A former Blenheim couple living in Western Australia say seeing people in Marlborough struggling is affirmation they made the right move.
Jacque and John "JT" Taylor and four of their eight children left Marlborough five years ago, when John was headhunted for a rugby coaching job.
Mrs Taylor, who works for the WA Local Government Association, said the family moved to get ahead, and her husband's job offer "could not be passed up".
One daughter and son-in-law worked in the mining industry, another son-in-law worked in engineering, and her 18-year-old son was earning $29 an hour in a warehouse.
Their youngest child attends a private school, which Mrs Taylor said the family would never be able to afford in New Zealand.
Mrs Taylor has also signed a recording deal with Universal Music for her original music.
"We both have very good jobs, and our respective careers in rugby and music have flourished.
"We still love Blenheim and we love visiting, but whenever we come home we see how people are struggling. I don't know how people are surviving there."
Another Marlborough family who moved to Western Australia two years ago say they are less constrained financially than when they were living in Blenheim. Angelea Clarke said she, her partner and their two children, aged 10 and four, moved for financial reasons.
In Blenheim, the single-income family were struggling to make ends meet with their mortgage and increasing food and utility bills, she said.
"The money just wasn't stretching far enough."
Going out for dinner or on family trips was planned and saved for in advance, and holidays were "out of the question".
The family moved to Australia after Ms Clarke's partner was offered the same job, but for twice as much money.
She said the move was stressful, and she constantly worried if it was the right decision, but now believed it was.
They can now dine out once a week and spend weekends away, and have just returned from a two-week holiday in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
No regrets: Blenheim couple Jacque and John "JT'' Taylor and their children moved to Western Australia, where they say they have many more opportunities than in Marlborough
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