CONTENTS: INTRODUCTION, WHAT IS A HOTSPOT?, JOLLY HARBOUR, ANTIGUA - ST. JAMES, BARBADOS - GOLDEN SANDS, BULGARIA - DUBROVNIK, CROATIA - DUBAI, UAE - EL GOUNA, EGYPT - FORTALEZA, BRAZIL - ACCRA, GHANA - GOZO, MALTA - BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - KINSALE, COUNTY DONEGAL, IRELAND - LIMASSOL, CYPRUS - CANCUN, MEXICO - NATAL MIDLANDS, SOUTH AFRICA - NAXOS ISLAND, GREECE - MOUNT MAUNGANUI, LEIGH, NEW ZEALAND - NIMES, FRANCE - ORLANDO, FLORIDA - PANAMA CITY, COSTA BLANCA, PANAMA - KRAKOW, POLAND - LAGOS, REDONDO, PORTUGAL - MURCIA, SPAIN - UNAWATUNA, GALLE, SRI LANKA - PHUKET, PATTAYA, THAILAND - FETHIYE, TURKEY - ISOLA D’ELBA, TUSCANY - QUEENSLAND, ADELAIDE
| MOUNT MAUNGANUI, LEIGH (NEW ZEALAND) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| C O U N T R Y
D A T A
| Population | 3.86 million persons | |||||||||||||||||||
| PopulationGrowth | 1.16% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Land Area | 268,670 sq km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Currency & exchange rate | 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents 1 (NZ$) = £0.3414 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP-PPPMethod | 63,559.0 millions of US dollars | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP Growth | 1.32% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP Per Head | 16,448.0 Thousands of US Dollars Per Person | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Financial | Interest Rate | Inflation Rate | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5.75% | 2.7% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National Bank | Reserve Bank of New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Political | New Zealand is an independent parliamentary democracy and member of the Commonwealth. Government is based on the UK parliament. The conservative National Party and left-leaning Labour Party have dominated New Zealand political life. The last elections were held in July 2002. A minority coalition Government was formed between two parties of the centre-left, Labour (52 seats) and the Progressive Party (2 seats). United Future Party (8 seats) and the Green Party (9 seats) have agreed to work with the government. The centre-right National Party (27 seats), which was in Government from 1990-1999, leads the Opposition The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II and the current Prime Minister is Helen Clark who has been in the position since December 1999. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Social Security | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Languages | English (official), Maori | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Customaries | Same as western cultures. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ethnic Make-up |
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| Tax | Income Tax | Capital Gains Tax | |||||||||||||||||||
Married persons are taxed separately, not jointly, on all types of income.
| New Zealand has no general capital gains tax, although profits from sale of real property may be subject to regular income tax as underlined. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Description | New Zealand is primarily thought of as an agricultural country, but has transformed to an industrialised nation by the economic restructuring that took place after 1984. Saying this, although the sector employs less than 10 per cent of the workforce and contributes just 8 per cent of GDP, agriculture accounts for 40 per cent of the country’s export income primarily from wool, meat and dairy, and woods products. Barley, wheat, maize and fruit are the main crops. It’s major trading partners are Australia, USA, Japan, China, Germany and the UK. New Zealand underwent one of the most radical economic transformations of any Western industrialised country, with wholesale privatisation, the abolition of subsidies, tariff barriers and corporate regulations, and the dismantling of many welfare systems. The country is reputed to be among the most open economies in the world, while inflation has consistently stayed under the government's 3 per cent target since the mid-1990s. Manufacturing has led growth, while traditional sectors have stagnated or shown only modest growth levels. In the long-term, New Zealand will need to reduce its large current account deficit and sustain the growth in productivity, particularly its quality of human capital. | |||||||||||||||||||
| L O C A L
D A T A
| Investor Profile: | Cash & Equity Investor Pension Investor Holiday Investor Retirement Investor Downshifter Investor Business Investor | ||||||||||||||||||
| Category: | Bronze | |||||||||||||||||||
| Population:
| Total | British | ||||||||||||||||||
| 30,000 | 300 or less | |||||||||||||||||||
| Climate: | Hours of Sunshine Per Day in Summer | Days of Rain Per Year | January | July | Average Water Temp. | |||||||||||||||
| 2,200 of sunshine per year | 1,200 - 1,600 mm of rainfall every year | 12C | 24C | 18C | ||||||||||||||||
| Proximity to: | Airport | Beach | Nearest City | |||||||||||||||||
