Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

This week I have been listening to submissions on the SmartGrowth Strategy – the spatial plan and growth strategy for the Western Bay. I also read a blog from Brian Gaynor about the enormous change we have seen during the last 10 to 20 years, which has been mostly driven by new technology.

He quoted a recent bestseller ‘The New Digital Age', which includes predictions from leading technology executives on where they think our world is going with regard to technological change. The message is – we can expect to see change at a much greater and faster scale, than experienced in the Industrial Revolution, during the next half-century. Some of it we can predict – such as the move away from fossil fuels; and the increasing use and development of electric cars and electric public transport. We are already seeing a proliferation, integration and convergence of mobile technologies, and they are changing the way we work. A case in point is the increasing use of mobile technology in health and many other service-based industries. And we can expect this to be increasingly reflected in local government and other arms of the public sector.

But what is bothering me – is what about the changes which we can't predict? I'm talking about both the positive and negative, which may be game-changers? It is our nature to plan for what we know - and even though the SmartGrowth strategy is looking forward 50 years -I think it is very based on today's paradigm. Many of the submissions on SmartGrowth are also based on what we know now – and only a few address the world we may be living in 50 years down the track. So how do we address unanticipated changes to our operating environment and enabling technology? If these changes are anything like we have seen during the last 20 years our world may be a very different place in the 2050s.

I think we need to put an emphasis on innovation, research and reviews; and on enabling the strategy to be flexible and adaptive as the world changes. As a matter of course, those who make the decisions should constantly focus on global trends and ask themselves: Does this change what we should be doing and how we should do it? Otherwise, a 50-year strategy is unrealistic – if it can't adapt as our world changes.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please contact me at: neesj@xtra.co.nz or ring me on 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website at: www.janenees.co.nz