Unemployed? Head to Kaitangata - the New Zealand town with too many jobs
Kaitangata offers new residents affordable housing and land packages to attract city-dwellers
- Town on the south island of southern hemisphere country only has 800 residents
A small town on the south island of New Zealand is looking to outsiders to fix a very good problem for the local community - they have too many jobs.
The 800 residents of Kaitangata have launched a drive to recruit new people to move in with attractive house prices.
The scheme involves offering house and land packages in the rural community for an attractive NZ$230,000 (£122,000) in the hope that Kiwis struggling with life in big cities will be tempted to relocate.
The scheme involves offering house and land packages in the rural community for an attractive NZ$230,000 (£122,000)
Mayor the surrounding district Bryan Cadogan estimates that there could be at least 1,000 vacant jobs available in the area and the supply is not meeting the demand from residents.
“When I was unemployed and had a family to feed, the Clutha gave me a chance, and now we want to offer that opportunity to other Kiwi families who might be struggling.
“We have got youth unemployment down to two. Not 2% – just two unemployed young people.”
Most of the area's industry focuses on primary sectors such as a dairy processing plant and and freezing works, and they are having to transport workers in from nearby Dunedin to fill jobs.
“So many of the things Kiwis value, such as owning your own home and providing for your family, have become an impossible dream. For a lot of people in New Zealand life is just an endless slog. And that really saddens me," Cadogan said.