That was the message delivered recently at the New England Mutual business breakfast held in Guyra. 

Chief Risk Officer Campbell Nicoll was the speaker, and he told guests that the area is unique in many ways and needs to pull together to help the area continue to grow.

Mr Nicoll said that Guyra more than pulls its weight, contributing around $50 million dollars to the region’s $20 billion dollar economy. 

While small farms dominate, he said there is a trend towards larger farms.

“The local economy is dominated by agriculture which is the major employer accounting for around 80% of the workforce,” Mr Nicoll said. 

“The region's key strength lies in its good quality, easy to farm land and when farms are doing well, the towns are doing well.” 

However, the dependence on commodities is also a weakness and advocated working together to encourage new businesses that will value-add to the region’s produce.

“In order to get more ‘bang for our buck’, we need to work together to encourage new businesses which will create employment by making use of the locally grown produce.”

Mr Nicoll also cited the fragmented approach to tourism and infrastructure as a weakness and said working together would see benefits across the region.

“New England is a great place to visit and a 

great place to live - we shouldn’t underestimate our attractions and the advantages of rural living,” he said. “We need to attract skilled people to the region to help to develop the economy.”

“Youth are our future, and currently they tend to migrate to the cities. They are the lifeblood of the communities and we need jobs to keep them here.”

Mr Nicoll said that New England has a great sense of community and is unique in its climate, attractions and way of life.

“People pull together and help each other,” he said.” If we can get people to come up and experience that, we can build our communities for the future.”