[ad_1]
This story was originally posted on RNZ.co.nz and is being republished with permission.
The lure of homelessness is creating a modern-day gold rush on the West Coast.
Home sales are on the move, New Zealanders are flocking there for vacation, and an appeal has been made for shovel-ready workers.
Gray District Mayor Tania Gibson said decades of doubts about how to generate economic activity in the region affected by the decline appeared to have been resolved in part by Covid-19.
READ MORE:
* Ask for nature-based jobs on the coast to jumpstart the economy
* Coronavirus: Plan for West Coast checkpoints being worked on
* Properties are usually sold for between 2% and 5% off the sale price, as shown by the data
“We have many projects to come as a result of PGF and ready-to-use funds, and I have been visiting businesses within my Mayor’s Task Force and there is a lot of employment right now.
“Employers say it’s a struggle to get the right people to fill these jobs, which has been the problem for some time.”
She said prospective homeowners should be quick if they wanted to grab a bargain.
Greymouth real estate agent Kevin O’Donnell said people across the country were collecting and moving west.
“Every day we experience people coming from afar saying, ‘Oh my God, we just didn’t realize what was here,’ and I think that’s something that’s going to grow.”
Tracy Neal / RNZ
Gray District Mayor Tania Gibson said decades of doubts about how to generate economic activity in the region affected by the decline appeared to have been resolved in part by Covid-19.
In February 2020, the median home price on the West Coast was $ 230,000.
The coast saw the nation’s largest increase in regional home sales in July.
Figures from the New Zealand Institute of Real Estate show that the 57 percent increase in sales was the largest jump on the West Coast in 14 years.
Figures from the property report show that a 24 percent increase in sales price was also the highest in the country that month.
O’Donnell said it was still going up.
“We are seeing more multiple deals each week. We are definitely seeing a lot of people from out of town coming in and buying properties.
“I mean we are probably seeing biweekly movements, rather than monthly or semi-annual. It is moving very fast.”
The region was now also one of the most popular vacation spots in the country.
Tourism New Zealand’s Queen’s Birthday National Visitor Report showed that it matched Queenstown in popularity, with over 20,000 visitors in the week leading up to the long weekend included.
West Coast Development Chief Heath Milne said they were reaping the benefits of people unable to travel elsewhere.
“We think it’s due to the fact that the coast has been on people’s wish lists, maybe not at the top, when they might have had the Amalfi Coast in Italy or Japan on their wish list, but now they are unattainable. “
Government funding before and after Covid-19 was creating new jobs in the engineering, agriculture, and construction sectors.
Gibson earlier this year did not anticipate a potential worker shortage.
“We are concerned about heavy machinery drivers and civilian contracting because we may not have enough people.”
Moving to the Coast.
Civil engineer Emily Wilson recently moved to Hokitika from a job as a Department of Conservation ranger in the lower South Island.
The 27-year-old knocked on the door of a firm specializing in residential geotechnical investigations and begins next week.
“It wasn’t difficult to get a job. I just approached the engineering company to see if they would hire me, practically.”
Finding a place to live was the next challenge, given the lack of available rentals.
“I’m still trying to decide between temporary housing options or something more long-term.
“The rental market is a bit tight here and it’s probably one of the only downsides I’ve encountered so far.”
Wilson compared the cost of living to that of Christchurch.
“But it’s definitely cheaper. The coastline is pretty far from a lot of other places, so when you go out and do things, you’ll probably be driving a bit more.”
Milne said that while current interest in the Coast is encouraging, a longer-term approach would be needed to maintain economic momentum.
He believed there was also potential for the region to help the country’s looming debt.
“There is going to be a huge demand for export receipts to pay this bill and the West Coast has some really good resources that we can help with the recovery.
“There certainly is a place for the extractive industries to come into play and help pay that bill.”
This story was originally posted on RNZ.co.nz and is being republished with permission.
