The world is all familiar with the American Dream; the rags to riches overnight success stories that make that country so great. New Zealand too has a dream, it is aptly named the Kiwi Dream: a quarter acre family home, a car, boat, family bach and dog.
This was once taken for granted in a country with cheap house prices and a large middle class, but over the years house prices have skyrocketed and wages haven’t quite caught up. Those in a mad rush to move to Auckland or Wellington, for example, have had to swallow a tough pill and accept mortgages much larger than their parents ever had to.
Although house prices have increased exponentially, opportunity has too. Kiwi’s still live in a thriving and now diverse economy that is set up to support businesses and start-ups of all shapes and sizes. Connected by networks of global trade, we can now make money from home, selling our products and services around the world. This also has to be factored into the Kiwi dream of the 21st century.
It’s not only Kiwi’s who want a slice of this paradise: take tourism for example. The numbers this year have been staggering and the tourism industry itself is bolstering our macro-economic position even when dairy is struggling. Fewer Kiwis are leaving for Australia and Europe and more of them are coming here permanently, which means our population is booming (this is in part fueling the Auckland housing crisis.)
While some in Auckland may be priced out of their preferred suburbs, there are still plenty of up and coming areas of the country that should be viewed as viable alternatives. Rotorua, Hamilton, Napier, Whakatane, Tauranga, Dunedin, and Nelson – these are all spots where you can follow your career and still enjoy the traditional fruits of the Kiwi dream: a cheap house, with your boat and dog.
New Zealand is developing and changing right as we speak, but is the Kiwi dream still alive? Absolutely yes!