Young Kiwis encouraged to take 'OE' in rural New Zealand

The Think Rural initiative wants young city slickers to take up country jobs. Photo / Tessa Prentice

A new initiative is encouraging young Kiwis who don't want to head overseas on their OE to go to rural New Zealand instead.

The Think Rural campaign, which was launched today, is the brainchild of Local Government NZ's Mayor's Taskforce for Jobs, with funding from the Ministry of Social Development.

The idea is to attract young people from cities to rural areas where there is a wealth of jobs on offer and give them a chance to experience a new way of life, packed with adventure, excitement and opportunity.

Max Baxter, Mayor of Ōtorohanga District Council, who helped spearhead the campaign, said many young people living in cities had never experienced rural life.

He reckoned they'd be surprised by what they found.

"The nightlife in the country is wild – and I mean that literally.

"Traffic jams involve ewes rather than utes. The local folk are friendly as anything. The jobs are aplenty. Housing is still cheap.

"Plus, young people cooped up in apartments at Level 3 might find the country life more to their liking, where the only thing in a coop is a chicken."

Mayor's Taskforce for Jobs' national programme manager Noa Woolloff, is 23 and no stranger to carving out his own path.

Listen to Noa Woolloff on The Mike Hosking Breakfast below:

He said many people didn't give rangatahi (young people) the chance to prove themselves.

"Think Rural has the backing of rural mayors who are lining up to make a difference in the lives of young people without jobs or qualifications."

Eighteen rural councils up and down the country are getting behind the Think Rural scheme in the hope of drawing a younger crowd.

They are Ōpōtiki, Ōtorohanga, Central Hawke's Bay, Chatham Islands, Gore, Ruapehu, Waimate, Westland, Wairoa, Hurunui, Tararua, Grey, Rangitikei, Clutha, Hauraki, Mackenzie and Buller.

The initiative hopes to get 1150 young people into sustainable employment in rural areas.

Funding support of up to $500,000 is going to councils with populations of 20,000 or less to help.

Anybody interested in taking part in Think Rural can find the right community for them at www.thinkrural.co.nz, where they'll find information on each participating town and the jobs available there.