In the western Bay in 2001, 135 people each week were coming from outside the area to live – putting enormous pressure on the inadequate infrastructure in both urban and rural areas. Both Tauranga City and Western Bay District Council realised they needed to collaborate to be proactive in planning for this growth, rather than just have to react as it happened to them, and thus risk incurring much higher costs in investment in expensive uncoordinated infrastructure such as roading and wastewater. Considerable research was undertaken to understand the demand forces in play, and to develop the best quality forecasting methods which were vital for investment planning for such things as water, roading, waste etc. The end result was a leading edge approach called SmartGrowth, which has been very successful in saving millions by giving councils, and developers, an evidence base to guide District planning policy and investment decisions.