Thames ticks boxes for people considering a move

The Coromandel is in the frame for many people in New Zealand who are thinking about moving.

According to research presented at a Business After 5 forum this week, one-quarter of New Zealanders who are thinking of relocating would consider shifting to the Thames-Coromandel District - a potential pool of new residents of hundreds of thousands of people.

Harcourts real estate agency commissioned the Best Places to Live survey, which was carried out by Horizon Research.

Horizon principal Graeme Colman presented the research to a packed Business After 5 at Cafe Melbourne in Thames.

In the report, nearly 3,500 people were asked whether they would consider moving, and if so, what kind of place would attract them and what facilities and amenities would they like.

Thames ticked a lot of the boxes for people.

Nearly one-third of respondents said they would most like to live in a "provincial town by the sea that is less than two hours' drive from a large city" - in other words, a place like Thames.

Leaving Auckland

And what kind of people would like to move here?

Of the 25% of people who would consider moving to the Coromandel, 12% are retired. More than a quarter are in the 44-54 age group and 18% are service workers.

Of those who said they would consider moving to the Coromandel, 90% already live in the North Island and most of them are in Auckland.

Harcourts recent house sales in Thames indicate more people are moving here from the Big Smoke, says principal Alaine Hedges.

Sixty percent of their sales since October were to people from outside Thames, more than one-third of them were Aucklanders.

"Access to health care, employment, affordable housing and good climate are the top considerations for anyone thinking of moving," says Mr Colman.

"Health care's extremely important and remember, they're not all retired," he says.

"The cost of housing is also very important to those who would consider moving to Thames," Mr Colman says. Tourism, local amenities and shopping are also important.

Mr Colman's research also looked at what might prompt businesses to relocate to the Coromandel.

Bottom-line issues of lower operating costs, availability of labour, buildings and land and proximity to markets and transportation are the prime considerations.

Also, Mr Colman says, business operators who would consider a move to Thames want premises that are available to buy, not lease.

Growth and jobs

Thames-Coromandel District Council's Economic Development Programme Manager Ben Dunbar-Smith also spoke at the Business After 5.

"One of the things that drives economic growth is innovation," he says.

"Trains and electric power drove economic growth in the past, now the latest technological revolution is broadband," Mr Dunbar-Smith says.

Communities need decent broadband speeds not just so people can surf the net, but as part of the basic infrastructure that businesses use such as roads and electricity.

Councils don't provide broadband, but Thames-Coromandel District Council has been working with the Government, Chorus and Vodafone to upgrade the broadband coverage around the Coromandel.

This work has seen a series of upgrades to broadband speeds in different parts of the Coromandel, with more to come.

Mr Dunbar-Smith says Council is preparing a bid for the latest round of Government spending on rural broadband upgrades.

Council is also working with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) to attract people and businesses to the Coromandel.

"With Auckland's population pressure, the Coromandel is looking increasingly attractive," says Mr Dunbar-Smith.

"We have to provide jobs for those who want to move here," he says.

A Council initiative recently set up to help businesses set up here and create jobs is Business Brokers, Mr Dunbar-Smith pointed out. We have a dedicated point of contact to help big business and development projects with Council's regulatory process.

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