Message from the Chair
As Chair of the Economic Development Association of New Zealand EDANZ I extend a warm welcome to you all to this celebration of Export Year 2007, and recommend that you take full advantage of this very exciting programme.
Economic transformation hits the ground in the regions and local communities of New Zealand.  Economic Development Agencies EDAs are at the forefront of facilitating and delivering on this important agenda in their various communities of interest.
As the NZ membership association of all EDAs and practitioners, EDANZ plays a unique role in the economic development landscape.  As we all work towards transforming the economy, EDANZ is able to harness the knowledge and capability that exists in the EDA network to inform better policy making, and ultimately the implementation of the very best practice in economic development.
This conference brings together players from all parts of the economic development spectrum: central government, local government, economic development agencies, business, iwi, education and research organisations to engage, network and collaborate to achieve better  living standards for all New Zealanders.
We invite you all to take full advantage of the opportunities this conference presents, to contribute through the working sessions, to enjoy southern hospitality and to go from here with new ideas about how to build stronger export growth to achieve higher sustainable growth.

Sandi Morrison
Chair

Message from the Chief Executive
EDANZ (the Economic Development Association of New Zealand) is celebrating Export Year with this important conference “Growing an Export Economy” in association with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Export New Zealand.

New Zealand faces some unique economic challenges as we work to achieve a stronger export base and, through that, higher sustainable growth for the New Zealand economy.  These challenges include all the usual suspects: how we innovate, how we commercialise that innovation through entrepreneurship, skills and talent, infrastructure, access to capital, and our lack of scale.

But it’s ultimately what we DO about those challenges that matters most.  That’s why this conference is unashamedly practitioner focussed.  Policy gives us the framework to think about what we do, but it’s the actions that derive from that policy framework that need to be truly transformational. 

I am delighted therefore that during the conference we will have the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s leading economic development practitioners.  We will have the opportunity to work with Andy Lark of LogLogic and No. 8 Ventures; and Barry Moltz an internationally recognised expert on entrepreneurship and growing businesses.  

Andy and Barry bring a wealth of experience and will complement our other keynote speakers and workshop facilitators who are all leaders in their field.  

Just as importantly our own practitioners will again lead the way with innovative examples from around New Zealand and will challenge us in what we do when we land back at our desks later in the week. 

Building a stronger export base is an essential part of building a stronger New Zealand economy.  The challenge is actually more fundamental than that – a strong economy isn’t an end in itself.  The end game is more precisely about achieving a higher standard of living and greater wellbeing for the people who choose to live and work in New Zealand.

I would specially like to thank all our sponsors for their generous support and Ann, our conference convenor.

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Bevan Graham

Chief Executive