Councils’ innovation dilemma: Enable, don’t overreach

Our major cities still have the ingredients to be tech talent and investment centres. (Image: Getty)

Wed, 27 Aug 2025

As October’s council elections loom across the country, a debate is reviving around what role, if any, local authorities should play in attracting high-value innovation-based jobs and companies to our cities.I saw that debate play out last week at a WellyForge event I emceed, featuring six of the Wellington mayoral candidates – Andrew Little, Alex Baker, Diane Calvert, Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, and Ray Chung. The tension in the debate was primarily over whether councils should play the role of facilitator or funder...

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