HAWKE'S BAY, NAPIER AND THE WAIRARAPA

Known for award-winning wines, gourmet food and a vibrant arts scene, Hawke's Bay, Napier and the Wairarapa are marked on any holiday-makers road map of New Zealand. But over the last few years, the region has noticed a trend of big city workers moving in

The average house price in Greytown is on par with Wellington, and in the two years to April 2018, South Wairarapa house prices rose nearly 50 percent – the second highest increase in any New Zealand district.

Fertile plains and hilly coastlines, and a vibrant arts culture and business scene are proving a luring combination.

Julia Kay, managing director at Hastings marketing firm Creative Marketing, says predominantly two types of people in the marketing field move to the region – those from big city firms who are looking to consult, and those working their way up the career ladder but are starting families and don’t want to work crazy hours.

With a large and growing number of successful local businesses, Kay says the best opportunity for creatives and those businesses is to work in local partnerships and tailor relevant and relatable content.

Kay says a number of Hawke's Bay

businesses are getting great results with digital channels and there is a big push to go online, although a number are still using more traditional ways of communicating with audiences like radio, TV and print.

In the central region of the North Island, more than a third of residents watch more than 23 hours of TV a week and are 19 percent more likely to be heavy television viewers than the rest of New Zealand. Residents are 18 percent more likely than the rest of the population to read six or more issues of a newspaper in a week

– with 22 percent of residents doing just that.

Andy Walker, the managing director of rural specialist agency Tracta, says the benefits of being located in Hawke's Bay far outweigh any challenges his team has with distance. Walker says farmers are active online, more so than people appreciate, as are fresh produce consumers.

“There seems to be a line of thought that farmers are digitally unaware.

I recently heard a host on Seven Sharp say ‘it doesn’t seem right, a farmer using a cell phone’.

“That shows how stereotypical we can be.”

NZME general manager of the Central Region Glen Smith believes regional audiences view their local media as a connector to what’s happening in their community, saying established and credible media brands with localised content have a high level of trust.

Smith cut his teeth in local media before working in metro markets domestically and abroad. In taking the Hawke's Bay role, he says he wanted to make a contribution to the industry and the people in the region by building capability in the business; and grow local businesses’ ability to connect with audiences and compete on a local and national level. All while connecting audiences with news, sport and entertainment offerings in their local market and outside the region.

The region boasts more than 10 print titles, has a range of radio stations, and digital platforms are proliferating.

Hawke’s Bay Today has a subscription rate of 85 percent and readership is increasing – a good indicator the local newspaper is still a major part of how residents like to start their day.

“They’re searching for local news, sport and entertainment information that affects their everyday lives,” Smith says.

He says audiences are also engaging with strong digital platforms, and there is a high demand in the regions among the affluent audiences for higher quality, rich and more in-depth content.

A recent Mitre 10 Mega campaign where the local NZME offering changed from a print and radio ad to a production of video, digital, social media, print, radio and brand engagement, showed the possibilities that lie ahead with targeted and integrated regional marketing using new and traditional platforms.

“This type of service has only really been available in major areas, but the game changer now is to increase capabilities in the regions to be more effective with our client’s investment,” Smith says.