TBBA - Takapuna Beach Business Association

North Shore City boasts a lifestyle and environment that set it apart as a destination for homemakers, pleasure-seekers and business people. The natural advantages of a warm climate, beautiful beaches, and spectacular scenery contribute to the popularity of one of the most vibrant and fastest growing regions in New Zealand. A stable and educated workforce, meanwhile, make it a prime location for commercial and industrial development.

Surrounded by sea, the city has an unbroken 140km urban coastline. Residents can enjoy an endless range of aquatic activities - or venture inland, where there are more than 400 parks and walkways through native bush reserves. This is a city where growth and development is carefully managed and protection of natural beauty and a clean environment is a prime consideration.

The city is home to high quality retail centres, attractively-designed industrial parks, leading educational institutions, world-class sports and leisure facilities, six libraries, and modern hospitals. A theatre and conference facility for North Shore City - the Bruce Mason Centre - opened in 1996.

Albany is being developed into a major commercial and recreational centre over the next 20 years, and is home to the North Shore Domain, a multi-purpose entertainment, sporting and recreational facility, capable of staging important international events, with the 25,000-capacity North Harbour Stadium at its heart.

There is an optimism and innovative attitude within North Shore City which the council does its best to embrace and encourage, while putting in place the controls and balances to ensure a prosperous and successful future for all. The council seeks to take the lead wherever possible and has introduced numerous valuable initiatives, in the interests of efficiency, equity and environmental responsibility. These include New Zealand's first city-wide kerbside recycling programme, and the promotion of waste minimisation in industry. There are also policies to protect open space, bush, heritage buildings and sites, and air and water quality.

The council has acquired strategic beachfront land for its citizens' enjoyment, is progressively improving the city's commercial centres, and has a major upgrading programme for the city's sewerage system and treatment plant. It also led the way in initiating an economic development unit to support local business to boost investment and employment.

A sister-city relationship - built on a business foundation - has been developed with Taichung, the third largest city in Taiwan, and this is already paying handsome dividends for the local business community.