The Nelson Regional Development Agency was awarded the “Best Practice, Sector and Cluster Development Award” at the Economic Development NZ Best Practices Awards in Hamilton last night.

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Moananui is New Zealand's blue economy cluster, supporting sustainable economic development of the oceans and is based in Nelson. It was established by nine founding partners with NRDA leading the process.

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The judges stated that Moananui is a "strong example of best practice initiation of a cluster initiative, with commercial partners from the start, leveraging a regional strength while also taking a national perspective, and with strong potential to grow and continue to be in place over the long term".

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Fiona Wilson, NRDA CE says "to be recognised nationally for the work in establishing Moananui demonstrates how our region has come together to highlight how important the oceans are to our regional economy".
"We have worked hard as a region to showcase our strengths in the blue economy. Moananui brings together all parts of this sector."

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"NRDA has been fortunate to lead this work, with strong support from Councils, Iwi Māori, the private sector and community groups to make this vision a reality. This wouldn't be possible without this full collaboration - in particular our founding partners, Cawthron Institute, Kernohan Engineering, Maclab, Pharmalink Extracts Ltd, Plant and Food Research, Port Nelson, Sealord, and Wakatū Inc." Wilson says. Jodie Kuntzsch, Moananui Chief Executive, added, "We are thrilled by the award and see it as a testament to the collective effort and shared vision of our partners in promoting the blue economy. Moananui is a symbol of what can be achieved when diverse stakeholders come together with a commitment to sustainable development."