Paula Thompson BOP Regional Councillor www.boprc.govt.nz

Its official – New Zealand is getting older. This was the message of professor Natalie Jackson at last month's Local Government Conference in Hamilton.

Apparently, for some at the conference, the findings and analysis were a cause for sober thought. Apart from the steam train of Auckland, the rest of provincial New Zealand is facing having more old people than young in the next 50 years.

The consequences of the aging demographic are significant but in my view they should also be seen as a great opportunity.

We can embrace Tauranga as ‘the place to be' where you can live longer, healthier lives; and that means there are a wealth of opportunities to leverage from the vision. We can be a centre of excellence for research and health care. We can model the way a city and sub-region can embrace the demographic and ensure that the older citizens among us are as engaged, valued and cared for as all others.

We can also keep on with all of the initiatives currently underway to retain and attract younger people to make Tauranga their home. We have the vision to make Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty a great place to ‘live work and play'. This means we have to have sustainable employment, good education, amenities and facilities that build on the already beautiful natural infrastructure. Tauranga is stunningly beautiful. It is our competitive advantage. We have an opportunity to create a place that is a great place for all and that crafts our future around the opportunities before us, with a unique demography and environment.

Local government needs to facilitate much more community engagement on the issues and opportunities facing us and the next generations. They need work tirelessly to achieve an engaged community response. But answers to all issues do not lie with local government alone. They are one player. Currently, their key role is to facilitate the engagement of many parties and bodies to carefully craft the future.