Beyond 2025 Southland

Great South has been contracted to lead long-term planning for the region as part of the Government's Southland Just Transition Workplan.

The Workplan is a Government and regional collaboration to support the delivery of a just transition for workers and the wider region in response to the planned closure of the NZAS Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter in December 2024.

Southland Just Transition

What is a Just Transition?

A 'Just Transition' is a strategy to move a region toward a low carbon future. It is about a region leading its own transition to ensure that the impacts and opportunities that may arise from the transition are more evenly distributed.

Why in Southland?

The Southland Just Transition came about due to the planned closure of the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai Point. The goal is to help Southland build its economic, environmental and social resilience through and beyond the planned closure of the Smelter in December 2024.

The workplan

The Southland Just Transition workplan launched in February 2022 and includes seven workstreams:

• clean energy
• aquaculture
• land use
• business transitions
• worker transitions
• community capability building
• long-term planning (Great South's role).
  
  

Each workstream has a lead organisation and will scope the opportunities and challenges for the region. It will then prepare proposals for investment from central government, industry, iwi, community and the philanthropic sector.

The structure

Beyond 2025 Southland

Beyond 2025 Southland is the long-term plan workstream being led by Great South. There are 16 workstreams within five areas of focus that build on the previous work of the Southland Regional Development Strategy (SoRDs). Each workstream has a clear objective and its own bespoke approach. Some will have working groups established to guide the process, some will piggyback off an existing group or will facilitate the delivery of key research, data and insights. The process to develop the Beyond 2025 Southland Plan will take 18 months and will require a multi-stakeholder partnership with councils mana whenua, the business sector, local communities, other key stakeholders and central government.

See diagram below:

What about SoRDs?

The main goal of the Southland Regional Development Strategy 2015 - 2025 (SoRDs) was to increase the region's population by 10,000 people by 2025. Modelling shows Southland is on track to achieve that. In addition, many of the actions identified within that strategy are either already complete or underway. Beyond 2025 Southland will do just as its name suggests and lead the direction for Southland beyond 2025.

For more information about Beyond 2025 Southland, visit www.beyond2025southland.nz