New Zealand town with 'too many jobs' launches recruitment drive

Kaitangata offers new residents attractively priced house and land packages

Kaitangata on South Island claims it has 1,000 unfilled jobs and many houses standing empty (Clutha District Council)

A small town in New Zealand has launched a recruitment drive after its mayor complained there were too many vacant jobs and houses for the current population to fill.

Kaitangata on South Island is offering land packages and houses for NZ$230,000 (£122,000) to persuade New Zealanders from nearby Christchurch to move out of town.

Small businesses in the town are also teaming up to promote jobs to local people, although the majority of employment in the region comes from the dairy industry.

There are estimated to be more than 1,000 job vacancies at sawmills and cheese factories waiting to be filled in the town, which currently has a population of around 800.

Mayor Bryan Cadogen said he “despaired over the quality of life many New Zealand families in the current economic climate".

“There are hundreds and hundreds of jobs [here], real good paying jobs that give a person a chance”, he told the Guardian.

“When I was unemployed and had a family to feed, the Clutha gave me a chance, and now we want to offer that opportunity to other Kiwi families who might be struggling.

“We have got youth unemployment down to two. Not 2% – just two unemployed young people.”

Mayor Cadogen confirmed the town’s lawyers, bank and community services are on standby to welcome an influx of workers looking to move to the town.

He continued: “So many of the things Kiwis value, such as owning your own home and providing for your family, have become an impossible dream.

“For a lot of people in New Zealand life is just an endless slog. And that really saddens me.”

New Zealand suffered less than many of its trading partners during the global recession, and was described by a leading economist as having a “rock star economy” in 2014.

To obtain a migrant visa in New Zealand, it is necessary to "display skills that would contribute to New Zealand's economic growth".