Working in the Taranaki region offers the perfect opportunity to experience rural New Zealand at its best. With Mount Taranaki providing a rather dramatic backdrop, the region is home to beautiful beaches, rugged forests, and an abundance of farmland.
In this Taranaki location guide, we highlight the area’s unique benefits and attractions and provide a quick rundown of its primary healthcare facilities. This post is part of a wider series showcasing what working in New Zealand is like.
About Taranaki – Everything You Need To Know
Spanning an area of approximately 723,610 hectares, the Taranaki district spreads from the coastal township of Mōkau in the north down to Ōkato in the south and includes the townships of Stratford and Hawera, the smaller rural communities of Patea, Inglewood, Urenui, Waitara, and Ōakura, and the region’s largest (and only) city – New Plymouth.
Located halfway between Auckland and Wellington on New Zealand’s west coast, the Taranaki region is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. It offers a wide range of outdoor activities, including river rafting, surfing, skiing, forest walks, and multi-day hikes as well as a regular events calendar throughout the year.
Cost Of Living In Taranaki
Taranaki is not expensive to live in when compared to other areas of New Zealand largely due to the fact that housing costs are much lower. This makes purchasing your own home a much more achievable goal when living in Taranaki. Rent is also lower; however, at times there can be a shortage of available properties.
Average daily living costs in Taranaki are similar to those in the rest of New Zealand; however, sometimes travel costs can be higher due to its more remote location. Essential services such as electricity and internet are readily available with various pricing/plan options. These services are generally charged at similar rates across New Zealand.
Taranaki Demographics
What is the average age of people living in Taranaki? According to the 2023 Census data, the median age is 40.4, compared to 38.1 New Zealand-wide.
Taranaki’s population is more prominently represented by older people who fall into the over 65 category and younger people under the age of 15 years, with both categories comprising approximately 40% of the resident population. This is likely due to the affordable housing and broad appeal for people with young families.
Transportation In Taranaki
Getting around Taranaki is best achieved by private vehicle. Most people living in Taranaki will have their own form of transport, mainly due to the area’s relative remoteness.
Public transportation to Mt Taranaki and the many parks and outdoor spaces does not exist. However, regular bus services are available within New Plymouth City with links to the main areas such as Hawera, Opunake, Kaponga, Manaia, Ohawe and Waverley. New Plymouth also has a domestic airport, which offers easy access to flights to other New Zealand towns and cities.
Taranaki Weather And Climate
New Plymouth and the Taranaki region offer up some fresh winter days with temperatures around 6-8°C, often colder when there is a cold wind coming off the mountain. Summer sees averages of around 20°C, with the proximity to the ocean keeping temperatures fairly mild (very rarely climbing above 30°C).
The Taranaki region has pretty high rainfall levels, with areas north of Mount Taranaki experiencing levels in excess of 2000mm per year. The Egmont National Park at the base of Mount Taranaki is particularly wet with even higher rainfall.
Education Services In Taranaki
Parents seeking work in Taranaki will be pleased to know that New Zealand’s primary and secondary education system is readily available to those living here. Many primary schools are scattered across the district, primarily in New Plymouth, Waitara, and Hāwera, along with fourteen High Schools.
Three Kura Kaupapa Māori schools teach principally in the Māori language in the Taranaki region. Higher education includes various industry training institutions and the Tai Poutini Polytechnic Te Pukenga (T/A Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki).
Top 5 Things To Do In Taranaki
An outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, New Plymouth and Taranaki provide plenty of opportunities to enjoy active pursuits whether you’re a land or water person. Here are our top 5 things to do in Taranaki.
- Hike Mount Taranaki. The focal point of the region, the majestic Mount Taranaki (also known as Mount Egmont), is a symmetrically shaped volcano surrounded by the lush native forests of Egmont National Park. You will find a multitude of walks and excursions for the avid hiker ranging from the 20 minute walk to the picturesque Dawson Falls through to Egmont National Park’s premier multi-day day tramp along the Pouākai Circuit.
