Live. Work. Play.

Find your ultimate work-life balance on The Coromandel.

Opportunity Coromandel

www.opportunitycoromandel.co.nz Fletcher Bay Port Jackson Stony Bay

M O E H Fantail Bay A U R PORT CHARLES A N G E

TAURANGA

COLVILLE HAMILTON ROTORUA

Papa Aroha

Kuaotunu Long Bay COROMANDEL TOWN

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Te Kouma Manaia Flaxmill Bay

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Kauaeranga Valley DOC Info Centre Broken Hills F THAMES

Wentworth F Valley WHANGAMATA 25

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Waikino Mackaytown 2 Tirohia KARANGAHAKE GORGE Waitawheta

Athenree Kaimai Forest Park TE AROHA To Hamilton

To Rotorua 80km To Tauranga 70km f you are seeking more time for the people and Ithings you love and less time spent in traffic, then consider a move to the Coromandel. Less than two hours from Auckland, much has changed to connect the Coromandel with the rest of the world. Through continual upgrades to broadband and telecommunications technology, improved road access and infrastructure, and a median house price that is lower than the national median, The Coromandel is an affordable and desirable place to live, work and play. Our Council is serious about creating vibrant, strong communities and stimulating economic development. We’re also here to help our business sector however we can, so contact us with your new idea, business venture or expansion plans; we’re here to help.

At TCDC, contact: Garry Towler Economic Development Activity Manager Email: [email protected] Phone 07 868 0200

www.tcdc.govt.nz 3 Good energy in Kuaotunu

With a shared passion for creative design and renewable energy, Tara King and James Winter have been able to build an architecturally- designed, solar powered home in rural Coromandel. “We have a wonderful lifestyle with all the modern necessities of life, standard appliances such as dish washer, washing machines, a home theatre room and surround- sound throughout most of the house, although everything runs Off-Grid through a photovoltaic (solar) system,” says Tara, who also works as a consultant for an interiors company in Whitianga. Tara spent a decade between the US and the UK, working with a Danish fashion company as their wholesale manager before becoming an interior design consultant. James has a background in music and sound technology as well as working in the electric and audio visual industry. After meeting James in London where he operated his electrical business, the couple progressed to purchasing rundown properties in London and transforming them into high-spec property investments. This gave them the financial foundation to move back to the Coromandel, for what they call a more “relaxed and forgiving” lifestyle. “When we left the UK we were determined to build a renewable energy home, on a few acres of land and live the dream on the Coromandel,” says James. “Kuaotunu just ticked all the boxes, as it was absolutely breath-taking, providing

4 a unique lifestyle where we could both work, with the possibilities of building a business.” The couple has lived this more environmentally-friendly lifestyle on their 12-acre property for 6 years and love the freedom of being minutes from the beach, where they spend time with their dogs, and run their businesses from home. When they started building on the Coromandel they were introduced to Good Energy, a local company that designed and installed their 4kW photovoltaic solar system. Two years later the opportunity arose for them to buy the business, which they’ve been running for the past four years. Proving a Coromandel conversion can be modern and clean and green. To find out more go to www.goodenergy.co.nz

We’re living the type of life that more people are finding attractive and worthwhile…

Tara and James’ sustainable house in Kuaoutunu.

www.tcdc.govt.nz 5 Giving it a go

Lauren Hailes and Tim Stephens are looking ahead to summer 2015 with 35 staff across three businesses – Café 646 in Whangamata and two street wear stores called Roar, in Whangamata and Whitianga. The businesses were all set up just two years after a fire destroyed the couple’s restaurant The Cove in , which they bought together. No strangers to giving it a go, Tim quit his 9 to 5 job as a photocopier engineer after returning from a holiday in the mountain town of Chamonix France to become a snowboard instructor in Wanaka, . “When I went to Chamonix it was mind blowing – I saw all these people living a dream life in the mountains and I thought ‘how is this life possible?’” It was then that I made the choice to work to live, not live to work.” Tim met a fellow snowboarding instructor in Wanaka who was spending his summers instructing kayaking in Hahei. He followed him there to find work, and met Lauren. “I’d completed a Diploma in Business and Hospitality Management in Dunedin and looked for a restaurant to buy in Dunedin and couldn’t find anything,” she says. In partnership

6 with a school friend who knew of the Coromandel, she bought The Church restaurant in Hahei. She was aged 22: “It probably helped that I was young! I think we didn’t realise how risky it was to buy a business in a place you don’t know anything about. We had a tiny bit of savings and borrowed the rest.” She later sold The Church to start The Cove restaurant. Despite the turmoil of losing this business to fire, they are positive about the future and have plans to open another restaurant in Hahei, buoyed by the support of friends and like-minded people in the community. Photo: Alison Photo: Smith

