Reality check: Making a living in the country

Sylvia and Trevor Belston downsized from Auckland to Leigh when Trevor reached retirement. They have his pension as financial back-up, and will turn their hands to any odd jobs that need doing in the area. Younger couples with children may need to plan to have a steady income while getting their country lifestyle established. 

Small town New Zealand has a sleepy charm that's irresistible to a frazzled city dweller in search of room to breathe. 

But choosing the ultimate lifestyle destination before addressing the basics can be fraught with difficulties because, like it or not, you can't eat a view. 

Even for those with expert skills, earning a living off a small holding is not for the faint-hearted. 

"Living in the country is what Dan and I always wanted to do," recalls Karen Findlayson "We just had to find a way to make it possible." 

As graduates with horticultural degrees they thought it would be easy to grow crops commercially but struggled to make a living. 

"I have never worked so hard for so little in all my life," is how Dan remembers it. 

After many a midnight discussion they hit on what now seems the obvious. "We needed a stable income." 

Following a strategy of moving only when one of them had a job to go to they discovered towns they would otherwise never have visited. 

"We lived in and loved all sorts of little corners of Australia and when we wanted to return to New Zealand we did the same. Just found a job and moved to that part of the country. 

"Now we live in Paihia in the Bay of Islands, about half way between where we each work." 

Sylvia and Trevor Belston took another pathway. 

When Trevor reached retirement age in 2005, they sold up in Auckland and moved to Leigh, downsizing their house and the money tied up in it. They have Trevor's pension and as Sylvia says, "I'll do anything. I've worked in the book trade all my life, but I'm no longer career building so any little job that comes along, I'll consider it." 

With no family to provide for, and with the pension as a back up, it's been the right move for them. Looking around their sunny, peaceful garden, Trevor gestures expansively. 

"Look at it - for us we know we've done the right thing. Every day is a new beginning , and I haven't even been out fishing yet." 

Dan and Karen couldn't agree more. "We love where we are and can't imagine living anywhere else, but you have to be flexible and plan the practicalities." 

They point out that some jobs are always in demand, namely nursing, the trades and most levels of teaching. 

"But check first. There's a surplus of primary school teachers in our area now, and perhaps your family commitments mean you can't travel far for a job." 

They see a lot of active retirees with big careers behind them taking up undemanding jobs where they are valued for their reliability and life skills, but they've also seen some who can't adjust. 

"We have had people last just two weeks in a job - one woman had moved her whole family out from the UK and found it too hot in Northland. They just packed up and returned to Newcastle."

So when you finally make that long dreamt-of move, try to do it in such a way that you are not burning your bridges.