Focus Katikati Trust Launches to Grow Jobs and Retain Talent

A new initiative called the Focus Katikati Trust has been established with the goal of strengthening the local economy by growing businesses and expanding employment opportunities in the town. The trust is working to develop sector clusters — groups of similar industries and companies that collaborate and support one another — as a way to attract and keep skilled workers in the region.

A meeting was held last month to introduce the trust and its plans, with Cluster Navigators chief executive and founder Ifor Ffowcs-Williams invited to speak about the benefits of cluster development. His organisation has experience establishing economic cluster groups across New Zealand.

A key concern driving the initiative is Katikati's difficulty in holding on to younger, highly skilled residents. Speakers at the meeting noted that while Katikati benefits from a strong social network, the town needs to retain people who will form the next generation of community and social organisations. Developing a broader range of job types in the local economy was identified as central to achieving that goal.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).