About Venture Timaru
As the economic and tourism agency for the Timaru District we're passionate about this region and we're committed to working with individuals, businesses and industry sectors to grow the vibrancy, profile and well-being of this great district.
Whether you are already here or keen to discuss why you should be - contact us today as we'd love to have a chat about why you should be living, working, studying, running a business and investing here.
As detailed within our current Statement of Intent our priorities for 2023.24 year are as follows:
Our Economic Development Strategy and Destination Management Plan
We completed our Economic Development Strategy and Destination Management Plan for the Timaru District in 2021. These documents have guided our economic and tourism activity across the district in recent years, with our annual priorities detailed within our Statement of Intent.
View the documents:
Economic Development Strategy and Destination Management Plan (summary)
Economic Development Strategy (full)
Destination Management Plan (full)
Promoting Timaru District to live and work
We’re also promoting Timaru District as a great place to live and work through our targeted campaign, We love Timaru. This has involved a series of social media videos from people sharing their stories about why they've moved to the district ... and how they're loving it. There are also new welcome billboards at the northern and southern entrances to Timaru. Watch the videos.
- Driving a collaborative Regional Workforce Initiative assisting local businesses to be more actively engaged within and between industry sectors to tackle workforce issues. This includes:
- Establishing Business Connection Groups (BCG’s) across industry sectors. There are now four BCGs up and running: Transport & Logistics; Food Processing & Manufacturing; Construction & Trades; Professionals.
- Understanding and addressing businesses' training and development needs via improved communication with, and knowledge of, all local training providers and staffing companies offerings.
- Facilitating the South Canterbury My Next Move Youth Transition Initiative – which is a programme endorsed by the Canterbury Mayoral Forum and funded by the Ministry of Social Development. The aim of the initiative is to “Engage, Educate & Excite” our local secondary school students on their important next step so they are as informed as possible about their future career and further education pathways. This involves extensively working with local business/industry and our schools to create enhanced connections between the workplaces and schools and keep the young people in this district.
- Establishing and building key strategic partnerships with relevant people, businesses and agencies both locally and nationally that can ultimately benefit the district, the communities and our people.
- Working alongside the Timaru CBD Group, the key stakeholders of our town centre, to assist with their aim of enhancing the Timaru CBD area to make it attractive to people and businesses.
- Working with key local stakeholders to enhance and provide resiliency across key economic enablers : Workforce, Energy, Water, Infrastructure and Housing.
- Advocating for an environment that excites and inspires new enabling investment into both:
- diversifying our housing stock (inner/near city living, apartments & townhouses along with medium and large scale residential development) and
- "shovel ready" commercial and industrial property opportunities that are attractive to existing and new business .
- Working with the Timaru Sister City Committee to assist in fostering cultural and economic exchanges and further promote overseas relationships. Our sister cities are:
- Orange, New South Wales, Australia
- Orange, California, United States of America
- Weihai, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
- Eniwa, Japan
- Visit the Timaru District Council for more information on our Sister Cities
We are currently:
Your first point of contact for business
Venture Timaru is your first point of contact for new business development, looking to invest, study or simply learn more about what this great part of New Zealand has to offer you, your family and your business. For those interested in investing in our district, we can assist with information about industrial and commercial land available in the district for potential development.
We encourage you all to take a closer look at the Timaru District.
Why Choose Timaru District to Live and Work.
Showcasing Timaru District Profile
Venture Timaru Annual Report 2023
Get in touch : Email or phone our office 06 687 2682
More information about Venture Timaru: Privacy policy ; Terms of Use (Both updated 21.07.2021)