Gerard Casey EBOP Chamber of Commerce CEO

At a recent meeting of stakeholders in the Eastern Bay of plenty we discussed the future of the region in the next 40 to 50 years.

It was a fascinating chance to look out beyond and think about how our region could look and be.

Amongst the discussion there were two questions posed:

What is your tagline and a vision statement?

Mine were:

'Eastern Bay of Plenty Raising your Horizons.”

This can be the region where all people look above and beyond the Horizon.

If you think of the likes of Lisa Carrington and Sarah Walker, just to name two of our high achievers, they never said they could not achieve because they came from here.

Our region should inspire people to be part of and take risks and dream big.

And the Vision:

'EBOP, We can and We Will."

It's very easy to say we can but the hardest part is the doing. When people say we can that is just talk.

When people say we will then that means action.

This should be a region where when a business or developer comes to the area they should be welcomed with open arms and know that what we say is what we will do.

I welcome any feedback and look forward to being part of region that grows and thrives over the next 40 to 50 years.