House prices drawcard for newcomers

A SOUTH Island town is increasingly attracting firsthome buyers, with houses going for a third of the national average price.

Westport has an average property price of $325,000 compared with the national average of more than $1 million, and that is appealing to people who cannot afford a house in the main centres and want to work from home.

Daimon Schwalger, an awardwinning artist known as The Nomad, has become part of the furniture since moving to the Westport in 2019.

‘‘I never actually thought that I'd end up in a small place like Buller. There's a really beautiful community connection where people sort of watch out for you,’’ he said.

After decades as a touring musician and citydweller, Mr Schwalger and his wife bought a house for $240,000.

It became a base for their dream businesses — an audiovisual production company and a massage therapy business — and they have not looked back since.

‘‘You're driving back over that Buller bridge back into town and you're just loving it, it's just amazing, and it's so good to be home.’’

Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine said a steady stream of professionals had been arriving from main centres since Covid began.

‘‘Covid has been quite good for regions like Buller. A number of people have discovered that they can work from home, and so that's opened their eyes to what the Buller has to offer.’’

West Coast Development chief executive Heath Milne said the salarytohouse price ratio gave young professionals a legup.

‘‘Salaries and wages on the coast, including the Buller, are very comparable, but you've just got that much lower cost of living,’’ he said.

The affordability comes with a caveat, with Westport facing a major infrastructure problem.

More than 500 homes were flooded in a storm in July last year, and about 70% of those are still not fully repaired.

More flooding in February cut the town off, and Mr Cleine said there was no quick fix.

‘‘I think we're looking at another two years of pretty significant infrastructure spend.’’

The Buller and West Coast councils are waiting for government approval for a $56 million flood protection programme. — RNZ