People & Places
North Island lifestyles
Looking for that ideal work life balance when you emigrate to Aoteroa? David Fuller takes looks at some of the regions located on New Zealands North Island
The lifestyle benefits of a move to New Zealand are well documented. No matter where you settle, those thinking about emigrating to the land of long white cloud can rightly expect to enjoy a more relaxed pace of life, safer and cleaner surroundings, an improved climate and, of course, stunning landscape stretching as far as the eye can see.
It's no real surprise, then, that in Outbound's survey 26.1 per cent of Emigrate New Zealand readers voted the country's lifestyle the most appealing factor in fuelling their desire for a new life in NZ.
The next two most popular motivations were both interlinked with lifestyle as well: a safe place to bring up children polled 17.4 per cent and climate 8.1 per cent. Way down in fifth place in the list of top reasons as to why Brits choose New Zealand as a new homeland was job opportunities.
The simple fact is that when your thoughts first turn to emigrating to NZ there's so much to look forward to that it's all too easy to forget that, lottery winners aside, you will probably all still have to work in order to take full advantage of everything the country has to offer. In fact, in order to get a skilled visa (by far the most popular route into the country for new immigrants) you will almost certainly have to either already be working in New Zealand temporarily or be in possession of an authorised job offer from a Kiwi employer. It is for this exact reason that in the same survey, 'going for a job' was given as the most popular answer to the question 'why have you chosen this particular region to settle in'.
But where you choose to live in New Zealand shouldn't necessarily be determined by where you can get a job that suits you. With a little research and a bit of luck there is absolutely no reason why you can't find the ideal location that affords you the perfect combination of work and play.
Auckland
The region which encompasses New Zealand's largest city boasts by far and away the country's largest economy. With over 122,450 business enterprises located in the region alone 80,894 more than in the next most thriving centre, Canterbury it is this region which has traditionally been the most favoured with migrants who are reliant on finding work when they emigrate to NZ.
The Auckland Central Business District (CBD) is New Zealand's economic hub, with approximately 65,000 people working in 433 hectares of land a CBD twice the size of the one found in the country's capital Wellington. Employees in the financial and IT sectors account for around 23 per cent of all those who work in the area.
In terms of the whole region, the majority of employees (95,300) work in the property and business industries, followed by those in the manufacturing sector (88,890) and the retail trade (71,900). Add to this the fact that at NZ$851 a week, the average wage in the region is also the highest in the country, and you can start to see why Auckland has traditionally been the country's main migrant magnet.
And as you would expect from a region in which just over a quarter of the country's total population live, the lifestyle benefits of living there are plentiful. While Auckland may not be a buzzing city by UK standards, for New Zealanders it is considered to be simply hectic. Offering probably the most vibrant nightlife in New Zealand, the city has beaches for those who just want to relax, a number of sports grounds (the most notable of which is Eden Park) for those who wish to become fully immersed in New Zealand's sports-mad culture, while it also plays host to a number of festivals and events all year long. However, due to the sheer number of newcomers who choose to settle in the region, Immigration New Zealand awards five extra points to applicants who decide to settle elsewhere in the country, making other destinations well worth looking at.
Wellington
While it may not be able to match Auckland either in terms of the number of employment opportunities available or wages paid (although it does offer the second highest weekly average in the country NZ$761), the capital region does currently have New Zealand's fastest growing economy.
Figures released in February last year show that Wellington's economy grew by seven per cent last year, well above the national average rate of four per cent. Construction, government, property and business services, and retail trades were the industries to experience the highest employment growth, adding a combined total of 8,885 new jobs in that period. Tourism and wine making are also both currently booming industries there, although the region's tourism sector will certainly have been fuelled somewhat by the British Lions rugby tour.
The Wellington region also boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in NZ just 2.8 per cent, 0.8 per cent lower than the national figure. In terms of lifestyle, Wellington has undergone a dramatic change over the last 20 years. Once seen as being the kind of small, sleepy town so typical to New Zealand, the Wellington region now rivals New York for the number of bars and eateries per head of the population. It has also forged a reputation as being the arts and cultural capital of New Zealand and the Te Papa National Museum is rated by many as one of the 'must-go' destinations in the country. There are also countless beaches within 20 minutes of the capital's city centre, while the natural surroundings make the region one of the most scenic in the North Island.
