From 'What If' to 'How To'
REGIONAL Roadshow: Lake Macquarie Sparks Action on Hunter's Land Use
💡 What if we could transform the Hunter’s legacy industrial sites and constrained bushland corridors into thriving, job-rich precincts for the next generation of industries?
This wasn't just a hypothetical question. This was the central challenge tackled today at the Hunter Innovation Festival Regional Roadshow in Lake Macquarie, a fresh and dynamic event on the road to the Hunter Innovation Festival. In partnership with Dantia, Hunter iF brought together the brightest minds in our region to move beyond simply acknowledging our land use challenges to actively designing solutions.
The Hunter faces a unique paradox: an abundance of land that is challenging to activate for our economic growth. But as we saw today, within this challenge lies our greatest opportunity.
Led by Festival Director, Zara Crichton GAICD, the room was absolutely buzzing with energy, ideas, and most importantly, a commitment to action and sustainablilty. The collaborative workshop, titled "Future Foundations: Unlocking Employment Lands for the Next Generation of Hunter Industries," proved that by bringing the right people together, we can unlock these dormant sites and turn them into the dynamic economic assets our region needs.
This novel approach wouldn't have been possible without our incredible partners, Dantia. A huge thank you to Tim Browne and Gabrielle McBreen for their collaboration and unwavering support of the Hunter Innovation Festival.
Of course, the day's success belongs to the diverse array of change-makers who brought their expertise and passion to the table. Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated from startups, industry, government, and beyond. Onwards!
A special thank you to:
Peter Morrissey, Craig Bagnall, Adam Racomelara, Malcolm Coulson, Tanya Peterkin, Tony Palmer, Darren Clarke, Valentina Misevska, David Antcliff, Hon. Emily Suvaal, Ron Bush, James McAllister, Alex Cuttiford, Nuatali Nelmes, Daniel Powrie, Skandha Ponniah, Nathaniel Bavinton, Baidy Barton, Alex Brennan and Jennie McGhie.
If today's roadshow was anything to go by, we are in for something truly special at the main event.
Don't miss out on the culmination of this energy and innovation.
Head over to the website and secure your pass to the Hunter Innovation Festival on 25 September, pronto!