Wellington, New Zealand is apparently a haven for Aussie home buyers and there is plenty to go around. According to Dana McCauley of News.com many of our best high tech people are moving across the Tasman.
Apparently there is a booming creative and tech industry in Wellington, a hub of IT activity. More Aussies are moving to New Zealand today than vice versa, many of them lured by start-ups offering pay cheques that stretch a lot further than they would in Sydney or Melbourne.
House prices are a draw card like nothing else, especially when prices are compared to Sydney and Melbourne. One interviewed Australian explained that for the same money in Wellington, we're in a four bedroom with study, plus our own private forest on 20 acres with goats, rabbits and a 20-minute commute into the city.
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is a champion about talking up innovation, jobs and growth, whereas the New Zealand Government has been luring entrepreneurs with co-working spaces and publicly funded business incubators like Lightening Lab, a four-month program that helps new companies grow.
Dana McCauley notes that in New Zealand there's no payroll tax or capital gains tax, companies pay just 28 per cent and the top personal tax rate is 33 per cent. It's all part of the drive to grow exports to 40 per cent of New Zealand's GDP by 2025, moving away from reliance on primary industries like meat, dairy and wool farming.
Compare this - with 54 NZ companies featured on Deloitte's Fast 500 Asia Pacific list last year, 13 of them in Wellington. Australia with a population more than five times NZ's 4.4 million — had 80 companies on the list. There's the rub.
The article has a whole lot more – its film industry, issues such as travel distance to work, the pleasure of family life without the stresses of Sydney and Melbourne mortgages and time factors, minimising marriage harmony inhibitors and such imperative factors.
Cost of housing
The recent Australian Federal Election had front and centre the cost of housing, not only first time home buyers, but the housing market, and not only Sydney and Melbourne.
Wellington on the other hand is not Auckland which has a similar housing problem as does Sydney and Melbourne in particular. Wellington has a weather issue, its high winds, its cold and yet it has a housing affordability that has seen so many Australians make their way to to it's open arms.
There are a host of central issues associated where one lives and Wellington New Zealand it seems has a number of these in spades. A school system without the politically correct nonsense, a strong Maori tradition that sees equality of spirit and endeavour, especially evidenced in such sports as rugby and the work force.
All these factors weigh in favour of Wellington for so many Australians and with cross Tasman flights so reasonable, now with international Asian flights competing, costs have come right down.
Christian input
The New Zealand Christian scene is quite different to Australia. I for one see this in the way that the New Zealand young writers present the Gospel message and the manner in which their theological understanding is housed.
Press Service International has a young writer program in conjunction with Christian Today whereby young people from Australia, New Zealand and from around the world, contribute monthly a 'Comment' article for publication.
These Kiwi young writers compete for readership in Christian Today and I've noticed their articles have a proclivity on the Christian Today Most Popular list, although when the New Zealanders are published, perhaps there is a paucity of international Christian news – that is unlikely Cycle after Cycle.
There is a steady stream of New Zealand trained ministers who end up in Australian churches and this too must bear some witness to the nature of Christian understanding in which Australian congregations respond.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html