Rising house and petrol prices, gridlocked traffic and the desire for a slower pace of living are causing an increasing number of Auckland professionals to move to the regions. And many don’t even have to suffer a pay cut to do it.
A survey of 4000 New Zealanders by Kantar TNS for job site YUDU.co.nz revealed that certain professions — those in primary industries, accounting, healthcare, human resources and aviation — can all expect better pay in the regions. And for those in other professions, cheaper house prices make up for the mover’s drop in salary.
Others figure that with Auckland property prices having peaked, 2018 is a good time to explore what property is available in other parts of the country. Not only are there now more jobs in the regions but technological improvements and more progressive employers have made remote working arrangements a more viable option.
Start your property search
Employers are having to adapt because candidates outside of Auckland are reluctant to move due to high accommodation and house prices.
Indeed, New Zealand’s regional areas are the strongest current property market performers, so scoring a bargain is getting harder. But the quality of life on offer is incentive enough for many.
House prices increased in 14 out of 16 regions across New Zealand during February 2018 compared to February 2017, including a record high in Hawkes Bay, according to REINZ stats. The only regions not to experience an increase were the West Coast and Gisborne.
Marlborough magic
Angela Stafford and her husband Jarrod Dunn moved from Auckland to Marlborough in January.
They had three kids under five and “wanted to give them more: more space, more time and a different lifestyle”.
Career-wise they took a risk. Angela was a senior commercial/property lawyer and Jarrod head of PE at Western Springs College, but they were confident they could find good options in Marlborough. Angela now works at an established local firm. Jarrod is relief teaching at Marlborough Boys’.
Angela says they love Marlborough and the slower lifestyle. “The kids and I have gained about six hours a week by removing the daily commute,” she says.
“Our new home has tons of land and our neighbours include two horses and about a dozen sheep.
“We sliced our debt by more than two-thirds and our new house is nicer than the one we left. The kids can safely scooter and cycle in our street.
“Our vegetable garden is prolific and there is time to work on it. We do earn less but that is partly because we aren’t both working full time, so overall it is still a win.”
What’s so bad about Auckland?
“We loved Auckland — the beaches, the temperature, and the people, but for us Marlborough is better.
“We left a great neighbourhood and lots of family but they have been supportive. We have had lots of visits already and they seem pretty taken with our new world.”
She said Auckland congestion meant weekend errands took half a day.” Here, you can get it all done in an hour because everything is in the same spot, five minutes from home.
“Getting the kids to extracurricular events is easier — I can pop out to watch the cross-country or assembly without any fuss. I also don’t miss the housing pressure. It has been hard watching Auckland families borrowing huge sums to buy average quality homes, with long commute times. If you can earn a decent wage out of Auckland then it makes sense to consider alternatives that save money and time.”
A number of their friends and her clients have left Auckland for similar reasons.
“Even with two working parents in good jobs, it is hard to get ahead in Auckland. We also have a lot of friends who live offshore — mostly teachers who find the pay and conditions in NZ don’t compare, so they are living abroad to earn and save. Hopefully many will return to NZ soon and we will lobby to get them here.”
Same firm, new location
Angela Aitken is a chartered accountant with BDO Central North Island, based in Palmerston North after moving from BDO Takapuna. She and her partner have families in the area.
They knew the move would make it easier to save for a deposit on a house — something that would have taken an additional six years if they had stayed in Auckland.
The move has been good from both a lifestyle and financial point of view, with the demand for professionals high in the region.
“Our combined income has increased, and our living costs have essentially halved,” she says.
“We now have a mortgage, and these repayments are almost half what we paid in rent in Auckland.”
Working at BDO, with offices throughout New Zealand, made the move easier.
“When I saw a position in the Palmerston North office, I jumped at the chance,” says Angela. “The easy move helped with the timing process of getting bank funding for our house purchase. It took away a lot of the normal stress you’d get with moving towns, buying a house and starting a new job.”
“We are happy to be paying towards our own future, rather than someone else’s,” says Angela.
Moving tips
Angela Stafford’s tips for others contemplating a move from Auckland to the regions:
■Plan — we planned carefully and did a lot of homework about work, schools and housing.
■Be bold — leaving what is familiar is not easy but if you think it makes sense, go for it.
■Enlist help — securing the right home was important. Jackie Herkt from Bayleys (Marlborough) made that part easier. Getting The Moving Company to handle the relocation was also a smart move.
■Allow time — we had several weeks to settle the kids into school and day care without working which was important because it was a big change for them.
■Get involved — we have thrown ourselves into the local community.
