‘‘You’ve got to put other things before money. Otherwise it just has more and more power over you.’’
On the outskirts of Taranaki, where rolling farmland falls sharply into roaring ocean, the Annemans-Boyd family live a ‘‘life of extremes’’.
Like a growing number of workers in the resource-rich province, father Jurgen Annemans is employed in the oil industry, spending half his time on rigs out at sea.
‘‘Sometimes it’s hard and you think, why am I doing it,’’ says wife Kristie Boyd, who stays at home with children Lucia, 5, and Zoe, 2. ‘‘But it does mean we get to have a pretty great lifestyle.’’
Jurgen has been working as a chef on the ‘‘rigs’’ for 41⁄ years. ‘‘He couldn’t really get much further as a chef in Taranaki and he was sick of it, burnt out,’’ says Kristie. ‘‘And I wanted to stay at home with the children and be a homemaker because that’s the kind of family I was part of.’’
At first, Jurgen worked two weeks on, and two off. Now it’s three and three. ‘‘It is hard. Everybody struggles with relationships,’’ Kristie says. ‘‘When he’s not here, I don’t get much respite and when he is here there’s a lot of free time.’’
The financial implications are also challenging: Jurgen is paid every six weeks, so budgeting can be tough. But Kristie feels privileged to stay home with the children and to own property. Earlier this year, the couple bought a lifestyle block at Onaero, 20 minutes from New Plymouth, going halves with Kristie’s parents.
Jurgen’s improved income has made things easier, but it comes with a catch. Kristie wonders about the environmental impact of the oil companies, and if it’s right to take their money. ‘‘But then I think, this province is really thriving. There’s still a lot of hardship, but there are also some awesome things happening because of the flow of money into the region.’’
Kristie says the situation won’t necessarily be forever – there are more family-friendly onshore opportunities in the oil industry. ‘‘When you have a family you’ve got to put other things before money. Otherwise it just has more and more power over you.’’