New Zealand town with 'too many jobs' offering packages of land and homes for $165k

The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions. A rugged, sparsely populated area, the Catlins features a scenic coastal landscape and dense temperate rainforest, both of which harbor many endangered species of birds, most notably the rare yellow-eyed penguin. In general terms the area enjoys a maritime temperate climate. Its exposed location leads to its frequently wild weather and heavy ocean swells, which are an attraction to big-wave surfers, and have also caused numerous shipwrecks. less The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the ... more Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close New Zealand town with 'too many jobs' offering packages of land and homes for $165k 1 / 34 Back to Gallery

The southern New Zealand town of Kaitangata appears the prime example of the pastoral landscapes the island is known for; it's lush, hilly, green, and peaceful. Only about 800 people live there, and it's a mere eight minutes from the coastline.

For those who prefer the rural, slow lifestyle and community feel in their living environment, it's basically perfect.

And here's the best part: New Zealand desperately wants you to move there. Seriously.

The small town is a heavily involved in necessary industries relating to dairy processing and freezing works, which more than fill the area's economic needs. In this very unique case, that presents a real problem: there are around 1,000 vacant jobs and too much affordable housing for the residents to fill.

"We have got youth unemployment down to two," Mayor Bryan Cadogan says. "Not 2 percent —just two unemployed young people."

So in response to this peculiar crisis, Cadogan and the town's bank, lawyers, and community services are launching a recruitment campaign to try and lure candidates to the area with housing and land packages costing only NZ$230,000, or almost $165,000 U.S. — a far cry from the $1 million homes in the Bay Area.

Editor's note: Based on reporting done by a content partner, this article initially indicated that people would be given money to relocate. That information was inaccurate. We have edited our report to reflect information provided by officials in Kaitangata.

According to the local residents, "Kai," as citizens call it, is warm and community-oriented.

"This is an old-fashioned community, we don't lock our houses, we let kids run free," a local dairy farmer and third-generation native named Evan Dick told The Guardian. "We have jobs, we have houses, but we don't have people. We want to make this town vibrant again, we are waiting with open arms."

If that's the sort of thing that sounds like a siren's song when staring down the soaring Bay Area housing costs, you might want to get in touch with the mayor and the Clutha District Council soon —Cadogan and Dick have already received thousands of inquiries.

"It's gone nuts," Dick tells the New Zealand Herald. "A mother and her two children just flew in. I took them to their section and the look on her face was magical. 'Is this all ours?' I can already see positivity and vibrancy flowing through the town."

UPDATE (July 2):

The Mayor's office has issued the below announcement about the housing and land packages:

If you are genuinely interested in the house and land packages in Kaitangata, which are on sale for $230,000 or want to know more about working and living in our district, and if you live outside of New Zealand the first thing you will need to do is check out our immigration rules to find out if you're eligible to live and work here - https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas

If you do meet the criteria and you'd like to know more about the affordable House and Land packages ON SALE in Kaitangata, you need to visit http://www.cluthacountry.co.nz/live-in-clutha/hous... to view the prospectus.

This article has been updated.

Alyssa Pereira is a staff writer for SFGATE. Follow her here on Twitter.