Once it gets under your skin, it’s hard to leave
When the downturn struck, their friends left in droves, and house and land values plummeted.
But Lynn and Glenn Irving chose to stay.
The Irvings are stoic residents of Buller on the West Coast, one of only two New Zealand districts to experience a population decline last financial year (behind only Waitomo in the North Island).
According to a Development West Coast report, Buller’s GDP fell
44 per cent with the loss of nearly
1500 jobs, while 500 people have left the district since 2012.
The Irvings moved to Westport in
2000 when veterinarian Lynn got a job at Buller Vets.
Glenn Irving, an engineer originally from Christchurch, began working for Solid Energy in the Stockton mine at a time when it employed 1500 and was expanding its footprint.
As colleagues were made redundant and facing increasing demands, he left the mining industry and reinvented himself several times to remain employed and living in Westport. He managed the recreation centre for seven years and now works as a Buller District Council contractor.
‘‘As someone who has been here through all of that we’ve said goodbye to a lot of friends and that’s something that’s been quite hard. We have friends all around the world now as a result of that.’’
Glenn Irving said the reduction in jobs was a huge challenge for Westport. The people who remained behind had to ‘‘be creative’’ to adapt by completely upskilling or reskilling to find a job, and dig in to make the place hum again – like the six-year volunteer effort to transform by hand a muddy sea of gorse into stunning cycle trails.
‘‘I see a great group of people who make Westport a great place to be in. And I think having that downturn has forced us to be a little bit more proactive.’’
Lynn Irving said she couldn’t choose a better place to bring up their two children.
‘‘The West Coast is a place that gets under your skin. Once you’ve got a feel of it running in your veins it’s hard to leave.’’