Great South has hired a new General Manager Strategic Projects, bringing in Brett Telfer — a regional development veteran with more than 30 years' experience across New Zealand and international markets.

Telfer's CV reads like a tour of the country's more ambitious economic corners. At Callaghan Innovation he worked as Head of Special Projects on national and international initiatives, including the Square Kilometre Array project. At Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development he helped attract investment and set up the AR/VR Garage, an early platform for New Zealand's digital sector.

It is a résumé built around getting things off the ground — technology commercialisation, business growth, investment attraction — rather than managing what already exists. That makes him a pointed choice for a regional economic development agency with Southland's particular mix of established industries and emerging opportunity.

Telfer said he was excited by what the region offered.

"Southland has a strong base of capable people and businesses, alongside opportunities to grow new industries and connections. I'm looking forward to listening, building relationships across the region and helping develop projects that deliver tangible benefits for Southlanders."

He will work alongside outgoing General Manager Strategic Projects Steve Canny before Canny leaves Great South at the end of the year. The extended handover is designed to let Telfer build on his predecessor's work rather than start cold.

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