The Bay of Plenty could be seeing the light at the end of the economic tunnel.
ASB's Regional Economic Scoreboard shows the Bay's reclaimed first place after a strong kiwifruit season.
Canterbury's runner up, Otago third and the West Coast last.
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive, Matt Cowley, says innovation follows money and there's a lot of innovation in the area.
"Even the construction industry - that's usually our biggest contributor to GDP, so when that takes off...we really will be sailing."
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