A three-strong team is representing Tauranga City Council at the local government conference in Hamilton in next few days.

Mayor Stuart Crosby, Deputy Mayor David Stewart and infrastructure services General Manager Ian Gooden all attending the Local Government New Zealand's annual three-day conference themed, 'transforming communities – building a successful New Zealand.'

Mayor Stuart Crosby and Deputy Mayor David Stewart are representing Tauranga at the local government conference in Hamilton this week.

Stuart is hosting this afternoon's forum titled ‘Local economies driving national success,' with participants including Irrigation New Zealand Chief Executive, Andrew Curtis;, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Snedden; and Otago Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive John Christie.

The conference at the Claudelands Conference & Exhibition Centre includes a mix of keynote speakers, interactive concurrent sessions covering topics the local government sector is facing, and social functions for networking and ideas sharing.

First day speakers include ocean rower Rob Hamill, who also received media attention recently for the documentary "Brother Number One" about the torture and murder of Rob's eldest brother Kerry Hamill by the Khmer Rouge in 1978.

Rob believes that with vision and passion anything is possible and says "find out what you enjoy, find out what you're good at and don't let anyone say you can't do something."

Another speaker today is Jonar Nader, a Director of the Sydney College of Divinity, and Chairman of the consulting firm, Logictivity Pty Limited, and CEO of Plutonium, a media and publishing organisation.

His latest book is called How to Lose Friends and Infuriate Your Boss, following the successful release of How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People and How to Lose Friends and Infuriate Thinkers.

His conference address titled ‘How not to lose friends and infuriate ratepayers', is a reminder that the intangible thing called culture will survive changes in window dressing and needs to be dealt with.

Professor of Demography and Director of the Population Studies Centre at the University of Waikato, Dr Natalie Jackson, is talking about population change - the end of natural growth.

In the next two decades 84 per cent of growth in all 56 of New Zealand's territorial authorities will be at 65+ years. The inconvenient truth of population ageing is that ageing-driven growth is finite.

Increasing numbers of territorial authorities will have more elderly than children; 91 per cent by 2031, up from 15 per cent today - and the natural population increase so long taken for granted will shift to decline.

One-quarter of New Zealand council areas will be experiencing natural decline by 2031. Territorial Authorities, which also experience net migration loss will face two mutually-reinforcing trends, the consequences of which need to be incorporated into planning.

In addition to the keynote speakers there will be workshops and get-togethers where attendees can network.