WELLINGTON, July 14 (Xinhua) -- An action plan for the Bay of Plenty, a New Zealand region known for its horticulture and tourism, was launched on Friday.
The Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand's strongest growing regions. It has an increase of 7.7 percent in GDP in 2016, with horticulture, forestry, agriculture and tourism contributing to regional prosperity, Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges said in a statement.
The refreshed action plan reflects 46 completed or reassigned milestones and 38 new actions for the region. It follows the announcement of a new 8.42 million NZ dollars (6.17 million U.S. dollars) Regional Research Institute in Tauranga, centered on horticulture, Bridges said.
The addition of the Regional Research Institute will further leverage the Bay of Plenty's strengths in horticulture, particularly kiwifruit, Bridges added.
"The Bay of Plenty has a very productive and diverse horticulture, forestry and agriculture sector," Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said in the statement.
The Action Plan also includes the implementation of regional tourism priorities to support growth of the visitor economy to 2.5 billion NZ dollars (1.83 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030, Guy said.
There are still significant opportunities to increase incomes and employment in the region through attracting new investment and increasing productivity and export prices, he added.
