The Buller Guide To Living Well - Buller District Council

20 Pages·2013·3.77 MB·English

The Buller Guide To livinG Well
Come join us in
“New Zealand’s
Happiest Place”*
* The Happiness of New Zealand Report – UMR Research 2012
Top 10 reasons why
people move here
• Easy lifestyle and quality of life
• We’re kid-safe and family focused
• A strong sense of community and caring
• Good pay, good jobs and investment opportunities
• World-renowned scenery
• Get a great house on an average wage
• Getting to work, school or play takes just minutes
• An unbeatable range of sport and recreation
• Great retail, support services and cafes
• Great transport links to main centres
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10 great Housing, Business, Education & Sports, Health and Culture, Relocation
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SPACE & freedom
The Buller district covers
Reefton
just less than 8600 square
– gateway to the Buller from the Lewis Pass route from
kilometers with 84% in Christchurch - born from gold in the 1860’s and now a
conservation land and National modern goldmining town with a wonderfully preserved
heritage main street. Entry way to the magnifcent Victoria
Park. All of this wonderful play
Conservation Park.
area for a population of around
10,000 people!
Westport
Choose your town – – our biggest little town of around 5,500 with all mod
cons. Te service centre for the Buller sited at the mouth
or go country
of the Buller River. Te Buller seaside settlements of -
Waimangaroa, Granity, Ngakawau and Hector – nestled
Renowned for their pioneering between the forested high plateau and the Tasman Sea.
Tese areas provide entry to the new Denniston Mine
spirit and friendly hospitality,
Experience, Charming Creek Walkway and New Zealand’s
each of our towns is true to its largest open cast coal mine – Stockton. Te areas of
roots: Charleston, Carters Beach, Tauranga Bay and Cape
Foulwind also surround Westport.
Punakaiki
– a tourism centre right in the middle of the Paparoa
National Park on the famous Coast Road. Tiny in
population and size with huge visitor numbers to the main
attraction the spectacular Pancake Rocks and Blowholes
and so many other beautiful areas to explore by horseback,
walking or kayaking
A Million DollAr lifestyle Karamea
Pictures speak much louder than words so – rich in dairy and horticulture with an amazing
click on this amazing video for a taste of microclimate. Gateway to the Heaphy and Wangapeka
Buller. Tracks, Kahurangi National Park, the Oparara Basin,
http://www.buller.co.nz Oparara Arches and the world heritage Honeycomb Caves.
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Our Economy in Brief
We have a robust regional economy
built on the extractive industries of
gold and coal mining, agriculture,
horticulture, tourism, fshing, forestry
and cement manufacturing.
We also have a strong sporting heritage,
and a growing arts scene.
HOUSEHOld INCOME
– way higher than the
national average
2013 fgures from the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment show our average
West Coast household income is now $86,000
(national average $80,600).
Moderate Climate
with few frosts
Our climate is similar to Nelson and Golden Bay –
moderate to warm (normal range of around 9 – 25 Celsius).
Our regular rainfall is
something we can count on and
critical for economic growth -
Champagne for the rainforest.
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Transport links
There are excellent passenger
TRAVEL TIMESO T OTHER CENTRES:
and freight services by road,
Westport to Nelson 2.5 hours
rail, air and sea linking Buller
Westport to Christchurch 4 hours
with all major markets – Westport to Greymouth 1.5 hours
including daily commuter fights Westport to Picton 4.5 hours
from Westport to Wellington and Westport to Wellington by air 45 minutes
with huge visitor numbers to the
main attraction the spectacular
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.
People and History
Early Maori arrived here by canoe around 950 A.D. but the
population was small and mostly coastal. Te routes you
travel today by car were all old Maori trade routes.
Te Maori name for the Buller is Kawatiri – which means
“swif and deep” referring to our mighty Buller River fow-
ing swifly and deeply through the rocky gorge. ‘Buller’ is
named afer a British politician Charles Buller – a director of
the New Zealand Company which was formed to set up the
colony of New Zealand.
Te rest of New Zealand call us - “Coasters”. Early Coasters
came mainly from Ireland, Scotland and England to mine
gold, coal, or break in the land. To survive they had to pull
together…and that ‘togetherness’ still exists today. Coasters
work hard and play hard with a strong sense of family, com-
munity and a huge sense of humour.
