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Clusters are an internationally recognised tool in economic development. Essentially, clusters are a collection of businesses operating in the same sector and in close geographical proximity to each other. The close proximity of firms and organisations (including support institutions) can be developed into a high level of co-operation allowing firms to work together to develop common opportunities and to solve common problems. Clusters are particularly advantageous to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing their competitiveness. Clustering provides economies of scale and scope which enable SMEs to tackle issues that would be impossible to address in isolation. The dynamics of the cluster allow them to compete with much larger firms both at home and abroad. Some examples of clusters include Silicon Valley, just south of San Francisco and home to over 7000 high tech companies and Hollywood , the area within Los Angeles that has become the world’s entertainment capital. In New Zealand, examples include food and wine/tourism clusters in Hawkes Bay and Marlborough, Christchurch for electronic engineering and Wellington for a seismic engineering cluster. Counties Equine Cluster Papakura has banded together with its’ neighbouring districts of Franklin and Manukau to investigate ways to support the growth of the equine industry in their combined areas. The horse industry has a significant presence throughout the three districts and, together with adjoining region Waikato, represents the bulk of New Zealand’s equine export earnings. In 2004, the Business and Promotion Unit at Council in partnership with Enterprising Manukau and Enterprise Franklin, submitted a proposal to the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Cluster Development Fund and was successful in gaining funding for the Counties Equine cluster. The funding obtained in Papakura for the development of an equine cluster will allow research into the industry to be carried out over the next few months and to identify growth opportunities and what support may be needed. A facilitator has been contracted to carry out initial research and will then organize an industry workshop for those firms who may be interested. If you are interested in finding out more about the Equine Cluster or registering for the industry workshop, please contact us at the Business and Promotion Unit. |
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