Welcome to Southland
Located on the southern edge of the world, the stunning Southland region covers some 3.1 million hectares (12% of total land mass within New Zealand) and has a population of just 102,400. Southland's main city is Invercargill where over half of the region's people reside. The region is governed by Southland District Council, Gore District Council and Invercargill City.
Southland (Māori: Murihiku, lit. the last joint of the tail) consists of the southwestern portion of the South Island and includes Stewart Island. The region is bordered by the culturally similar Otago Region to the north and east, and the West Coast Region in the extreme northwest.
Surrounded by the southern oceans, 3,613 km of coastline, and unmatched beauty
and wildlife, the local community has a deep connection to the natural world and
invites you to experience the pristine beaches, farmlands, dramatic straits, lakes,
rivers, and ancient rock walls of the region.
Great South
Driving Growth
Leverage
Clear Mandate
The local EDA is known as 'Great South'. It empowers businesses through dynamic strategies and partnerships. It's commitment to driving growth and leveraging opportunities sets it apart. Great South has a focus on economic, social, and cultural development to ensure a prosperous future.
Commitment
Strategic Vision
Great South's commitment to Southland's future is unwavering. With a strategic vision, it aims to propel economic, social, and cultural growth. Great South is dedicated to creating sustainable development through innovation and collaboration. To learn more of Great South's strategy see below.
Activities
Collaboration
Great South leads the region's economic strategy. Other activities include intelligence gathering, Events and Destination Marketing and business services.
As the Regional Business Partner for Southland, Great South can connect your business with capability building opportunities.
This includes connecting you with vouchers to subsidise the cost of workshops, courses and coaching across a wide range of business areas.
t’s a co-funding arrangement, which means your business must pay at least half the training costs.
Great South's Business Growth Advisors will work with you to identify the areas where your business could benefit from further capability training and then connect you with the services available.
To check your initial eligibility click here to view the requirements.
Strategy
Beyond 2025 Southland is the regions long-term plan which was launched in June 2023. Its overall purpose was to create a shared future vision and pathway for Murihiku Southland beyond 2025.It also serves as the long-term planning workstream within Southland’s Just Transition work plan and the updated Southland Regional Development Strategy 2015-2025 (SoRDS).
