The work being done with regional growth strategies, including things happening in the Wanganui-Manawatu region, has a simple formula - more investment means more jobs.
That was the line promoted by Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce when he spoke to a Whanganui Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday.
"That's the definition of success in regional development - attracting growth and jobs," Mr Joyce said.
And the Wanganui-Manawatu strategy, released two months ago, highlighted the opportunities, he said. The next stage was to quantify things and remove any roadblocks to encourage economic growth.
Mr Joyce said this region had not progressed as well as people might have wanted over the past 25 years - "but we can really do some stuff here if we get central and local government and businesses working together".
The minister said there were specific areas he believed would drive positive change. "New Zealand is one of the more prosperous small countries in the world but there are four areas we need to concentrate on to be the best."
These included being truly connected with the rest of the world, especially the Asia-Pacific region; keeping on an innovative path; developing and maintaining a skilled population; and being welcoming and encouraging to investors, whether they were onshore or offshore.
"There's going to be massive growth in the Asia-Pacific region but it's a matter of whether that's Jakarta, Singapore, Wanganui or Mid-Canterbury. That's why we must be welcoming when someone comes to our door. Do all these things right and we will be the most prosperous small country in the world," Mr Joyce said.
He said the hammering dairy prices had taken was probably seeing a shift to greater diversity in the primary sector.
"Other industries have become more competitive, and the returns on horticulture and wine have picked up in NZ dollar terms and we've seen significant boosts in tourism and international education and in new sectors like IT. Then there are medium high-tech companies like Q-West in Wanganui who are having a good run because they've done the hard yards in promotion and marketing and have filled their order books."
And Mr Joyce highlighted the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which he described as being "hugely important" - more for regional New Zealand than for Auckland or Wellington - and giving "phenomenal access" to 800 million consumers.
"In Japan our meat industry faces tariffs of around 48 per cent crossing into that country, so you can't be competitive. The agreement will drop from 48 per cent down to 8 per cent. Kiwifruit, wine, icecream into the US, a whole range of products our producers have never been able to sell into those markets. It will make a massive difference."