Waikato
Rural Waikato is one of the many regions of New Zealand which is heavily reliant on its agricultural industry to keep its economy strong. As a result, the region's forestry and dairy farming sectors are major employers throughout the whole area. In fact, so important a role does the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry play in the maintaining of Waikato's economy, that in terms of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) produced in the region, the sector is the second most economically important, accounting for almost 12 per cent of its annual GDP; manufacturing is the region's top contributor toward GDP with 17 per cent.
It's no real surprise, then, to learn that in 2004 Dairy Farmers and Dairy Farm Workers were the most advertised for job positions in the Waikato region, with 371 such vacancies arising in that period. However, this isn't to say that in order to find work in Waikato you are definitely going to have to be in some way involved with agriculture.
The region is home to New Zealand's fourth-largest city (and the country's largest inland city), Hamilton, which has a fair sized CBD (by New Zealand's standards, anyway). It is mainly due to Hamilton that Waikato boasts the fourth highest concentration of business enterprises in NZ 30,664 with the manufacturing, retail trade and property and business industries being the top three employers. Unsurprsingly, though, much of the manufacturing work that takes place in Hamilton is focused on producing agricultural goods, and the city is recognised as being responsible for much of New Zealand's innovation in agriculture.
Away from the work aspects of the region, living in Waikato offers enormous recreational opportunities, many of which are water-based due to the many rivers (the largest of which is the Waikato River) flowing through the region. Trout fishing, sailing, wind surfing and water skiing are just a few of the many activities that can be enjoyed on a typical day by residents of the region.
Hamilton, meanwhile, is famous for its many parks, its annual balloon festival, and, as if you couldn't have guessed, being home to the largest agricultural show in New Zealand The New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays.
Other areas
In recent years the lure of the Bay of Plenty has become increasingly attractive to British immigrants. With magnificent scenery, a better climate than that on offer in most other areas of NZ, beaches aplenty, and Auckland just two hours away, it's not all that hard to see the region's appeal.
But what of its job opportunities? While unemployment in the region is generally low, at four per cent it is one of only three regions to have a rate higher than that of the national median. Those seeking substantial salaries probably won't be too tempted by the Bay of Plenty either, with an average weekly wage of just NZ$611 being among the lowest in the country.
In the region's two main cities Rotorua and Tauranga industrial and commercial businesses have adapted in recent years to meet the growing needs of horticulturalists and other more modern ventures, many of which have been brought to the region by migrants themselves. A majority of the region's employment opportunities outside of the urban centres arise in the food production, primary production and dairy industries.
North of the Bay of Plenty, the Northland region the most northern point of the country has seen its economy buoyed in recent years by increased tourism, especially from Aucklanders who view the laid-back serenity of the region as the ideal alternative to the hustle and bustle of city living.
Whangarei, Northland's major centre, is a pleasant enough place to live, enjoying a warmer year-round climate than any other Kiwi city, and surrounded by quiet beaches and lush, subtropical rainforests. However, as with Bay of Plenty employment opportunities in Northland are fairly scarce, with agriculture, fishing, forestry, horticulture and paper manufacturing industries the main contributors to the region's economy. Wages are also low with the weekly average being NZ$621.
Finally, the Hawkes Bay region, which adorns the North Island's east coast, boasts the somewhat unwanted honour of having the highest unemployment rate in the country 4.5 per cent. However, the employment situation is fast improving in the region. In recent years the city of Napier Hawkes Bay's largest city has produced one of the strongest-growing economys in New Zealand, increasing by 6.3 per cent last year, and has recorded a 12 per cent increase in employment since 2004. This has helped to quickly bring the region's unemployment rate down from a high of 6 per cent, recorded as recently as September 2005. Industries in Napier to have recorded the most significant job growth over the past year include construction, retailing and wholesaling, hospitality and tourism services. Viticulture is also one of the most important industries in the region, with Hawkes Bay-produced wine among the most famous world brands.
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