It was then that I made the choice to work to live, not live to work.

www.tcdc.govt.nz 7 To suit all tastes Perhaps it was due to the 50 years of legal advice given to clients – or maybe a moment of inspired spontaneity from the hours of diving on the Coromandel. Whatever it was, Alison and Alan Henry had no hesitation leaving a vibrant city life in Grey Lynn, Auckland for a vibrant life among the natural beauty of Cook’s Beach, . Two hours after the couple stepped into the local real estate office looking to buy, the seller of their current home walked in to list his property. Three days later they’d bought the house, and two weeks after that, their Auckland house was sold. Alan expanded his part-time law practice in Whitianga to 40 hours per week, while Alison finished her role at the Auckland Philharmonia. Was it a good decision to move? “Hell yes!” beams Alan. Their house is situated across the road from the magnificent Shakespeare Reserve, between Cooks Beach and Flaxmill

8 There are many different activities and interests but we choose to make use of the natural environment.

Bay and they are self-proclaimed “live-in caretakers of our grandchildren’s bach”. Alan commutes to his Whitianga office via a very short drive to the ferry. “Before moving here we holidayed on our boat and so the experience of being land-based at Cooks Beach was quite new and it was a case of making our way,” says Alison. She did so by volunteering for charities including Kauri 2000 and the Mercury Bay Art Escape, later joining the Mercury Bay Community Board – serving nine years - with three as Chair. Alison’s volunteer work leaves Alan cooking his own dinner occasionally, which is lucky in that he’s particularly good at cooking the fish he catches. City friends often ask if life is too quiet, to which the Henry’s reply: “It’s not. There are many different activities and interests but we choose to make use of the natural environment.” Whitianga has a movie theatre, a thriving arts scene, and the city is less than three hours away. The clear waters of Cooks Beach, on the other hand, are just a few minutes’ walk away, and that’s just how they prefer it.

Cooks Beach Inlet.

www.tcdc.govt.nz 9 Lonely Bay, just a 10 minute walk from Alison and Alan Henry’s Cooks Beach home. Photo: Alison Photo: Smith

10 Health services on the Coromandel The Coromandel is well-served by healthcare facilities with Thames Hospital operating as a secondary level hospital for the , Hauraki and Paeroa areas. This modern hospital had a significant upgrading of facilities from 2005 to 2009 including a new clinical centre with 24 hour Emergency Department, radiology and outpatient clinics, and new inpatient ward area for cases requiring more intensive monitoring and treatment. There is also the Thames Birthing Unit, a primary birthing facility for natural, low-risk births under midwifery care. More specialised services are offered through outreach services using Hospital specialists, or patients are sent to Waikato Hospital, about 1.5 hours away by car.

Hauraki / Thames / Coromandel Family Health Team Family Health Teams work in local communities throughout the Coromandel and are made up of professional Dietitians, District nurses, Occupational therapists, Physiotherapists, Public health nurses and Social workers. They provide specialist advice, support, management and care, often visiting people in their home. See www.waikatodhb.health.nz for more.

www.tcdc.govt.nz 11 Population of Thames-Coromandel The graph below shows the estimated usual resident population as at 30 June 2013. This is based on Community Board areas. Located on the north-eastern coast of New Zealand’s , about 100 kilometres east of the Auckland CBD, the Thames-Coromandel District is bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the north and east, the Hauraki District in the south, and the in the west.

Thames 10,044

Mercury Bay Ward Tairua- (Whitianga and Pauanui from Hot Water (Pauanui, Beach to Tairua, Hikuai) Whangapoua) 2,274 7,173

Whangamata Coromandel-Colville 3,870 2,817 Total District 27,100 =/- 0.4% Summer peak population: 120,000 people Whangamata (New Year’s Eve, 2009)

