More Marlborough people are packing up to move to Australia for what they see as a better lifestyle and more money.

Statistics NZ figures show 385 people left Marlborough during the year to June 30 heading for Australia with the intention of staying long-term. That is more than any year since regional statistics were first recorded in 1992.

The permanent and long-term migration data is based on people saying they intend to leave the country for at least 12 months.

During the same 12 months, 76 Kiwis returned from Australia to Marlborough, and 110 returned to the province from other countries.

A Marlborough couple moved south of Perth with their children, aged 7 and 9, three years ago because they "weren't going anywhere fast" financially in Blenheim.

Wendy Brenssell, 40, said it had been a difficult decision to leave, but she and husband, Mike, who drove trucks from Picton to Christchurch, were told he could earn more in Australia.

"When you've got two young kids you have to put money first," she said.

Mr Brenssell, 42, moved to Western Australia first to test the waters and make sure the information they had been given was correct.

It was – and the family followed about nine months later, Mrs Brenssell said.

Her husband got a job as a long-haul driver making about $100,000 rather than the $40,000 he was earning in Marlborough, and he had since started working in a mine.

They have bought a property in Australia, but have kept their home in Blenheim to give them an option to come back in the future.

Their new home in is a town about the same size and population as Blenheim with property sizes and rates also about the same, she said. But the family got better government family payments, healthcare benefits and more tax back at the end of each year.

"We're better off financially – we don't have to watch every dollar like we did in Blenheim."

Their lifestyle was also better, she said. "Mike does two weeks away and one week at home [for his job], so when he's home he gets to spend time with the kids. That's invaluable to them."

Another Marlborough couple moving to Australia say the better income and lifestyle are behind their move, although they plan to come back eventually.

Kevin "KC" Columbus, a builder, will be following wife Robyn, a nurse, later this month after she found a job as an agency hospital nurse and moved to the Gold Coast five weeks ago.

They have both lived in Blenheim for more than 40 years and had always talked about travelling, he said. Building work was drying up and their two adult daughters had left home, so the time was right.

He did not not have a job lined up but had some contacts. Mrs Columbus was earning more in Australia than she had in New Zealand.

They have decided not to sell their home in Blenheim. "We're not cashing up and moving over. We'll come back home; this will always be home," Mr Columbus said.

THINKING OF MOVING?

Have you gone to Australia and decided to return to New Zealand? We'd like to hear about your experience. Email mailbox@marlexpress.co.nz

- The Marlborough Express

Why are we moving to Oz?

Record 385 leave Marlborough in last year

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:00 01/08/2011

Supplied

MOVING ON: Kevin and Robyn Columbus have lived in Blenheim for more than 40 years, but Robyn has already gone to Australia and Kevin will be following her.

Lure of Australia

A young Blenheim family are joining an increasing number of Marlborough people leaving New Zealand for Australia.

Tane and Deborah Brunt, along with their children, Joshua, 7, Joseph, 5, Anna-Maria, 4, and Ella-Rose, 7 months, will leave Marlborough, with plans to arrived at Port Macquarie, north of Sydney, in October. They will spend time with family in Auckland and Rarotonga on the way.

Data from Statistics New Zealand show 385 people from Marlborough left for Australia permanently or long-term in the year ending June. It is the highest figure since regional statistics were first recorded in 1992.

Mrs Brunt, a junior doctor at Wairau Hospital, in Blenheim, and Mr Brunt, a lawyer at Blenheim law firm Wain & Naysmith, have lived in Marlborough for about four years and are packing up after spending longer in the region than they first expected.

Both did their degrees in Auckland and moved to Blenheim for a few years of experience.

Dr Brunt, who has worked at the hospital for almost three years, did not apply for the state bonding scheme that places new graduates in hard-to-staff areas for up to five years because she did not think the family would be in Blenheim that long. They were looking for a new adventure, a different lifestyle, a chance to pay off debt and for more work experience, she said. All the children were excited about moving.