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“Even if you win the rat
race you’re still a rat”
living Lily Tomlin
Essentials
By making the move to Buller, you will keep more of what you earn
and lower your stress levels – so what are you waiting for?
Housing – Spend less and get more!
A recent Fairfax Media home loan afordability survey, done
by interest.co.nz, shows the weekly mortgage repayment on
a median-priced Auckland home would swallow up 97 per
cent of the median net pay packet of people aged 30 to 34.
But not in Buller where the average house price is around the
$219,000 mark (QV May 2013). Tis is one third of the price
of Auckland properties and half that of the national average.
In Nelson prices have steadily risen with the average 2013
house price around $391,000. Just think what you could do
with the thousands you would save by buying in Buller. Rents range from around $160 (studio) to $400 plus for a
And of course Christchurch and the surrounding Selwyn new 4- bedroom furnished quality home. Compare these
area is also a heated market – with average house prices with other places. Follow these links to the great market
there from $458,000. rental data on the Ministry of Business and Innovation’s site.
Tis means that Buller people have a much higher rate of www.dbh.govt.nz/sector-information
home ownership than in most places – and there’s a great
range from quaint early settler cottages by the sea to brand
new four and fve bedroom homes in new subdivisions.
To see the range of properties available here visit:
Buller Real Estate www.propertybrokers.co.nz
Landmark Real Estate www.bullerhomes.co.nz
Harcourt’s Real Estate www.harcourts.co.nz
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Keep all the money
you used to spend on
city living costs
Parking at $280 to $400 a month superb recreational and cultural facilities as part of business/
(based on Auckland CBD charges) community partnerships. Living ‘out country’ can mean
Even in places like Nelson hourly parking fees are around anything from a 10 – 20 minute drive from Charleston,
$1.60 and there are no parking buildings so over a month Tauranga Bay or Carters Beach or a slightly longer drive from
you can expect at least $30 a week on extra parking expense North of Westport. Tese areas that surround Westport
($120 a month). It all adds up. In Christchurch as the provide a fantastic lifestyle - wherever you make your home
rebuild expands, parking is increasing – currently $3.10 an the commute is a stunning drive with breathtaking scenery
hour or a $7 all day fee in Council car parks. and sunsets with no trafc jams unlike city life!
In Buller we have no parking costs not even in the town
Shopping and
centres, you get more for your money when buying a home,
land or business and our rental prices also give great value Everyday Services
for money. Other costs not required in Buller unless you
live ‘out country’ are: Daily commuting costs and monstrous Westport’s busy CBD provides a wide range of retail
fuel bills. shopping and services. All the essentials are here with
Nor do you need to keep up with the rat race – why not? two modern supermarkets, post ofce, pharmacy,
Tere isn’t one! Giving you the opportunity to live well in service stations, and a great range of individual retailers
Buller and spend that saved money on living life, socialising, specialising in everything from Asian imports to fashion,
entertainment, holidays, family, fun and friends. furniture and appliances.
Westport has everything except the complications of city life
Buller has seven diferent banks and building societies
Born from the self-sufciency of isolation, modern day based in Westport to assist with mortgages and lending
Buller is now digitally connected to the rest of the world including all the big names in banking. A full range of
through fast broadband and internet. With New Coast trade services are also available in Buller and Coast-wide
families coming to live here, Buller has invested in its and if there’s a specialism missing visiting tradesfolk from
future –upgrading essential infrastructure and developing Nelson and Christchurch also provide services.
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Business, Jobs
and Opportunities
Buller and its Council have made the top ten for economic performance
in Berl’s regional rankings report for the past fve years…and made
number 1 in 2011.
Buller district topped four of the nine ranking indicators. It had the highest employment and business
unit growth in 2011; and the best employment and GDP growth over the past fve years of all districts.
Job growth here in the last ten years has been a good percentage point ahead of the national average
and unemployment way below the national average.
Te spectrum of jobs available here is clearly shown on this graph:
OCCUPATION, 2006:
All New Zealand and Buller District
ALL OF NEW ZEALAND
PERCENT OF
EMPLOYED PEOPLE BULLER DISTRICT
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
MANAGERS PROFESSIONALS TECHNICIANS COMMUNITY CLERICAL & SALES MACHINERY LABOURERS
& TRADES & PERSONAL ADMINISTRATIVE WORKERS OPERATORS
WORKERS SERVICE WORKERS & DRIVERS
WORKERS
Source: Census of Population and Dwellings, 2006
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The Main
Industries our
jobs come from
Although farming, forestry and fshing are large employers here, we
have more retail, accommodation and food services jobs available
than most places. And that makes sense with the huge growth we’re
seeing in tourism with over a million international visitors alone
visiting the Coast each year – and that doesn’t count nomadic kiwis
coming for a breather.
