Well, it's a fair bet not many Aucklanders knew the values of Masterton District, and the wider Wairarapa.
Well, it's a fair bet not many Aucklanders knew the values of Masterton District, and the wider Wairarapa.
IN front of me is the Masterton, Wairarapa promotional magazine, being placed in thousands of copies of the NZ Herald and distributed around Auckland city today. That's 103,000 copies, promoting Masterton and the lifestyle on offer.
Promoting your region is not unusual. We're all used to provinces like Nelson orHawke's Bay talking up their selling points, glamourising the obvious like sunshine, art and beaches. Magazines plug these factors in stories and promotions. There are provinces that do it so much you tend to take it for granted. Yes, we know Gisborne is the first place to get the sun and we know Marlborough's got wine. Tell us something we don't know.
Well, it's a fair bet not many Aucklanders knew the values of Masterton District, and the wider Wairarapa. What I like about this promotional magazine is that it's an unusual hit, a very contrasting point of difference to the more obvious glamour spots in New Zealand.
Because, in the end, if you're contemplating moving your entire family away from the infrastructure and housing crisis that is Auckland, are you really looking for glamour? You're probably looking for peace, ease of living, space to move for your family and decent education. A lot of Aucklanders do move to Bay of Plenty, to Tauranga, and I imagine the glamour of Mt Manganui and the beaches plays a part.
But what our magazine points out is we have the substance that comes with a thriving rural community.
I would imagine the interest in this magazine among Aucklanders would be quite intense, because it's the new concept, out of the blue after being bombarded with ads for rural living for a million dollars somewhere south of Auckland.
Everyone's probably heard of Masterton, and maybe in a cynical or joking fashion.
Well, now, here it is, and it looks pretty good, and it's alongside the capital city. You can't say that about Taranaki, or Westland.
At some point Aucklanders are going to realise that no job is worth the hours it takes to get there, and is worth the time it takes to save for a house with an impossible price. At some point, you have to take a deep breath and realise: hell, let's stop living like this, get a job in Wairarapa or Wellington, and have some freedom - financially and pastorally - for a change.
