Otago

The Otago region is located at the bottom of the eastern side of New Zealand's South Island. The region comprises the cities of Dunedin, Alexandra, Balclutha, Cromwell and Oamaru, of which Dunedin is the largest.

Famous for being a university city of Scottish heritage, Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest city and offers a wonderful combination of fine architecture and cultural riches.

The city is lively and vibrant and operates as the main business center for the wider Otago province. A wonderfully clean, green natural environment is a key attraction of living in Dunedin where streets, gardens and parks are safe and weekend trips to secluded beaches or picnic spots take minutes, not hours.

Within very close proximity to the city centre are miles of sandy surfing beaches, walking trails and golf courses overlooking harbour views.

Dunedin is easily accessible to other New Zealand centres, plus it is also the gateway to the high action adventure activities that can be found in nearby Queenstown and the Southern Lakes District.

The Central Otago region covers an area of 6,820 square miles and has fewer than 16,000 permanent residents. It is renowned for its lifestyle which heavily favours outdoor pursuits, whether it be extreme sports or gardening.

Whether your interests lean toward fishing, golf, four-wheel driving, mountain-biking, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding or exploring the remains of the gold-mining days, it is immediately accessible in Central Otago.

More and more people are choosing to settle in Dunedin, taking advantage of all the lifestyle assets of a big metropolitan city without the disadvantages of high living expenses, heavy traffic, long commuting hours or a high crime rate.

Education

Education has always had a high profile in Dunedin and in particular it is the city's tertiary institutions that dominate the city.

Dunedin has a reputation for being the country's premier centre of learning and is home to a student population of over 25,000, giving the city a special character and lively atmosphere.

While the education focus in Dunedin is on tertiary education, the region also provides a wide range of early childhood education and childcare options, including kindergartens, playcentres and child-care centres, as well as a Rudolf Steiner School and Kindergarten and Montessori preschools.

For school age children the wider Otago region has approximately 167 primary and secondary schools. The Dunedin/Mosgiel area has 60 primary schools, 5 intermediate schools and 5 secondary schools, and a number of primary schools in the area also incorporate intermediate (ages 11 and 12) classes.

Many of Dunedin's primary and intermediate schools offer a lower teacher/pupil ratio than elsewhere in New Zealand.

The University of Otago is arguably country's foremost university and together with Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin College of Education, it is easy to see why Dunedin is renowned for its tertiary education and learning facilities.

The University of Otago offers degrees divided into two main types of degrees - three-year degrees such as arts, commerce, science, teaching, tourism and music, plus degrees lasting four or more years such as dentistry, law, medicine and physiotherapy.

The Dunedin College of Education offers a comprehensive range of early childhood, primary and secondary programmes for undergraduate and graduate students, while the Otago Polytechnic offers certificates, diplomas and degrees across a wide range of subjects. .

Employment

Key industries

Over recent years employment in the Otago region has grown strongly and the new business creation rate has been almost double the national average.

The goods producing sector employs around 20% of the workforce in the Otago region. This sector includes manufacturing (e.g. food, machinery and equipment, metal and wood) and construction.

The primary sector is of key importance to the region, with approximately 14% of people employed in agriculture, horticulture and forestry.

Other key employers include education, health, retail, tourism and hospitality.

Whilst Dunedin City continues to experience sustained economic growth and increased employment opportunities, skills shortages are reported in the following sectors: engineering, construction, trades, manufacturing and health.

Central Otago is dominated by agriculture with pastoral farming of sheep, cattle and deer the main agricultural activity. Recently dairy farming has also become more prominent and continues to grow.

Pip and stone fruit orchards have are also vital to the central Otago region, with cherries, apricots, apples and peaches being an export treasure.

Many of the vacancies within Dunedin and the Otago region are advertised in The Otago Daily Times.

Housing

Dunedin offers homebuyers a wide variety of housing styles and settings, including beach, harbour, hillside, inner-city, valleys, plains and rural lifestyle blocks.

The suburbs of St Clair, Mosgiel and Mornington offer a range of affordable family style homes, while around the City Rise area it is common to find larger villas and mansions.

More recently there has also been an increase in the development of inner-city apartments and townhouses.

