Due North PR

27/06/2026

Sincere congratulations to NZ Chambers of Commerce Northland (NorthChamber) for pulling together its ‘Connected North’ open letter that will reach the great and the good gathered in the Bay of Islands this weekend for Rugby for Life’s .

‘A Connected North’ brings together the collective voices of Northland business, civic and community leaders who gathered at Waitangi earlier this year to figure out what needs to happen to:

1) turbo-charge this region’s economic potential, and
2) reach the ambitious target of a $60 billion economy by 2050 – identified as do-able in economic analysis conducted by NZ Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) and commissioned by the Northland Corporate Group.

Among the event’s conclusions: Northland’s potential can only be fully realised through greater focus on connectivity.

Connected by infrastructure built for the future, not patched from the past.
Connected socially through strong relationships and shared purpose.
Connected to opportunity — locally, nationally, globally.

A region no longer defined by distance, but by proximity.
No longer held back by fragmentation, but strengthened through alignment.

Here's why...

Northland has real competitive advantages in clean energy, future fuels, marine manufacturing, primary production and tourism.

What it has lacked is the connection – ‘hard’ infrastructure assets like resilient, fit-for-purpose transportation, telecommunication and energy networks, combined with ‘soft’ people-focused assets like a shared vision, a single voice and a coordinated effort - to bring it all together.

‘A Connected North’ brings together in a single place all the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ assets that our business, civic and community leaders feel offer the greatest potential not just for investors, but also for our communities.

It says: “Northland is a sound investment proposition with massive investment potential. Please consider backing the areas that we know, as a result of some really good work undertaken by a number of organisations over recent years, will enable us to maximise our economic potential. And here's a list of what these are.”

👏 👏 👏

25/05/2026

Either Councillor Davina Smolders (Davina's Rates Rescue) is bang-on the money about Far North District Council ceding sovereignty, or the Council has done a poor job of explaining to ratepayers exactly what it is doing and why.

Also, of providing easily-understood yet meaningful and reassuring answers (rather than the simplistic platitudes they've used to date) to the Councillor's questions/accusations.

For example, it would have been wonderful to see an issues page on the Council website with a brief overview of Council's position on the subject, updatable Q&As based on the precise questions that are being asked, and direct quotes from the mayor and the chief executive offering reassurances on the substantive points. All supported by a series of video 'explainers'.

If Councillor Smolders is barking up the wrong tree it should have been the work of but a moment for either the mayor or the chief executive to say so categorically, and to invest some personal credibility in explaining why the precise concerns she raises are baseless.

It would have been good to see social media posts landing 60 seconds after the interview started, pointing ratepayers and media to this issues page and offering the reassurances that people are now looking for.

Instead... the silence is deafening. No issues page. No easily-discoverable and easily-digestible material for worried ratepayers to review. No reassurances. No social media commentary. Not even the statement that Council provided to Newstalk ZB in advance of the interview with Councillor Smolders.

It's not as if this is a trivial matter. The political and social concerns Councillor Smolders raises will have a direct impact on the way the Far North (and Northland more generally) are perceived by many influential actors - from policy and decision-makers right the way through to potential investors and Northland regional development proponents.

At the very moment that many of us across the region are working hard to position The North as this country's next investment epicentre, questions and accusations of this nature are more than unwelcome.

And, if they are incorrect or baseless, it behoves those in the frame to step forward and properly address them.

Council has a large and recently-expanded communication team. Ratepayers are looking forward to seeing some return on the investment it represents.

ACT-aligned councillor Davina Smolders is spreading claims the Far North District Council plans to sign agreements ceding sovereignty to five iwi.

09/12/2025

Our thanks to all of you who've subscribed to and supported the The True North podcastNorth podcast over the past eight months. Especially those who've taken the time and trouble to provide comments and feedback - that is always hugely appreciated. We're taking a break over summer and plan to be back in February with our second series. ^PH

'The Black Dog' lurks behind the farm gate. How to get tough, stoic Kiwi farmers to ask for help? And when they do, what support is there for them?

In today's episode we speak with Michelle Ruddell, Chair of Rural Support Trust - Te Tai Tokerau, and also Chair of New Zealand Rural Support Trust's National Council.

Farming’s never been an easy gig. Long days, hard physical work and exposure to the elements have always combined to make sure that farmers slept well once they finally hit the sack. And, for most farmers, the lifestyle upsides made the hard work worthwhile.

But these days the gig has become a lot harder for many - the decisions are more complex, the pressures more intense, and the stakes higher than ever. Farmers are juggling volatile commodity prices, shifting regulations, climate extremes, rising costs, labour shortages, and a constant stream of new technologies they’re expected to master.

What once felt straightforward now demands a whole new level of business savvy, resilience, and adaptability. Today’s farmers aren’t just caretakers of the land - they’re risk managers, data analysts, environmental stewards, and entrepreneurs, all rolled into one.

The good news? There’s help and support out there – and farmers are learning to ask for it.

This is the final episode in this series of our poddy. Take a look in the comments below for how to find it. We’ll be back after the summer break, ready to rock 2026 with a whole lot of fresh content and interesting Northlanders to speak with. ^PH

08/12/2025