Our main money earners for our economy are dairy and minerals
and it’s the high prices for these two items that have kept us relatively
stable throughout the recession.
We’re hungry for
your skills
Sufce to say we’re always looking for clever, hardworking folk to
live, work and play here. Unemployment here is low, and so is our
population so you can really make a diference.
MAIN INDUSTRIES FOR EMPLOYMENT, 2006:
All New Zealand and Buller District BULLER DISTRICT
ALL OF NEW ZEALAND
TRANSPORT, POSTAL & WAREHOUSING
EDUCATION & TRAINING
CONSTRUCTION
HEALTH CARE & SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
MINING
MANUFACTURING
ACCOMMODATION & FOOD SERVICES
RETAIL TRADE
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHING
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18%
PERCENT OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE
Source: Census of Population and Dwellings, 2006
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The best jobs are those
you create yourself
It’s so easy to be your own boss here – simply fnd a gap in the market, come
up with an idea and then there’s all the help in the world to get you started.
One of Development West Coast’s core functions
is to ofer business support. Te team at DWC
are continuously developing and expanding the
Business Toolbox which provides access to a range of
services. Including business mentoring, networking
opportunities, training and development.
It also partners with a number of organisations,
including New Zealand Trade and Enterprise,
Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and New
Zealand Institute of Management Southern. Partnering
with these organisations provides additional support
opportunities to our businesses through enabling access Many of our new entrepreneurs have created wonderful
to a greater range of information, support and funding. new tourism ventures using the incredible landscapes
Tese courses are run Coast-wide. and history we have here to tell stories or let people get
closer to nature and its power.
www.dwc.org.nz
Some have developed new services like cofee importing,
roasting and blending; sandblasting and protective
coating application to sports energy foods. Others
are working to develop new horticulture ventures –
cranberries, hydroponic growing, organic sand-fy
repellents, and micro-power generation.
Te best jobs are the ones you create yourself – start your
own business in Buller
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Training for
Business and Trades
There are heaps of courses, some special
‘schools’ for those special skills we need
for our mines, our outdoor adventure
tourism and our hard stone carving.
Industry Training New Zealand is an NZQA registered and
accredited provider with 35 operational staf and specialist
trainers on the Coast and is based in Westport. It runs an
extensive range of specialist industry training courses for a
wide range of workplaces throughout New Zealand.
www.industrytraining.co.nz
Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) is a large tertiary provider
on the West Coast. Teir tutors are all experts in their feld,
have excellent industry connections and are passionate
about teaching. Tey are serious about education and want
you to learn the skills you need to succeed.
TPP ofer a wide range of practical programmes, with a
focus on vocational education and applied skills. All TPP
programmes have NZQA approval and are designed to Planning Ahead
give you a strong foundation in your chosen career.
Although mining is set to continue and
Areas of study available from Westport include: expand over the next 30 to 40 years, it will
Engineering, Science, Early Childhood Education, not be here for ever.
Business, Hospitality and Tourism to name a few.
Te Buller District Council is developing a 2050 strategy
In addition to its campus in Westport, TPP has campuses in partnership with the community to shape Buller’s future
in Greymouth, Reefon, Christchurch, Wanaka and with a focus on sustainable employment post-mining.
Auckland, and ofers industry training throughout NZ.
Good, afordable commercial and industrial land available
www.tpp.ac.nz for business or industry start-ups is zoned and ready for
development – and the Department of Conservation keen to
For our important dairy and agriculture industries the assist in the development of concessions for innovative use
West Coast Farm Training Scheme and the Agriculture of the national park and conservation land that covers over
ITO provide valuable support and training. 80 percent of Buller.
Te Westport Deep Sea Fishing School is a specialist Council has an Economic development
NZQA registered private training establishment teaching and Marketing Offcer.
vessel operations and seafood processing skills.
Te school is based in Westport and ofers a residential Te Ofcer provides business support and practical help for
program that is suited to the development of skills needed new businesses including communicating training courses
by the fshing industry. available, networking opportunities and providing material
such as this district profle and researching and facilitating
www.deepsea.co.nz new economic development opportunities in Buller.
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