Mayors for jobs

Now, there is always the danger with innovation that the starting stages will appear to be a talkfest with few results but this was definitely not the case with Mayors for Jobs.

The idea that mayors can, and should, play a lead role in tackling unemployment in their areas got huge support from those taking part.

I found wide support for my own belief that unemployment is one of those issues that has got stuck in the "too hard" basket, both nationally and culturally. Personally I don't believe it has to be that way.

Rather than just accept the idea there will always be a large pool of unemployed missing out why not dare to try and work toward the idea of work for all again?

We have the ideal window of opportunity to try and move together toward that goal.

Central Government policy has shifted from its previous policy towards embracing the idea of creative partnerships between central and local government. And the idea that regional solutions might work best towards solving regional problems seems to be finding wider acceptance.

As a society we are in this together. I think we all need to make the most of this wonderful set of opportunities.

I have made no secret of my firm belief one of the crucial ways forward for Christchurch and the rest of the South Island is to actively work together on issues of common concern, such as economic development, education, waste management, and of course, jobs.

Christchurch has a unique brokering role to play in this process. We are the only major metropolitan city in the South Island with both the economic and political muscle to make our views strongly heard regionally and nationally.

Christchurch has also forged an enviable record for developing practical job schemes that work and provide ongoing employment for those taking part.

We have the expertise and the people to provide a helping hand to our immediate South Island neighbours. We need to take a lead role on South Island issues and in helping put together solutions for South Island problems.

That's why Dunedin Mayor Sukhi Turner and I are offering to help the West Coast councils work out a common economic direction for the West Coast that will provide the Coast with growth , jobs and stability.

It may be true that no man is an island but in the case of the South Island we are one unit in terms of both geography and history. For many Christchurch people the West Coast is not a distant abstraction, but a home to relations and not infrequently to their own forebears.

But the ties run deeper than just emotion. They are also part of the whole package of economic factors that determine whether Christchurch and Canterbury prospers or not. For example, the rail link with the West Coast is one of the linchpins in the South Island's tourist marketing strategy. I believe we all have to be prepared to work together to build on these traditional ties to strengthen our common future.