Dear Kiwi expats,
You’ve grown and changed while you’ve been away... and so have Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
We’ve tripled in size over the last 25 years. We have always promised sunny days and an enviable lifestyle, but these days we have so much more to offer in terms of career opportunities.
This city by the sea is home to a vibrant community of companies, freelancers, creatives, small businesses, families and friends.
When you are ready to come home, we’d love to have you in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty!
Do keep in touch!
Alex Barrett
#hamiltontotauranga2019
Keep in Touch With Tauranga - 3 ways to stay connected
Sea-Change Stories
Meet Aucklanders who saw the light and moved to Tauranga
Young Holland Beckett Lawyer Ruby Mills Returns to Tauranga
After growing up in Tauranga, Ruby Mills moved down to Dunedin for university where she completed a law degree. While many of her peers were tempted by jobs in big cities, upon graduating, Ruby couldn’t pass on an opportunity to return to her hometown. “I love having my family here and how I can drive…
Andre Jay | A career committed to the success of young people
Priority one caught up with Andre Jay a local young professional who is using his passion for people to guide the future success of Tauranga Moana. Andre Jay is the facilitator for the Imagine, Believe, Achieve programme which is one of Tauranga’s newest programmes designed specifically to engage, inspire and lead our rangatahi (young people)…
Will Dymock | Singapore to Tauranga
Moving to Tauranga had always been on the cards for Will and his young family to be, the impact of COVID-19 just accelerated that plan. Will Dymock has been away from home for a while now, the decision to move back to New Zealand from Singapore with his fiancé was made easier when Will realised…
Rose Treadwell of Waiheke | Finding a Creative Career in Tauranga
Rose Treadwell, the arts-loving, marketing coordinator for Creative Bay of Plenty, moved to Tauranga in 2019 without ever having ever laid eyes on the place. Born and raised in a close-knit community on Waiheke Island before studying music at The University of Auckland, Rose was struggling to break out of retail roles in Auckland, when her…
Alex Barrett | The Future of Work in Tauranga
Alex Barrett had her heart set on moving to Wellington. She was convinced it was where she would have the best opportunities to further her social sciences career. But then a good role came up in Tauranga, and she had a choice to make. Growing up in Hamilton, Alex saw Tauranga as a retirement town…
Naomi Reese of Karuwhā Trust | My Tauranga Homecoming Story
Naomi Reese grew up in Paengaroa – a rural village near Te Puke in the Western Bay of Plenty. After growing up in a tight-knit community with a farm/orchard as her backyard, she moved to Dunedin for university and embraced city life. Her career as a social worker and not-for-profit contractor began in the South…
Gabriel Kennedy | GPS-it Developer Shares his Wellington to Tauranga Story
You could say Gabriel Kennedy has always been a few steps ahead of the rest. By the time Gabriel finished high school, he had already learned enough programming skills to make real money in the gold farming online world. During his gap year, he built an e-commerce website that became a start-up with seven employees. …
Alex Williams | New Marketing Creative at Toi Ohomai On Music, Trading Cities and the Future of Education in Tauranga
Alex Williams cut her ties with Auckland and permanently settled in Tauranga just in time for summer last year. She and her husband Ethan had been ping-ponging between the two cities for six months after buying a house in Papamoa but continuing to work in Auckland. Between moving city, changing jobs, and getting married, it’s…
Kerry Webb of Access Advisors | My Wellington to Tauranga Story
In 2018, Kerry Webb and her partner Duncan quit their jobs, packed up their Wellington flat, and went traveling. After making memories in Europe, Central America, and Mexico, there was one thing they knew for sure: they wanted a beach lifestyle when they moved home. Kerry had grown up in Tauranga, and Mount Maunganui proved…
Liz Hughes of Blue Bamboo on Solopreneur Life in Beautiful Tauranga
In 2014, Liz Hughes felt ready to leave Auckland, but not ready to leave her Auckland job. Determined to move home to the Bay of Plenty, she found a way to have her cake and eat it too. Liz told her managers at Vodafone that she wanted to move to Tauranga, and they agreed that…
Young Holland Beckett Lawyer Ruby Mills Returns to Tauranga
After growing up in Tauranga, Ruby Mills moved down to Dunedin for university where she completed a law degree. While many of her peers were tempted by jobs in big cities, upon graduating, Ruby couldn’t pass on an opportunity to return to her hometown. “I love having my family here and how I can drive…
Andre Jay | A career committed to the success of young people
Priority one caught up with Andre Jay a local young professional who is using his passion for people to guide the future success of Tauranga Moana. Andre Jay is the facilitator for the Imagine, Believe, Achieve programme which is one of Tauranga’s newest programmes designed specifically to engage, inspire and lead our rangatahi (young people)…
Will Dymock | Singapore to Tauranga
Moving to Tauranga had always been on the cards for Will and his young family to be, the impact of COVID-19 just accelerated that plan. Will Dymock has been away from home for a while now, the decision to move back to New Zealand from Singapore with his fiancé was made easier when Will realised…
Rose Treadwell of Waiheke | Finding a Creative Career in Tauranga
Rose Treadwell, the arts-loving, marketing coordinator for Creative Bay of Plenty, moved to Tauranga in 2019 without ever having ever laid eyes on the place. Born and raised in a close-knit community on Waiheke Island before studying music at The University of Auckland, Rose was struggling to break out of retail roles in Auckland, when her…
Alex Barrett | The Future of Work in Tauranga
Alex Barrett had her heart set on moving to Wellington. She was convinced it was where she would have the best opportunities to further her social sciences career. But then a good role came up in Tauranga, and she had a choice to make. Growing up in Hamilton, Alex saw Tauranga as a retirement town…
Naomi Reese of Karuwhā Trust | My Tauranga Homecoming Story
Naomi Reese grew up in Paengaroa – a rural village near Te Puke in the Western Bay of Plenty. After growing up in a tight-knit community with a farm/orchard as her backyard, she moved to Dunedin for university and embraced city life. Her career as a social worker and not-for-profit contractor began in the South…
Gabriel Kennedy | GPS-it Developer Shares his Wellington to Tauranga Story
You could say Gabriel Kennedy has always been a few steps ahead of the rest. By the time Gabriel finished high school, he had already learned enough programming skills to make real money in the gold farming online world. During his gap year, he built an e-commerce website that became a start-up with seven employees. …
Alex Williams | New Marketing Creative at Toi Ohomai On Music, Trading Cities and the Future of Education in Tauranga
Alex Williams cut her ties with Auckland and permanently settled in Tauranga just in time for summer last year. She and her husband Ethan had been ping-ponging between the two cities for six months after buying a house in Papamoa but continuing to work in Auckland. Between moving city, changing jobs, and getting married, it’s…
Kerry Webb of Access Advisors | My Wellington to Tauranga Story
In 2018, Kerry Webb and her partner Duncan quit their jobs, packed up their Wellington flat, and went traveling. After making memories in Europe, Central America, and Mexico, there was one thing they knew for sure: they wanted a beach lifestyle when they moved home. Kerry had grown up in Tauranga, and Mount Maunganui proved…
Liz Hughes of Blue Bamboo on Solopreneur Life in Beautiful Tauranga
In 2014, Liz Hughes felt ready to leave Auckland, but not ready to leave her Auckland job. Determined to move home to the Bay of Plenty, she found a way to have her cake and eat it too. Liz told her managers at Vodafone that she wanted to move to Tauranga, and they agreed that…
