Allan Barber: Lifestylers moving in can be good for the community

On a recent visit to England I listened to the early morning farming news programme which talked about the impact of "incomers", a somewhat self-conscious term for outsiders, on rural areas.

The item made a clear distinction between weekenders who put little back into the community and incoming residents who decide to migrate from the cities to start a whole new way of life in rural communities. But the most obvious impact of both categories of incomer in England has been on property prices, making it ever harder for locals to continue to own property and consequently afford their traditional life in the country. But then employment opportunities have changed too.

Even 30 years ago, when I emigrated from the UK to this country, parts of England, notably the Cotswolds, were being taken over by weekenders who bought up attractive cottages to renovate them because they were only 90 minutes from London.

These new property owners arrived late on a Friday and left on Sunday evening, having been to the village pub once or twice, and possibly eaten dinner out at the nearest restaurant. They produced some work for the local tradesmen and over time the demand for restaurants, cafes and garden centres has provided more employment, but the villages were in danger of becoming well-maintained ghost areas during the week.

Land use has changed considerably through EU farm subsidy programmes and farm mechanisation has replaced many rural jobs, so the changing make-up of the local population was probably inevitable. At least the Cotswold area has a thriving tourist industry.

The move from the cities for lifestyle purposes mirrors a more recent trend in New Zealand and poses many of the same challenges to communities. There is the question of how well incomers are accepted into their new community, then whether they are perceived as taking away the livelihoods of local families and the effect of the influx on local facilities, services and prices.

I sense that the UK, particularly England because of the closeness to London, has adjusted quite well to the changing way of life. Rural areas are thriving and local inhabitants have found new occupations, many of them serving the needs of the prosperous middle class who have bought weekend retreats and others working in new business ventures established by incomers who have moved there for the lifestyle.

New Zealand has long had a weekend tradition of bach ownership by the sea and lakes and in the mountains without any adverse impact on rural communities. More recently, there have been a number of holiday developments, such as Pauanui, Omaha, Mangawhai and Matarangi, which have taken large slices of beachfront. Another trend which has been gathering pace is the growth in lifestyle blocks and the reduction in size from 10- to 5-acre blocks under most local council zoning plans over a 30-year period.

The largest growth in migrants to rural communities has occurred in an ageing population of active retirees with money to invest. According to resource management consultant Owen McShane, this group is often made up of innovators who bring money into a district's economy, families for communities and children for schools. The impact on areas like Matakana can be seen in the explosion of vineyards, restaurants, art galleries and farmers' markets, while the influence on jobs, schools and retail shops has boosted the local community's activity considerably.

It appears that incomers, or outsiders, are good for the communities to which they move, provided the zoning regulations are sensible and the growth well planned.

* Allan Barber is a freelance writer, business consultant and former chief operating officer at Affco.