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Growing our economy

Keep track of our region's economic performance, and find out how Council is committed to helping you.

Our economic profile

If you want to understand the makeup of our local and regional economy, there are a variety of resources you can look at, depending on your area of interest.

Keeping your finger on the pulse

We keep track of what’s happening through our relationships with business and developers, and regular research. The Mayor, Chief Executive and our business development team regularly visit businesses so we can understand your needs and how we can help. If you want to know more about what’s happening in the Lower Hutt economy, get in touch with us.

We regularly collect data on the local economy, including building consents, employment, job advertising and EFTPOS data. Full economic reports are available annually.

2020 Quarterly Economic Monitor for Lower Hutt City (PDF 241 KB)

2019 Annual Economic Profile for Lower Hutt City (PDF 1.1 MB)

2019 Lower Hutt City Summary Infographic (PDF 121.9 KB)

2019 Lower Hutt City Ranking Infographic (PDF 44.7 KB)

Measuring the Wellington region's progress and well-being

We’ve been working with the other councils in our region and a range of central government agencies to develop a Genuine Progress Index (GPI) for the region as a whole. The GPI integrates economic data with environmental, cultural and social data to monitor the well-being of the Wellington region. It is updated as new information becomes available - e.g. when there is new census data.

The GPI is a tool that will enable us and other local agencies to spot opportunities and gaps in the region. Information in the GPI is presented at a combined regional level and is available for anyone to see and use. It was produced as part of the Wellington Regional Strategy - a sustainable economic development strategy for the region.

If you’d like to know more about any area of our economy, or would like a more detailed look at Lower Hutt’s performance, please get in touch with us.

Doing business with Council

We work with small businesses, larger companies and high-growth businesses in Lower Hutt.

From finding a new location and more staff through to exporting and making your business run smarter, we can help.

We’re led by our Economic Development Plan 2015-2020 (PDF 662 kb) that gives us an action plan over the next five years to stimulate jobs and opportunities for residents. Our strategy supports the Wellington Regional Strategy, which aims to enhance the region by addressing issues such as transport, housing, urban design and open spaces ‑ all the things that contribute to our quality of life.

We encourage business and building development in Lower Hutt with incentives, rates remissions and expert service. Check out our Property Development page to find out more.

Get in touch with us if you want to talk about opportunities in Lower Hutt, or if you just want more ideas on how to expand your business.