What we do

About Venture Timaru

As the economic and tourism agency for the Timaru District, we're passionate about this region and committed to working with individuals, businesses and industry sectors to grow the vibrancy, profile and well-being of the 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 Statement of Intent our priorities for 2023 - 2024 year are:

We are currently working on:

  • Towards 2050 - following a specially commissioned report examining where the district could be by 2050, we are now working on a project to engage and collaborate with our community to look aspirationally at the district's future and consider the possibilities.  Learn more.
  • 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 – 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 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 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:
    • 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.
  • 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

Promoting Timaru District to live and work

We’re also promoting Timaru District as a great place to live and work. Check out our latest workforce attraction videos.

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  /  Housing Affordability /  Jobs /   Our Story video /  Our economy

Get in touch:  Email or phone our office 06 687 2682

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:

Statement of Intent 2024.25

Economic Development Strategy and Destination Management Plan (summary)

Economic Development Strategy (full)

Destination Management Plan (full)

More information about Venture Timaru:  Privacy policy ; Terms of Use (Both updated 21.07.2021)