Local Employment

Being just 35 minutes by plane from Auckland or Wellington has helped this region develop as there are winding rivers, gorges, surfing and mountain trails to explore, all with a cosmopolitan city, New Plymouth,  on the doorstep. Taranaki is a major dairying region so local produce is excellent for restaurants and cafes. The region is exceptionally fertile; thanks to generous rainfall and the rich volcanic soil and dDairy farming predominates, with the milk factory just outside Hawera being one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. There are also oil and gas deposits in the region, both on- and off-shore. The Maui gas field off the south-west coast has provided most of New Zealand's gas supply. More fuel and fertilizer is produced from a well complex at Kapuni and a number of smaller land-based oilfields. New Plymouth offers excellent accommodation and dining, good galleries and shopping. The nearby town of Hawera is a busy rural centre with a very pretty shopping area. If skiing or the mountaineering are your thing, Stratford is the closest centre to Mt Taranaki. Also if you are looking to work and surf this is the only area with a dedicated surf highway. So, as in most of New Zealand, if you are looking to work in exclusive dining or a café there are plenty of opportunities here.

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