- Enjoy New Plymouth. The largest town in the Taranaki district, New Plymouth is famous for its superb surfing, relaxing coastal walkway, and the multitude of historic sites, parks and gardens. A key feature of New Plymouth is the 52-hectare Pukekura Park, which was established in 1852 and now hosts flowering gardens, towering trees, and lakes covered with waterlilies and rowboats – and let’s not forget the famous Festival of Lights, which is held across December and January of each year!
- Wander Along New Plymouth’s Coastal Walkway. Winding its way along the Taranaki region’s coastline for approximately 13.2km, the coastal walkway provides numerous access points and is perfect for walking, running, cycling, skateboarding, skating and scooting. Don’t miss Len Lye’s iconic Wind Wand sculpture – and the unique Te Rewa Rewa Bridge across the Waiwhakaiho River.
- Go Surfing. Known as ‘Surf Highway 45’, Taranaki’s wild and windy coastline draws surfers from all across New Zealand, with many popular surfing spots firm favourites for locals, including the Oakura, Fitzroy, Stent Road Kumara Patch and Ohawe beaches. Whether you are seeking to ride the perfect wave or just dip your toes in the water, Taranaki has some of the countries most secluded beaches to surf, swim or sunbathe.
- Visit Stratford And Hawera. Just a short drive away from New Plymouth you will encounter the quaint little town of Stratford, the gateway to the iconic Forgotten World Highway and the closest town to Egmont National Park. Named after Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford is home to New Zealand’s only Glockenspiel instrument featuring a sequence from the classic play Romeo and Juliet. Meanwhile, Hawera is the second-biggest centre in the Taranaki region, where you will find the southern hemisphere’s largest single-site dairy factory and the 54-metre Hawera Water Tower – one of Taranaki’s best-known landmarks.
Healthcare Facilities In Taranaki
The Taranaki district healthcare authority Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Taranaki is made up of just two hospitals; the Taranaki Base Hospital and Hāwera Hospital, and five additional Health Centres located in Mokau, Opunake, Patea, Stratford, Waitara.
The district covers a regional population of close to 118,000 people. The key services provided across these facilities include Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Anaesthesia, General Surgery, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Dental, Urology, and Older People Health and Rehabilitation.
Taranaki Base Hospital offers modern inpatient and theatre facilities, having completed an $80 million redevelopment in 2013 and the installation of a state-of-the-art Angiography suite in 2016. A 45-minute drive south of New Plymouth, Hāwera Hospital offers a comprehensive health service and is also home to Taranaki’s Rural Hospital Medicine Training Programme.
Employing over 2,500 people in total, Taranaki DHB is big enough to offer a variety of specialisations, professional pathways, training and education opportunities and a teaching secondary hospital but small enough to allow doctors to have a real impact on their patients and careers. As a result, it’s a great place for medical professionals to work, providing access to extensive professional development, up-to-date facilities using the latest IT systems, and opportunities to participate in local projects and regional collaboration teams.
There are also excellent staff benefits and facilities available, including a well-equipped recreation centre, an Employee Assistance Programme, staff discounts, a Workplace Wellness Committee, a quality staff hostel and access to online discussion forums and classifieds on the staff intranet.
Working In Taranaki
A heavy reliance on the region’s natural and physical resources means farming and other land-based activities including oil and gas production are major contributors to the local economy.
Positive employment growth over the past 10 years with an average of 1.3%pa shows steady improvement, however if you are looking for work within the agricultural industry, employment opportunities in the Taranaki region are likely to be higher.
Manufacturing, the construction industry, and the health care and social assistance industries also provide good job opportunities, which all contribute the largest number of jobs available in the region.
For diverse outdoor activities, stunning scenery and hospitals that provide the best of both worlds, the Taranaki region is the place to be. To learn more about the region and any potential locum and permanent opportunities, please contact the team today.