Tairua-Pauanui Photo: Daniel Davie Photo: Thames 12

Mercury Bay Ward

Coromandel-Colville INDUSTRY Jobs % of total Cafes and Restaurants 473 4.20% Supermarket and Grocery Stores 465 4.10% House Construction 439 3.90% Accommodation 380 3.30% Aged Care Residential Services 325 2.90% Primary Education 290 2.50% Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 281 2.50% Dairy Cattle Farming 265 2.30% Seafood Processing 218 1.90% Local Government Administration 215 1.90% Road Freight Transport 177 1.60% Real Estate Services 171 1.50% Log Sawmilling 165 1.50% Hardware and Building Supplies Retailing 154 1.40% Not Stated 152 1.30% Other Allied Health Services 149 1.30% Preschool Education 142 1.30% Longline and Rack (Offshore) Aquaculture 141 1.20% Takeaway Food Services 138 1.20% Electrical Services 131 1.20% Beef Cattle Farming (Specialised) 131 1.10% Clothing Retailing 129 1.10% Department Stores 127 1.10% Iron and Steel Casting 126 1.10% Gardening Services 124 1.10% Other Automotive Repair and Maintenance 118 1.00% Banking 117 1.00% Plumbing Services 114 1.00% Combined Primary and Secondary Education 114 1.00% Pubs, Taverns and Bars 102 0.90% Sport and Physical Recreation Clubs & Sports Professionals 101 0.90% Non-Residential Property Operators 100 0.90% All other industries total 5,090 44.70% TOTAL 11,358 100% www.tcdc.govt.nz 13 Economy

Million in 2010 prices $885 Growth in 2013 0.5% Employment Filled jobs 11,358 Productivity GDP per employed person $77,911 Population Usually resident persons 27,100 Businesses Business Units 4,038 Standard of Living Mean earnings $40,310 Growth 1.0% in 2013 Skills Highly skilled jobs 3,677

All these figures can be found on our webpage: www.tcdc.govt.nz/business

Industries: Proportion of filled jobs

n Retail Trade 14.1% 21.3% n Construction n Accommodation & Food Services 12.5% n Health Care & Social Assistance 3.8% n Manufacturing 4.3% n Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing 10.5% n Education & Training 6.3% n Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.7% 10.5% n Transport, Postal & Warehousing 9% n All others

For more visit: www.tcdc.govt.nz/business

14 The Coromandel – for generations to enjoy Our retired residents are the volunteers and the mentors as well as the workforce (just under half of those aged over 65 are employed) making a truly valuable contribution to communities of the Coromandel. We have the highest number of residents aged 65 or over (21 per cent) in the wider Waikato and this number is projected to increase to 27 per cent by 2024. We know most older people are very happy with their quality of life here. This is partly due to having a stable and secure income and the Alison Photo: Smith choice to work, maintaining good health and positive relationships and being supported to remain self- reliant into older age. If and when more support is required, there is a range of living and care options at retirement villages and rest homes with extensive activities, 24 hour registered nurse cover and tranquil sea and harbour views. For those with elderly parents too, these quality developments provide the ability to enjoy an active retirement and still live close by.

Photo: Daniel Davie

www.tcdc.govt.nz 15 Easier to stay in touch and do business

The Coromandel has attracted fast-growing and dynamic IT firms, retailers, engineering and eco-innovation businesses taking advantage of our proximity to major cities, value for money rent and unsurpassed lifestyle for employees. Now it’s easier to work from the Coromandel with the Government’s rural broadband initiative, providing faster internet access and wireless solutions for businesses and home owners.

Wireless high speed internet

M O E H A U R · High speed broadband towers have A N PORT CHARLES G E been installed in the last 12 months from Thames up the Coast to

COLVILLE Coromandel town. · There is now a fibre loop around the Coromandel with plans to feed high

Whangapoua speed wireless through the main towns. Matarangi COROMANDEL TOWN · With 3G and 4G already available, 25 the Coromandel is a perfect place to WHITIANGA set up business and enjoy an unsurpassed lifestyle that keeps you HAHEI

C O R connected. O M Hot Water Beach

A 25 COROGLEN N D WHENUAKITE Visit www.tcdc.govt.nz/rbi for regular E L 25 R TAPU A N updates on the Coromandel’s broadband G E coverage. TAIRUA PAUANUI Valley DOC HIKUAI New towers Info Centre Broken Hills F OPOUTERE THAMES Existing towers KEY Completion 2015

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To Rotorua 80km To Tauranga 70km Business associations and support Destination Coromandel www.thecoromandel.com Mercury Bay Business Association www.whitianga.co.nz Thames After 5 Business groupwww.thamesinfo.co.nz Grahamstown Business Association [email protected] Enterprise Whangamata www.whangamatanz.com Experience Pauanui www.pauanuionline.co.nz Tairua Businesses [email protected] Coromandel Business Association. Chair Brenda Kelsey [email protected] Transition Town Thames. Contact Mark Skelding [email protected] Totally Thames. Contact Lance Strong www.totallythames.co.nz Council Business Support Contact us about your business idea, new venture or expansion plans, we can meet with you to discuss them and then work on a pathway forward with you. Phone 07 868 0200 to talk to our customer services team. Thames and Coromandel Town Greg Hampton, Area Manager, [email protected] Whangamata, Tairua and Pauanui Garry Towler, Area Manager, [email protected] Mercury Bay and Whitianga Sam Marshall, Area Manager, [email protected]

www.tcdc.govt.nz 17 Major growth settlements of the Coromandel

Coromandel and North It’s no accident that visitors get the sense of stepping back in time at Coromandel Town. Preserving the heritage of this nationally important example of an early colonial settlement is a passion for many locals, who’ve met the challenge while somehow still ensuring an eclectic mix of art, adventure, great eateries and nightlife. Opening act to the beaches and walks of northern Coromandel, Coromandel Town has a stream of international visitors to the must-do tourist attraction, and is the hub of a thriving aquaculture and mussel industry with abundant snapper as the spin-off. Along with industry, Coromandel Town has a rich arts culture and a welcoming local community.

