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A week after moving his family from Auckland to Christchurch, Peter Meecham couldn’t be happier.
Research compiled by Christchurch NZ, the region’s economic development and tourism agency, suggests that the family’s homecoming could be just one example of a new trend.
Research reveals that one in five New Zealanders say they are willing to move to Christchurch, almost twice as many as would contemplate moving to Auckland.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Peter and Megan Meecham, with Grace, 15, and Jackson, 17, recently returned to Christchurch after a decade living in Auckland.
Meecham said the city’s transformation had impressed the entire family, which includes two teenagers.
“Don’t get me wrong Auckland is amazing … but we are so happy to be home.”
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Meecham and his wife Megan moved to Auckland in 2010 for a job promotion and enjoyed their time there.
On their regular visits to the south, they were shocked and saddened by the devastating impact of the earthquakes and the slow recovery.
The positive changes in the city in recent years helped solidify his decision to return.
“The rejuvenated city, it looks good, it’s incredibly positive,” Meecham said.
Being in Christchurch made it easy for the family to follow their love of outdoor sports such as mountain biking and skiing.
ChristchurchNZ says the city is being seen as a more desirable place to live thanks to increased awareness of its liveliness and comparatively affordable housing.
The information was collected by Research First for ChristchurchNZ from September 4 to November 8 as part of an ongoing data project. 1,120 people were surveyed. Of these, 752 lived outside of Christchurch.
The study found that 20 percent were willing to move to the city. This is a 15 percent jump from the last survey conducted in the middle of the year.
This was especially true of “target migrants” – those under 40 who earn more than $ 60,000 a year.
Of this group, 27 percent were willing to move to Christchurch, compared with 14 percent in the previous survey.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Christchurch is becoming more desirable in the eyes of Kiwis living in other cities.
The city was found to be more attractive than the two major hubs in the country: 15 percent outside of Wellington said they were open to moving there and Auckland ranked 11 percent.
Ann Thompson, research director at Research First, said the data showed that perceptions of Christchurch’s appropriateness had improved, even in the past six months.
“It is notable in the key findings that Christchurch is outperforming Auckland and Wellington on many of those measures.”
The people of the city had positive things to say about their hometown, demonstrated by 76 percent who said they were proud to say they were from Christchurch.
ChristchurchNZ CEO Joanna Norris said the surge in people willing to relocate to the city could be partly attributed to the commercialization of Christchurch, particularly in Wellington and Auckland.
The most important factors people considered when relocating were cost of living, home affordability, quality of home, and ease of getting around. Christchurch outperformed the other two major centers in all of these areas.
“People are starting to see Christchurch as an attractive place to live. In terms of housing affordability, we are in the enviable position of having the right supply and demand. “
Despite the heating up of Christchurch’s property market in recent months, the city remains the most affordable of New Zealand’s major hubs.
The proportion of people considering the move was significant, he said.
JOSEPH JOHNSON / STUFF / Stuff
Christchurch is considered affordable and easy to get around compared to Wellington and Auckland.
“You have to remember that uprooting someone’s life is an important step, so I think one in five is a good result.”
ChristchurchNZ strove to challenge perceptions of the city, which sometimes lagged behind reality.
For example, the survey showed that outsiders had negative perceptions of job opportunities in Christchurch, but this was not the case, Norris said.
“There are over 1500 jobs listed on Seek right now in Christchurch and many of them come with significant salaries.
“Plus, the profits go further in Christchurch. These are things like we are trying to help people understand. “
Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leeann Watson said Christchurch needed to “tell a different story” about itself.
“We have always been humble in telling our story compared to other cities and I think we need to be a little more open.”
There were many new and emerging industries in the city, including the tech and space sectors.
The city also had a diversified economy, so it recovered more quickly than some cities after the impact of Covid-19, he said.
“Those who are making that move have seen those opportunities, along with a really strong quality of life.”
The city had outgrown its reputation as the “earthquake city,” he said.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Wellington and Auckland and people don’t tend to say ‘how rebuilding is going’ now.”
