# New Plymouth and Palmerston North...



## MrsRose

Anyone ever been to or lived in either of these cities? 

What are your thoughts on these cities? There's not quite as much info on them as one might find online about cities like Auckland and Wellington. 

thanks all.


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## Friedkiwi

Well, I will be living in Palmerston North in just a few days! I'll let you know when I get there on Oct 2nd. I would love to meet up with you, since we'll be expats from usa in the same city!


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## NaeTeaspoon

MrsRose said:


> Anyone ever been to or lived in either of these cities?
> 
> What are your thoughts on these cities? There's not quite as much info on them as one might find online about cities like Auckland and Wellington.
> 
> thanks all.


I am originally from New Plymouth. Both are similar in terms of 'feel' although Palmy is bigger population-wise.
New Plymouth has a beautiful coastline, is a bit arty, and has a beach-meets-farmtown feel - the big drawback is that it is 4-5 hours to Auckland or Wellington.
Palmy has a university (that is largely agricultural), and is more of a student town. It is one of only two cities in NZ that are inland. It is really flat and the architecture isn't anything great, but it is only 2.5 hours drive to Wellington which makes a trip to a decent city a lot easier!
PM me if you have any other questions


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## MrsRose

We're actually not sure where we'll be moving to yet. Just figuring out which cities we'll be visiting during our trip to NZ early next year. It really depends on where we find the best job offer. 
Based solely upon what I've read and seen online, I've got my eye on Tauranga and New Plymouth. But we'll be visiting Auckland areas and Hamilton as well. 

Is New Plymouth seeing much growth as a city? Is there a decent amount of new building and population increase going on in that area?


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## NaeTeaspoon

Yes there is a bit of growth there at the moment, however it is still relatively small and I would advise securing jobs before moving there (same with Tauranga), particularly if you are highly skilled.


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## Song_Si

Pay a visit to New Plymouth/Taranaki - my place of origin, and still have relatives/friends there. 

Population and growth-wise I'm afraid it's not the most positive place in NZ, as with much of provincial NZ there is a drift to larger urban centres. Particularly working age as shown by the stats below, without a uni any young person wanting further education heads out of the province, and limited job opportunities means they tend to gravitate towards larger centres.

For a visit - I'd back NP 100% over PN in terms of things to do/see. I have never been a fan of Palmerston North, but have lived in that region, depending on the lifestyle you seek, there are nice small towns within 20min of PN itself, Feilding, Ashhurst appeal for small-town life but not far from a medium-size (NZ standard, not international!) city. 

from Taranaki Regional Council site



> Taranaki’s population was 104,127 at the March 2006 census. This represents a 1.2% increase since 2001, reversing a 3.5% decline between 1996 and 2001. Over the past 10 years, however, the region’s population decreased slightly from 106,590 to 104,127.
> 
> Taranaki accounts for 2.6% of New Zealand’s population. The general trend has been for a decrease in the population of smaller rural towns and an increase in concentration of population in North Taranaki.
> 
> The Taranaki population is both older and younger than the national average, with a higher proportion of children aged under 15 years (21.8%) and adults aged over 65 (14.8%).


From Stats NZ Population Estimates


> Taranaki region (down 9,000) is projected to have the next [second] largest decline in population between 2001 and 2026.


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## Rossendale Lad

We moved from the UK to live and work in New Plymouth in July 2010 and been here ever since and just loving it. NP has a huge amount to offer! The CBD is quite small and compact which in itself is an attraction but the wider city has a fantastic coastal walkway, amazing parks, a fantastic mountain (volcanoe!) to explore and looks amazing at the moment with snow on the top. The district council are very proactive with developing the facilities and alwasy seeking to improve. There is always something going on and often it is free! Drawbacks are not many in my opinion. I agree it is 4/5 hours drive to Auckland and Wellington but that is about average for driving between major centres anywhere in NZ. On such a drive the scenery changes around every corner and is a pleasant experience anyway. 

Could add "heaps" more and happy to do so.....


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## MrsRose

How are the job prospects for someone in construction?


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## Song_Si

New Plymouth (Taranaki) and Palmerson North (Manawatu) both have local newspapers online

Taranaki Daily News
Manawatu Standard

noticed an article in the taranaki news re attracting people back to Taranaki in an attempt to tackle a growing skilled labour shortage in Taranaki.



> Economists BERL have found that New Plymouth has led New Zealand in growth of business numbers, employment and gross domestic product over the past five years.
> 
> Oil and gas activity alone is projected to increase by 56 per cent in Taranaki in the next 12 months, Venture Taranaki said.
> 
> Taranaki's top 10 companies anticipate more than 130 vacancies for skilled workers over the next 12 months, it said.
> 
> In the year to June 2012 the region suffered a net population loss of 555 people.


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## cliche

*Hawera ?*

Any opinions on Hawera ?
I visited a friend there last year and stayed for a while. Would be interesting to hear what folks think of the place


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## topcat83

cliche said:


> Any opinions on Hawera ?
> I visited a friend there last year and stayed for a while. Would be interesting to hear what folks think of the place


Nice little town, that in Maori means 'The Burnt Place'. Quite apt really, as it had 3 major fires that destroyed many of the buildings around the turn of the 19th Century. See Hawera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## cliche

topcat83 said:


> Nice little town, that in Maori means 'The Burnt Place'. Quite apt really, as it had 3 major fires that destroyed many of the buildings around the turn of the 19th Century. See Hawera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



thanks for your comments - I have been there and stayed for a while and even climbed the water tower, so I know a lot about the place.
I just wondered what other Kiwis thought of the place if they ever went through Hawera


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## 80cmills

Hi

I live in palmerston north, our family moved out here in July 2011 from England. We really like it. Yes compared to England it's a very small town, but it has everything you need. 

It's a very good place to be from a travelling around point of view as there are so many fab places to go within a 2 hour travel time. 

It's a friendly with a very large student population as it has two uni's. At first I thought this would mean loads of drunk teenagers but so far I haven't come across this.


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