Reefton Economic Diversification Governance Board
Case study
Reefton is a small town on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island and is home to the former Globe Progress mine, owned by OceanaGold. In December 2016 the mine moved into full closure, transitioning to the Reefton Closure Project.
The Buller District Council, the territorial authority for the northern West Coast region, and OceanaGold signed a three-year memorandum of understanding in July 2019 to promote diversification within the local economy.
An Economic Diversification Governance Board, comprising community, company and council members, was established to manage the process. OceanaGold is funding the part-time position of a Socio-Economic Development Officer (SEDO) in council for three years. The SEDO will support local economic development initiatives by providing support to community members in seeking and accessing external funding and grant opportunities, and submitting proposals to the board for funding.
The community will help to manage the resulting projects through membership of the Economic Diversification Governance Board.
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