Former National leader and Reserve Bank governor Don Brash at Tauranga Waterfront. Photo / Mead Norton
Former National leader and Reserve Bank governor Don Brash at Tauranga Waterfront. Photo / Mead Norton
Tauranga’s population in recent years has ballooned, with predictions suggesting the city will exceed 200,000 residents by 2028. But what is drawing people to New Zealand’s fifth-largest city, and what do they love most about it? Kiri Gillespie talks to some of the city’s residents to find out.
When formerNational Party leader and Reserve Bank governor Don Brash moved to Tauranga last year, it wasn’t for politics, career, or even retirement means.
It was for love.
Brash said he was first drawn to Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty when he was chief executive of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority in the mid-1980s.
Despite the authority’s office being Auckland-based, Brash spent many days in the Bay of Plenty meeting with growers and fell in love with “the dynamism of the place, its climate, and its natural beauty”.
“Over the years, I have visited many times, but I actually moved here permanently from Auckland not so much for the love of Tauranga, but for the love of a woman.”
Brash moved to Bethlehem to live with Western Bay of Plenty councillor Margaret Murray-Benge and has “thoroughly enjoyed every minute since”.
“While my primary motivation for the move was an intensely personal one, Tauranga has an enormous amount to offer - the beach at Mount Maunganui, great restaurants, and many fascinating people.”
Brash noted the exception to his love affair with Tauranga was “ridiculously congested spots”, but said the roading system was still better than Auckland’s.
Asked to describe Tauranga in three words, Brash responded: “Beautiful, dynamic, progressive.”
Jordan Watson will have a chance to employ the advice he gives in his 'How to travel with a baby' video. Image / YouTube
Jordan Watson of How to Dad fame also escaped the rat race of Auckland with his wife Jody.
For the Watsons, it was the lure of Pāpāmoa’s beaches - and babysitters - that confirmed their move.
Watson is known to many in New Zealand for his role on the YouTube channel How to Dad.
Watson said he, Jody, and their three daughters - aged nine, seven and four - moved to Tauranga three years ago and love it.
“We spent 10 years in Auckland, had some kids, but had no babysitters close by,” he said.
“My wife’s originally from Tauranga, so we came to where all the babysitters are. She was born and bred in the Kaimai Ranges.”
“We did the typical Auckland thing and looked around the Mount, but it was like looking at Auckland properties - big two-storey places with no backyard - so we looked further down the coast at Pāpāmoa Beach.”
They found a “perfect” 1970s property two minutes from the beach.
“The day we came down to look at the house, we walked out onto the beach, looked left, looked right, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. That sold it to us. From the hustle and bustle of Auckland to this.”
Statistics NZ data suggests Brash and the Watsons are representative of a trend of people moving away from Auckland. The city is experiencing a decline in population, while Tauranga’s is booming and expected to exceed 200,000 by 2028.
Pāpāmoa, Tauranga, from the air. Photo / George Novak
The data shows Tauranga’s estimated population has grown from 142,500 people in June 2018 to 158,300 in June last year, while the Western Bay of Plenty’s estimated population in 2018 of 53,000 rose to 59,700.
In October, Tauranga City commissioner Stephen Selwood said growth was slowing in Auckland as people were looking to find “better lifestyle options” for themselves and their families.
“Our climate, environment and vibrant job market obviously make Tauranga a popular choice, but we have some significant challenges ahead of us to accommodate the people who want to come here, while ensuring that the lifestyle our current residents love is not compromised and that we celebrate our heritage and protect our natural environment,” Selwood said.
