Mark Ebrey: Three-bedroom house for $45,000?

Taumarunui. Photo / Christine Cornege

Some time back I wrote a piece about Taumarunui being the only place in the quarterly real estate statistics in the Herald where the median value was under six figures and suggested the solution was to encourage more seniors to move from Auckland to our area.

Some have done so but not enough to make a difference. Taumarunui actually went backwards in the last QV figures - median prices down $1000 to $91,000 while one real estate company listed a solid three-bedroom home for $45,000.

Another was promoting two "first home" buyers' subsidy specials at $38,000 each. But there are plenty of "executive" style homes also available for under $200,000 and on full size sections.

Some of us locally believe another opportunity to improve our lot is to push for the Government to make Taumarunui a refugee resettlement town and let us show these poor people what life is like in rural New Zealand. Allocate us at least 25-30 families because there needs to be enough to give them the comfort zone of a familiar community while they adjust to New Zealand life.

There's no doubt that we can help them - there were at least 20 rental properties advertised in the local rag this week for rentals far below what has to be paid in Auckland, while local schools are crying out for pupils.

As for the rest of the town infrastructure Taumarunui was a community of more than 10,000 before the Rogernomic shocks of the mid 80s. Now there are less than 4000 there is plenty of scope to absorb them into the educational, sporting, recreational and social fabric of the district.

Of course, the first thing critics will say is that there are no jobs for them here. Maybe so, but their being here will create new jobs in the town by increasing the demand for teachers, doctors, nurses, dental technicians, police and other service workers - jobs that we currently don't have or can justify on our population numbers.

And there are jobs here for people with skills; local trades people would welcome them after seeing many of their apprentices head for the bright lights as soon as they have completed their tickets.

Many of the refugees appear to have entrepreneurial skills and I have no doubt that local businesses would love to have potential buyers come to town that would give them an exit strategy other than just simply closing the doors and walking away when it is time for them to retire.

An increase in our population numbers would also provide the encouragement need for existing businesses to expand or upgrade their services - or even provide new competition for them.

Perhaps the real opportunity is for the Government to consider relocating the Mangere resettlement centre here. It would generate greater employment opportunities here while freeing up much needed housing stock in Auckland.

There are a number of potential venues for the infrastructure required and an abundance of empty retail buildings in the main business area that already have second storey accommodation or could have their ground floors retrofitted for temporary accommodation.

Taumarunui has long had a reputation for being a caring and sharing town and it's my view that most people here would empathise with the newcomers - many of us have also known what it is to struggle; albeit not in the terrible way that many of them have.

So come on, John Key - please give this serious consideration.

With prices reaching astronomical levels in Auckland - it's hard to understand why more seniors are not taking their million dollars and buying a very nice house here for $200,000. That leaves a lot to bolster the national super.

Mark Ebrey is a Piriaka-based businessman, who longs to see his hometown restored to the glorious state it was in the late 1970s-early 1980s when there were more than 300 active clubs and a lifestyle as good as anywhere.