These places offer excellent quality of life, co-working spaces, and high internet speed
For remote workers and digital nomads, the opportunities of where to base themselves are endless. Now, Westpac NZ has revealed the five top spots that offer remote workers excellent quality of life, co-working spaces, and high internet speed.
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First on the list is North of Wellington City, Kāpiti Coast, which is fast becoming the Silicon Valley of New Zealand. The area is currently home to some major tech entrepreneurs who work remotely, and it is estimated that an additional 30,000 people will make Kāpiti their home over the next 30 years.
Kāpiti Coast offers a “relaxed lifestyle coupled with easy access to multiple, easy transport options,” said Kapiti mayor Gurunathan Krishnasamy.
As of December 2021, the median house price in the Kāpiti Coast District was $940,000 – a relative bargain compared to its neighbour, Wellington City. The district is easily accessible to big city amenities – just an hour drive (74.7km) from the capital.
Kāpiti Coast is also one of the most connected provincial regions in the country, with the highest fibre broadband uptake of all NZ regions between March 2020 and March 2021.
Next on Westpac NZ’s list is Thames-Coromandel District which the bank noted has already become a hotspot for Aucklanders relocating out of the city.
The median house price in the area jumped from $763,000 in December 2020 to $1,050,000 in December 2021, according to REINZ data, but it is still much more affordable than in Auckland.
Coromandel is a great option for people wanting a quiet lifestyle and offers more value for their money when it comes to housing. CoreLogic data showed Auckland-based owner-occupiers moving to the region accounted for 9% of the market in 2020 and 12% of the market in 2021.
When it comes to connectivity, 12 Coromandel Peninsula communities have had ultra-fast broadband fibre cables already installed, while two more will have theirs completed by the first half of 2022. This means remote workers here will be able to work online as effectively as they would in any main centre.
Also on Westpac NZ’s list is Rotorua, a tourism hub that boasts one of the fastest internet speeds in New Zealand, with an average of 52.8Mbps.
Located in the Bay of Plenty, Westpac NZ said the town is full of convenient cafes offering free Wi-Fi access and up to 15 co-working spaces to choose from for those who need meeting locations or conference venues.
It’s also an ideal place for people looking for a relaxed lifestyle. Here, they’ll find thermal pools and mud pools to enjoy all year round. The outdoorsy types can also hike around the surrounding mountains, falls, and springs.
The area has a median house price of $700,000 and is one of the more affordable towns to consider, while being only an hour’s drive from the more expensive city of Tauranga.
For remote workers looking for a city lifestyle without the price tag, Westpac NZ said the garden city, Christchurch, is the place to be. It is NZ’s second largest city by population and largest city in the South Island, but the cost of living here is much more affordable than Auckland or Wellington.
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The median house price as of December 2021 in Christchurch City was $700,000, while the Canterbury region as a whole was $680,000. That’s a bargain compared to Auckland City’s median price of $1,434,500 and Wellington City’s $1,161,000, Westpac NZ said.
Last but not least on the bank’s list is Wanaka. Despite the Queenstown-Lakes District median house price being almost that of Auckland, at $1,325,115, Westpac NZ said the quality of life here is worth every penny.
What makes Wanaka an idyllic location for those remote workers wanting a peaceful way of life in the great outdoors are the low crime rates, great air quality, and fast internet.
According to Nomad List, most of Wanaka’s remote workers are software developers and start-up founders. Meanwhile, there’s a growing list of work-from-home jobs being advertised for people based in Queenstown and Wanaka.
In addition to these spots, Westpac NZ also named Wellington as an ideal place for remote workers.
The New Zealand capital has become a popular destination for global citizens wanting to relocate, with its 20,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the city, ultra-fast broadband, and remote working scene.
Ranked 50th best place in the world for digital nomads by Big 7 Travel in 2021, Wellington also creates the ideal ambiance for meeting fellow remote workers and creating networking opportunities with its rich café culture.