"The money is attractive ... but lifestyle is very important, too. We don't want to be slaving our guts out, even when you're making the mega-bucks."

Other hospitals around Australia offered more money, but the environment was not right for the children, she said.

Dr Brunt will take up the role of senior house officer at the Port Macquarie hospital, which is slightly larger than Wairau Hospital, and would get to work in other areas of medicine such as intensive care, not available at smaller hospitals in New Zealand.

Mr Brunt will need to apply for a practising certificate in Australia to work as a lawyer and would be a stay-at-home dad until he found a job.

It was a difficult call to leave Marlborough, but they could always come back if they did not like Australia, Dr Brunt said.

Neither had been to Port Macquarie, but had been told of good suburbs and schools by friends in the area.

"We're just going to rock up and do it, otherwise we wouldn't do anything," she said.

Blenheim couple Claire O'Keeffe and Trent Lindsay are also packing their bags, leaving on Saturday to work in Perth before travelling the rest of the world.

Miss O'Keeffe, office administrator, operations and events co-ordinator for the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, said the couple were not sure what to expect in Perth, but will be looking for jobs.

She was unsure what she wanted to do for a career, and an overseas experience was calling.

"When you finish college there's not many opportunities here in Blenheim so you have to move somewhere else."

- The Marlborough Express

Family off to Port Macquarie

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:00 01/08/2011

DEREK FLYNN/Marlborough Express

A NEW CHAPTER: Deborah and Tane Brunt and their children, Ella-Rose, 7 months, Anna-Maria, 4, Joshua, 7, and Joseph, 5, are moving from Blenheim to start a new life in Australia.

Motorbike rides invigorate bikers

Riding a motorcycle is good for the spirit, Wendy Champion says.

It's even better when you are doing it socially with more than 160 other people in Marlborough.

Mrs Champion is a member of the Marlborough branch of the New Zealand Ulysses Club, which is for people over 40 and with an interest in motorcycles.

She often rides her sky-blue 2011 Harley Davidson 883cc with other members and said her favourite route was from Murchison and down the West Coast.

Drivers travel through areas without really experiencing them, she said.

"When you're on a bike, you can smell the environment you're going through. When you're driving, you're on autopilot."

"It's good for the spirit. It sings to my soul and I feel invigorated by it."

The Marlborough branch meets at Shelly's cafe on Rapaura Rd at 10am on Saturdays for a coffee and a catch-up.

Meticulously cared-for motorcycles of all shapes, sizes and vintages line the outside of the cafe. The club organises rides around Marlborough and the country on Wednesdays and Sundays.

- The Marlborough Express

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:00 01/08/2011

SIMON WONG/Marlborough Express

CATCHING UP: Marlborough Ulysses Club members Wendy Champion, Lorraine Brasch, Jill Newman, Jo de Reeper, Nicky Bright and Megan Lawson.

Cherubs grows across the road

Cherubs Childrenswear shop on Wynen St, Blenheim, has outgrown its old store and from today will be trading from a larger storefront across the road.

Owner Lynda Butt said after setting up the family-run business on the original site two years ago, it was "time to spread our wings".

The new store is 140 square metres and will allow the business to sell new lines of stock.

A gift fair in Auckland later this month will be an opportunity to talk to more suppliers and to pick up more lines of stock, she said.

Friends and family helped shift the store when it began packing up on July 22 and the process had been "smooth sailing", if exhausting.

The store closed on Wednesday and was scheduled to reopen at 9am today.

Cherubs used to open at 10am, but the new hours will be 9am to 5pm.

The new store, which was an art gallery, needed minimal work except for a lick of paint, some electrical work, new shelving and a new counter was put in, Mrs Butt said.

- The Marlborough Express

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:00 01/08/2011

SCOTT HAMMOND/Marlborough Express

GROWING: Cherubs Childrenswear owner Lynda Butt has moved the store across Wynen St, Blenheim, so the business can continue to expand.

