Best of 2020: Whanganui residents saving thousands by cutting their commute, working locally

Karen Winchcombe has given up commuting to Palmerston North after seven years. Photo / Zaryd Wilson

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When Karen Winchcombe calculated how much money she had spent on petrol commuting to Palmerston North over seven years the total came to $43,000.

This was enough to make her "hit the wall with driving".

Winchcombe is one of many in the growing trend of people who are giving up the 73km, one hour commute to return to the Whanganui workforce.

The 2018 Census identified about two per cent of the Whanganui workforce were commuting to jobs elsewhere in the region compared to 2013 when about 5 per cent were commuting.

The number of people commuting from Whanganui to Palmerston North dropped by 46 per cent from 318 in 2013 to 171 in 2018.

Having first worked in Palmerston North, Winchcombe met her now-husband, who was based in Whanganui, and decided to move to the River City.

But always looking to progress her career to be an executive assistant for a chief executive, she found herself back in Palmerston North as Whanganui was limited in those roles.

Winchcombe said that with opportunities came the commute, which meant she often found herself physically tired.

"It gets very tiring commuting and you get that awful sun glare - there were certain times in that early winter sun when going home the sun was really bad.

"I found that physically over the years my sporting activity reduced and when I became tired I was often making excuses and I have always been quite a sporty person."

She said if she was not organised enough she would start to miss out on having the time to enjoy activities outside work.

More and more Whanganui residents are saying no to the one-hour commute to work in Palmerston North as more jobs become available in their city. Photo / Zaryd Wilson

Last October, Winchcombe took up a position as an executive assistant at St George's School in Whanganui.

Now she spends $100 on petrol every few weeks instead of every week and is enjoying being able to prioritise her spare time.

Whanganui and Partners' Hannah Kelly said population growth and the increased media attention on Whanganui's affordable housing demonstrate that Whanganui is considered a very attractive place to live.

"This data shows us that Whanganui is also an attractive place to work. People are able to pursue the career they want right here."

She attributes this to an increase in the number and range of jobs available in Whanganui.

"In 2019, Whanganui had 20,168 filled jobs," Kelly said.

"That's up 2 per cent on 2018. Nationally, job growth was at 1.9 per cent so our local economy is performing well when it comes to job creation."

Kelly said technology was also making remote work more viable, meaning more locals could access their work more easily instead of travelling to larger cities.

"Given current trends, our economy is likely to keep opening up new opportunities for our residents. We expect to see more and more people basing both their families and careers in Whanganui."

Hannah Kelly.

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall said the data was good news for Whanganui.

"It means more people are spending more time enjoying Whanganui's quality lifestyle and producing fewer emissions and, while the economy is fairly buoyant and there may be more availability of jobs, you never know with the economy but while it's here I'm glad they're making choices that will benefit their lifestyle."

He said last year there was a considerable uptake of businesses, a lot of whom were sole traders, essentially self employed, which would be adding to the data.

Whanganui Chamber of Commerce chairwoman Glenda Brown said the chamber welcomed the statistics, which aligned with what its members were experiencing.

"It is clear from the data that the Whanganui economy is growing, with more and more high-value employment and business opportunities," Brown said.

"This is providing a positive alternative to those living in Whanganui with access to local job opportunities. We expect this to continue to increase in the immediate future as we enjoy the buoyancy in the market and with the increased awareness nationally that Whanganui is an affordable alternative to the large cities for living and operating business activities.

"Whanganui being a smart city is certainly up with the rest of the country digitally and can offer the very best technology to be able to work from home.

"It is often discussed 'what does the future office look like?' and we can see a trend forming for people being able to work from co-working spaces - Whanganui is privileged to have a few of these - or from home. This is a great aspect that Whanganui residents can enjoy if their place of employment is other than in our region."