Zombie Towns: Everything I Missed

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

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
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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