New rules will boost used-car prices - dealers

Working-class people will be hit the hardest when changes to the emissions standards for second-hand cars occur next year, a Blenheim car dealer says.

From January 1, Japanese imports will have to conform to the Japan 05 emissions test, which is tougher than the Japan 02 standard. This means most cars manufactured before 2005 will be non-compliant.

Richard Bateman, of Richard Bateman Motors, said it would be too costly for many to upgrade their older cars to newer, emissions-compliant vehicles in one go.

Most of his customers were buying cars from the early 2000s and in the $10,000 price range, but none would be compliant under the new standards. It was good to get the older cars off the road, but it needed to be more affordable for people. A more gradual upgrade to compliant cars would make it easier for drivers, he said.

Vehicles he was purchasing were already 10 to 15 per cent more expensive in the lead-up to the change, but he did not know how much prices would increase next year.

"Until we start buying things in the new market, then we'll know [how much prices will increase]. As cars start to run out we're going to see those prices increase."

Importers, who say the changes will hurt consumers, have published figures from a submission to Transport Minister Steven Joyce appealing for a delay.

Mr Joyce has refused and played down the impact of the changes.

The figures show a sharp price difference between the cost of some models that can be imported under the new rules, and those that do not comply. Based on retail prices, the oldest BMW 3 series which can be imported from next year costs $10,000, or 59 per cent, more than the 2004 model, which does not comply.

For the popular Subaru Legacy station wagon, the retail price of the oldest compliant models, manufactured in late 2003, is at least 17 per cent more than cars that will be excluded.

Imported Motor Vehicle Dealers Association chief executive David Vinsen said the figures showed a "step change" in the price of models that accounted for about 30 per cent of used imports. The rule changes would force up the price of cars already in New Zealand because no additional older stock would be brought in.

Used-import numbers could plunge by about 50 per cent next year, because consumers would not be willing to pay the new prices, Mr Vinsen said. Average used-car prices could increase by "thousands of dollars".

Proponents of the changes say although prices could rise next year, several factors could be behind it. New-car sales fell during the recession, dropping 26 per cent between 2008 and 2009 and causing a shortage of quality new cars.

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More recently, New Zealand importers have had more competition when buying used cars in Japan from Chinese and Russian traders. The Japanese tsunami in March has also hit production and destroyed thousands of existing vehicles, squeezing supply.

Mr Joyce said car sales were more aligned to the strength of the general economy than any rule changes, and arguments being used by importers were the same as the last time new standards were introduced in 2008.

"On balance, it's unlikely to be as significant [an increase] as the used-car guys say."

Transport Ministry sources said the figures from by Mr Vinsen were correct, but largely irrelevant. Fresh stocks of used imports accounted for only a fraction of the 3.2 million cars on the road in New Zealand, so a change should not hit prices materially because there was no shortage of supply. Consumers were increasingly using alternatives such as Trade Me to car dealers, and importers could buy old cars before the change.

AA spokesman Mark Stockdale said the changes could lead to higher prices, but they would mean safer, more efficient cars on the road. "There comes a time when we have to bite the bullet and upgrade our fleet."

BY THE NUMBERS

Number of cars in the New Zealand light-vehicle fleet - 3.2 million
Average age of New Zealand light-vehicle fleet - 12.7 years
Number of used cars imported in 2005152,488 Number of used cars imported in 2009 - 68,757
Drop in new-car sales between 2008 and 2009 - 26 per cent
Increase in price of average 3-litre car sold at Turners Auctions at the start of 2011, despite fuel hike - 6 per cent

- The Marlborough Express

SIMON WONG

Last updated 12:31 01/08/2011

Move started with hunt for chair

Cheryl Greer walked into a surplus office equipment auction two months ago looking for an office chair, but walked out with the lease to a building.

