key sectors including construction, horticulture, viticulture, and tourism. 

Staff held 11 workshops and conducted an online survey with more than 200 responses, before the six-week consultation on the draft strategy, which received 18 submissions, including three from organisations. 

There were common threads in what respondents had to say, he said, concerns raised about overdevelopment, environmental sustainability, and balancing growth with the district’s character. 

But he cautioned the comments sat against the “backdrop of some large projects” potentially on the horizon in the district and top of mind for some.

Nick agreed with the mayor the low number of formal submissions did not undermine the strategy, particulary in light of the wide-ranging community consultation prior to the document being drafted by an external consultancy.

“At that early stage of engagement, it’s a lot easier to get a higher number of responses, because you’re asking wider, more holistic questions. Whereas when we go back to consult on a 40-page strategy, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to sort of dive into that.” 

In the timeframe of the strategy, CODC has flagged the district’s population is set to grow to 32,500.

The full Economic Development Strategy 2025–35 is available on the council's website.

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