A major advantage for Dunedin is the availability of quality housing within close proximity to the city centre. Even for those people seeking rural or semi-rural lifestyle, suitable housing can be found within 30 minutes drive of the city centre.

House prices in the region vary considerably depending on the size of the house, its facilities, and the area in which a home is located. According to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, as at April 2005 the median house price for a home in Dunedin City was NZD$210,000, while the median house price for a house in Central Otago was NZD$342,000.

Renting

The rental market in Dunedin is diverse, offering numerous types of accommodation including short and long-term leases, multi-share student flats, townhouses, units and family homes. Furthermore, with its high student population Dunedin offers rental property investors a strong and consistent rental market.

Location has a major impact on the style of living in Dunedin. central or northern parts of the city are largely the domain of Dunedin's student population and night life culture, whereas rental properties in southern areas of the city or Otago Peninsula offer a quiet, natural, coastal environment with easy access to and from the central city.

Like house prices, rental prices in the Dunedin vary greatly. According to the New Zealand Ministry of Housing the average rent for a three bedroom property in the outer suburbs of Dunedin is approximately NZD$225 per week, while for a similar property in central Dunedin weekly rental rates are around the NZD$280 mark. (Rental prices shown are as at Jan 2005).

The Otago Times daily newspaper is a good start for finding a place to rent. Real Estate Agents and private landlords list properties in the 'To Let' section of the 'Classified' index, with Wednesday and Saturday editions being the best for Real Estate.

Not all the properties will be advertised in the newspaper so it can pay to call in to the offices of the Real Estate Agents and ask for a copy of their listings.

Transport

Getting around Dunedin is relatively easy, with public transport options including buses and taxis.

Walking is generally the best mode of transport within central Dunedin, however cycling is also popular.

Although Dunedin is a very compact city it is also quite hilly and as a result some destinations outside the central city are best reached by bus, taxi or car.

Roads are well-planned and do not suffer from congestion, with peak hour traffic problems the exception rather than the rule. Occasionally in winter, ice and snow can make driving a challenge on some Otago roads.

Dunedin airport is located 30 minutes drive south of Dunedin City and receives regular trans-Tasman flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Domestic flights from New Zealand's main centres arrive and depart several times each day.

Population

Dunedin City has a population of around 121,000 of which approximately 25,000 are tertiary students. Roughly 88% of people in Dunedin City belong to the European ethnic group while almost 6% are Maori.

Climate

Dunedin's climate is highly seasonal with winter occasionally bringing snow to the hills surrounding the city and summer days typically clear and long with temperatures hovering around the low to mid 20's.

Average temperatures in Dunedin during winter ranges from a low of 4 degrees celsius to an average maximum of 9 degree celsius.

Rainfall in Dunedin is relatively low, with an average of 800mm falling per year.

Inland Central Otago regularly experiences summer temperatures of above 30 degrees celsius, largely due to the region's isolation from the cooling influence of the coast.

Favourable weather conditions combined with a real commitment to the environment means that Dunedin is never subjected to smog or air pollution.

Geography

Otago is New Zealand's third largest region and covers more than 10% of the country. The landscape throughout the region is hugely varied, with only relatively small areas of flat land.

Central Otago's dramatic landscape was formed by a succession of massive forces: colossal tectonic upheaval, widespread glaciation and riverine erosion.

In a two-hour drive from Dunedin's coastline you will encounter patchwork fields, rolling pastoral farmland, yawning river valleys, tussock upland and jagged mountains.

Dunedin itself is located on the south east coast of the New Zealand's South Island at the head of a spectacular harbour. The surrounding hills are tree-clad and have been clearly defined by the now dormant volcanic activity.

Cost of living

The cost of living and housing in Dunedin is lower than in many other Australian and New Zealand city.

In particular the cost of housing is below New Zealand's national average and Dunedin's housing costs have remained relatively modest despite the nationwide increase in value of houses over recent years.

Otago and Dunedin also benefit from relatively low and stable electricity prices and some of the lowest transport costs in the country.

In addition to the cost of living advantages Dunedin also has a very good quality of life, with an average 10 minute commute time, some of New Zealand's best pupil-teacher ratios in its schools, and a world-class research-based university.