This weekend, the Alyssums and Balloons owner, her five part-time staff, friends and even some customers are moving thousands of items of stock about 100 metres along Queen St into the former Century 21 Blenheim building.

The store, which has been at 41 Queen St for about 14 years, will be closed from noon tomorrow and reopen on Wednesday.

Since she signed the lease, Mrs Greer and her staff have been working nights and weekends to repaint and recarpet the new premises and her husband has built a storeroom. They have moved a lot of stock into the new storeroom to make moving day as easy as possible, as well as fitting in a pre-planned three-week holiday.

It will still be a big weekend moving everything from the existing shop, much of it delicate and breakable. They will load everything in to boxes and have borrowed trolleys from Trents Wholesale in Stuart St. Not everything will be wrapped.

"We're going to take the risk. There are a few things which will be bubble-wrapped, like glassware, so they don't chip."

She hoped the stock would be moved by Sunday night ready to start displaying it around the new store, ready for reopening on Wednesday.

The new store front would be more open and light, she said.

It was also slightly bigger and had a better layout.

A kitchen had been installed, so the store could continue to give cooking demonstrations.

"Not a lot of people know we do those," she said.

The business will also have a shorter name. "We're dropping the Balloons. It was an ideal opportunity to do that. People know we sell balloons and they just know us as Alyssums anyway."

Customers and staff have been excited about the move and some regulars have even offered to help on the big day, she said.

As for the chair that Mrs Greer wanted at the auction – she never got it.

- The Marlborough Express

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:00 29/07/2011

MOVING DAY: Alyssums and Balloons in Queen St, Blenheim, will take up residence further along the street. Owner Cheryl Greer and staff will be busy during the weekend making the move

New judge urges young lawyers into provinces

Newly appointed Family Court judge Michael Turner, from Blenheim, encouraged young lawyers to work in the provinces rather than be attracted by the bright lights of the cities, just as he did 25 years ago.

Judge Turner made the remarks during a swearing-in ceremony at the Blenheim District Court yesterday when he addressed friends, family, police and fellow lawyers for the first time sitting on the bench.

Provincial centres often struggled to retain lawyers because they were drawn to the cities, he said.

The rewards of the job went beyond monetary gain and provinces offered a different lifestyle from cities.

"The benefits are the human side – getting to know other practitioners and often being seen by clients as `their' lawyer".

Young lawyers should consider moving to the provinces for a few years and hopefully stay there, he said.

Judge Turner's advice has come from personal experience.

He moved to Blenheim in 1985 after being admitted to the bar in Auckland in 1979 and working as a staff solicitor at private firms there for about five years.

He began work in Marlborough as a partner at Blenheim firm Wisheart Macnab and Partners, and left the practice in 1996 to set up sole practice as a barrister.

Becoming a district court judge was "the pinnacle of my career" and he eagerly awaited the challenge ahead of him, he said.

He praised the support and help from his family, fellow lawyers, court staff and police.

Judge Turner will spend the rest of the year in Wellington before becoming a judge in Invercargill next year.

He follows other Marlborough lawyers into the judiciary. Craig Thompson was appointed principal Environment Court judge in 2009 and Brian Dwyer as an Environment Court judge in 2006.

Deputy Solicitor-General Matthew Palmer said Mr Turner's appointment related to the confidence fellow judges, the public, lawyers and the Crown had in his integrity, skills and judgment.

Family Court judges must deal with human emotions with patience and understanding, and Judge Turner's experience would make him ideal, he said.

Lawyer Murray Hunt, representing the Marlborough branch of the Law Society, said Judge Turner was held in high regard and would be missed.

"Those who know you have no doubt in your ability," he said.

- The Marlborough Express

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:00 27/07/2011

SCOTT HAMMOND/Marlborough Express

SWORN IN: Blenheim lawyer Michael Turner reads the oath of allegiance as he is sworn in as a Family Court judge by executive judge Ian Mill during a ceremony in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.