Zombie Towns: Everything I Missed Archiv

One factor more than any other has stopped Balclutha being a 'zombie town': immigration. In the 30 years following Rogernomics, the town lost thousands of people (mostly the young), but in the last 10 years something has changed. New people have arrived - from Auckland but also from much further afield. The second most common language in Balclutha is now Samoan. The influx of new people and cultures has fundamentally changed the economic future of South Otago.

In this episode, Shamubeel talks to:

Jamie [*didn’t want his surname used] - relocated to Balclutha from Auckland looking for a better life for his young family

Bryan Cadogan - former mayor of South Otago

Salu Tūia-Taaville - Samoan migrant

Setivi Tūia-Taaville - Samoan migrant

Michelle de Castro-Morado - Philippines migrant and business owner

Raj and Lata Chandel - migrants from India and restaurant owners

Rebecca Coote - manager at Finegand freezing works

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The Tokoroa story is the jobs story. Shamubeel meets a number of young people who are not in employment or training to try to find out why the town's unemployment rate is twice as high as neighbouring Hamilton. And he discovers that, during difficult times with mill closures, the local council has been instrumental in helping people find jobs.

In this episode, Shamubeel talks to:

Gary Petley - mayor of South Waikato

Mark O’Leary - Tokoroa business owner

Memphis Rangiwhakawa - school dropout and unemployed’

Paniora Daniels - ‘Project Phoenix’

Liam Goodwin - unemployed

Eileen Hauraki - young mother who recently got a building apprenticeship

Maria Te Kanawa - head of the local iwi organisation Raukawa

Julius Daniels - head of the Tokoroa YMCA

Newa Winikerei - renter facing eviction

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

40 years ago, the reforms of Rogernomics blindsided many businesses in South Otago as the New Zealand economy transitioned from one where local businesses were protected to one where 'the free market' decided who were the winners and the losers. Shamubeel finds that sometimes the losers and the winners in Balclutha are exactly the same people - but he also discovers a growing conflict between local government and central government.

In this episode, Shamubeel talks to:

Steve Hill - CEO of South Otago District Council

Dr Branko Sijnja - Balclutha general practitioner

Rebecca Coote - manager at Finegand freezing works

Bill Keith - survivor of Rogernomics and engineering business owner

Hamish Keith - engineering company owner

Mike Hurring - Balclutha entrepreneur

Jock Martin - mayor of Clutha District

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Shamubeel is back in Balclutha, trying to understand why some of the financial statistics seem to be tracking in the right direction, finally. And what he discovers is that 10 years ago, some locals - determined their town wasn't going to die - created a unique model to build new houses. But more than that, they set about trying to make sure their towns got 'younger.'

In this episode, Shamubeel talks to:

Bryan Cadogan - former mayor of South Otago

Joyce Beck - community volunteer

Evan Dick - farmer and community ‘mover and shaker’

Amber Mowat - home owner

Kobe Thomson - home owner

Mark van Asperen - Balclutha Otago District Council

Steve Hill - CED of South Otago District Council

Shannon Burt - builder

Annaliesse Bissett - school leaver

Elri Geldenhuys - school leaver

Mike Wright - principal of South Otago High School

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Tokoroa is a new town which sprung up because South Waikato is able to produce some of the fastest growing pine trees in the world. Forestry meant that South Waikato was once one of the wealthiest regions of New Zealand. But today it is one of the poorest as globalisation forced the loss of jobs. Just as Balclutha struggled 40 years ago, Tokoroa is struggling now.

In this episode, Shamubeel talks to:

Andrew Dobbs - redundant mill worker

Gary Petley - mayor of South Waikato

Alan Blair - former millworker

Apii Solomon - Tokoroa teacher and member of the Tokoroa Cook Islands community

Red Middlemiss - unionist

Lisa Karauma - former millworker, now works in retail

Larry Sullivan - retailer and Tokoroa stalwart

Nancy Chhur - Cambodian immigrant and business owner

Thelma Popata - Tokoroa gym owner

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub recounts how the term 'zombie towns' created an outcry in rural New Zealand. Now, a decade on, he wants to understand if anything has changed in the provinces. Did he miss something back then? Why have the economic statistics started to change - albeit slowly? What's going on in New Zealand's economic heartland? He chooses to focus on two towns: Balclutha and Tokoroa. He travels first to South Otago, where he quickly discovers locals determined to show him they are not the walking dead.

In this episode, Shamubeel talks to:

Nigel Stirling - South Otago farmer and former RNZ economics correspondent

Ruth Baldwin - manu whenua

Bryan Cadogan - three-term mayor of South Otago

Olive Glover - lost two farms as a result of Rogernomics reforms

Dr Branko Sijnja - Balclutha general practitioner

You can read more about the series on the RNZ website here

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details