Local benevolent property development entrepreneurs in small town regeneration

Derived from a wider study of place-based economic, social, cultural and environmental regeneration initiatives in small regional New Zealand towns, and reflecting on international research that emphasises the importance of long-term collaborative effort, effective governance and locally-based leadership in regional regeneration, this paper examines the ways locally-based benevolent property development entrepreneurs are attempting to contribute to their regional town-centres. The experience of towns in mid and South Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand, where national and global commercial property developers are reluctant to invest, are used as case studies. We discuss how property-led town-centre regeneration in small regional towns in New Zealand such as these may best be characterised. This work is then used to outline a policy agenda that would help local government and allied stakeholders to engage more effectively and cooperatively with local property developers. This work has relevance for an international audience interested in the town-centre regeneration challenges faced by the residents and local governments of small regional towns in neo-liberal polities.