The extent of the global economic meltdown was outlined in Dunedin yesterday but solutions seemed thin on the ground.
The regional job summit, co-ordinated by the Ministry of Social Development, was attended by more than 100 people and held on the basis of Chatham House rules.
The media could attend, but not film, record or report anything said in the panel forum or question session.
It was hoped the media exclusion would encourage full and frank discussion.
The Otago Daily Times did not attend, but some people who did remained positive about the three-hour summit when spoken to later, although they said it was nothing like the recent National Job Summit called by Prime Minister John Key.
Berl senior economist Ganesh Nana gave an overview of the economy and panelists then talked about their particular areas of expertise.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Christie said that if the aim of the summit was to impart information about the economic crisis, then it was successful.
The audience received a good run-down on the crisis and was under no illusion how hard a job the recovery would be.
Among the challenges to be faced was getting New Zealand's balance of payments deficit into positive territory.
"It won't come without a huge amount of effort and we have to do it by getting our export markets working harder and more successfully in selling our goods to overseas markets."
The Government could help with the groundwork but it was up to businesses to take advantage of opportunities opened by free trade agreements, he said.
Businesses needed to improve the skills of their staff, invest in research and development and ensure the "fundamentals of business" were in place.
In that way, New Zealand could trade its way into a better position.
"We have all enjoyed the fruits of a strong GDP-driven economy but we have seen the Reserve Bank step in with higher interest rates to slow inflation.
"We have become used to high living but now people are feeling uneasy about things like job security and debt."
The latest chamber survey results were encouraging, mainly because they did not get worse, Mr Christie said.
Some indicators were showing signs of getting better and members were feeling positive about business opportunities.
The main things to look at on a local level were focusing on existing customers and making sure they were happy, looking for new customers, new products or new business ideas and staying close to the people you employed.
Other people spoken to by the ODT said trying to retain skilled staff was an important part of a recovery plan.
Watching good staff leave was heart-breaking, one said.
The ODT was told one summit participant tried to get an assurance that Dunedin workers would be employed to build the planned stadium, even though the contract could be let to an outside firm.
No-one was prepared to answer that question, which caused some anxiety about the commitment to protecting local jobs.
Mr Key yesterday continued to talk up the success of the National Job Summit.
In a speech to the Council of Trade Unions' productivity conference, he said that a new job support scheme would see the Government help stave off redundancies by making a wage contribution to help employees through a period of reduced work hours.
"It will help keep, potentially, tens of thousands of New Zealanders in work and it will tide them, their families and employers through what could be a tough few months."
Speaking alongside representatives from unions, business and the public sector, Mr Key said lifting productivity growth rates was one of the country's biggest challenges.