For nine nights in July, Coromandel Town lights up with the Illume Festival. www.illumefest.co.nz

18 Whitianga and Mercury Bay Mercury Bay – which includes the town of Whitianga – is known for its inspiring natural landscapes and beaches where visitors and locals enjoy walking, fishing and watersports. It’s also known for hosting good times. Events such as the Whitianga Scallop Festival (now in its 10th year) – caters for lovers of seafood and wine –and the Leadfood Festival is where classic cars, vintage motorcycles and motorsport legends converge on a stunning 140 acre, ocean- front estate in Hahei. It’s not just events that ensure a lively social calendar on the Coromandel, however. There Scallop Festival. www.scallopfestival.co.nz are many fitness, art and social groups as well as worthy conservation and community organisations where you’ll make a big difference to the Coromandel’s precious environment – and the community – as a mentor or volunteer. New friendships often begin with a simple walk on the beach…

Regular volunteer planting days are held at Whitianga Beach.

www.tcdc.govt.nz 19 Whangamata, Tairua and Pauanui Whangamata is positioned between the , Hamilton and Auckland, and has a proactive and capable workforce and economical commercial premises ideally suited to light industry. On the Pacific Ocean coastal towns of Tairua, Pauanui and in the hills of Hikuai, numerous small business owners enjoy a balanced lifestyle working from home offices to cater to clients around New Zealand and the world. These business owners are experts in their field. Taking advantage of remote work technology, they provide solutions that require skill, experience and blue-sky thinking. Are you one of them?

Donna Marshall, whose homebased ‘Give me a sign’ business allows time for family and the beach in Tairua.

Thames Thames is the gateway to the Coromandel’s unique towns, a retail hub and heritage town. Thames has fast-growing and dynamic IT, engineering and eco-innovation firms – the chosen base for IT businesses that have experienced 600 per cent growth in their first year and continue to rapidly expand.

20 You only live once Here’s some of the reasons people are choosing to establish a new life permanently on the Coromandel; • Healthy environment to bring up children • Great schools from primary through to secondary • No housing shortages or traffic congestion • A high-level of infrastructure capacity (waste water) and consented sub-divisions • Reduced cost of living compared to major cities • Improved work-life balance • Learning opportunities through WINTEC • Temperate climate and good summers • Friendships and sense of community

www.tcdc.govt.nz 21 On your side Destination Coromandel, our regional tourism operators, are working to ensure the Coromandel is the preferred visitor destination in New Zealand. www.thecoromandel.com ExportCoromandel is working with our district’s core-export industries to grow jobs and incomes. StrongerCoromandel is a work programme of TCDC, focused on building infrastructure to unlock economic prosperity of the district and connect locally, nationally and globally. Stay in touch Sign up to our economic development eNewsletters at www.tcdc.govt.nz and stay in touch with economic development news on the Coromandel.

Paku Hill, Tairua.

22 Hahei Beach.

The Coromandel is experiencing increased interest for new housing, and a surge in buildings consents granted in mid-2014. 160 new lots were created in 2013-14 and recent subdivision applications have been received for stunning locations including; Opito in the Mercury Bay ward (76 residential lots), Whitianga, Whangamata, Coromandel Town, Wharekaho, Whitianga Waterways, Stage 30 of the Matarangi Estates subdivision, Hahei, Pauanui and Tairua. A structure plan is in place at Kopu, the gateway to Thames, providing for 50ha of industrial zoning and limited commercial activity, and additional 135 ha for more than 1000 new dwellings. At Whitianga, land is being rezoned to provide for new residential, commercial and industrial growth in a managed way to give certainty to investors and developers. For all current subdivisions lodged with Council, go to www.tcdc.govt.nz/consenttracker

www.tcdc.govt.nz 23 Make the change. Find out how:

www.tcdc.govt.nz

www.thecoromandel.com

follow@opportunityCoro

www.facebook.com/thecoromandel www.facebook.com/ThamesCoromandelDistrictCouncil

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