| The Tauranga Airport is about 2km from Tauranga and just minutes from Mount Maunganui | Mount Maunganui Beach | Tauranga | ||||||||||||||||||
| Restaurants and bars: | Nice restaurants at the marina with interesting people rambling around. Colourful and aromatic dishes are proudly displayed. There are many varieties to choose from Turkish, Seafood, Chinese, Indian, Steakhouse, Italian, Turkish, Japanese, Thai, Pizza's, etc A good selection of bars and pubs line the streets in Mount Maunganui and nearby Tauranga. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sports and leisure facilities: | Mount Maunganui has a multi purpose port, catering for cruise ships, and cargo ships as well as a very nice marina for sailboats and launches. The combination of a great climate, a choice of venues as well as the harbour and ocean, Mount Maunganui ideal for indoor and outdoor recreation with some of the more daring being Dolphin swimming, skydiving, active volcanic island trips, Coromandel tours, rafting and surfing. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Transport: | Public Transport | Roads | ||||||||||||||||||
| InterCity Coachline operates daily services to Mount Maunganui and the surrounding Bay of Plenty region. Comfortable, air-conditioned transport. Good bus network, and ferries available to get to other smaller islands. | Good condition and excellent links to south island. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Crime rate: | Low | |||||||||||||||||||
| Main types of employment | Service and Sales Workers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Future plans: | No published information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Yield range | 6 – 8% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Type of property | Entry Price | Rent- Peak | Rent- Off Peak | Average Annual Yield | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 bed apartment | £50,000 | £250 | £250 | 6% | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 bed apartment | £80,000 | £400 | £400 | 6% | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 bed townhouse | £70,000 | £500 | £400 | 7.7% | ||||||||||||||||
| Detached | £85,000 | £500 | £500 | 7% | ||||||||||||||||
| Demand for letting | Peak | Off peak | ||||||||||||||||||
| Quite High | Moderate to average | |||||||||||||||||||
| Finance and leisure scores: | Total (out of 10) | Financial (out of 5) | Leisure (out of 5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Flights scheduled from: | London airports and other major cities. Connection flight usually required. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Typical cost of flights: | Peak | Off Peak | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1200 – 3000 GBP | 900 – 1400 GBP | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operators: | Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, British Airways, Qantas Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines Company. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Description: | The mountain of Mount Maunganui, also known to the local Maori people as Mauao, is shrouded in legend and history. It’s the dominant geological feature of the Tauranga District, with its conical rocky outline rising 232 metres above sea level. It has been of great importance to local Maori for more than six centuries as a place of occupation and later as a refuge for defence. Mount Maunganui is a wonderful sunny holiday resort, with its prominent volcanic cone that gives it its name, it is popular with surfers. I had to include somewhere in Australasia as it is so popular with us British! There was only one area (see Queensland below) in Australia worth mentioning as they have had a boom like us in the UK. This area in New Zealand is very affordable with entry prices for 1 bed flats found at £35,000. Obtaining finance for UK residents is very easy at high Loan To Values of up to 80%. Yields are not so great but capital growth prospects are above average as it is one of the last few areas yet to boom. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hot Website: | www.mountmaunganui.co.nz/ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Estate Agents: | Name | Address | Tel | Web | ||||||||||||||||
| The Reef | 178 Marine Parade, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand | +64-7-574 6220 | www.thereef.co.nz the.reef@xtra.co.nz | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastside Real Estate | 438 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand | +64 7 575 8018 | mount@eastreal.co.nz | |||||||||||||||||
| Harcourts - Central | PO Box 5031 Mount Maunganui | +64 7 575 6384 | homelife@wave.co.nz | |||||||||||||||||
| LJ Hooker - Commercial | PO Box 5418, Mount Maunganui | +64 7 574 3888 | bop@ljhcommercial.co.nz | |||||||||||||||||
| Letting Agents: | Name | Address | Tel | Web | ||||||||||||||||
| Cutterscove | 136 Marine Parade Mt Maunganui New Zealand | 64 7 575 4136 | www.cutterscove.co.nz/
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| The Reef | 178 Marine Parade, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand | +64-7-574 6220 | www.thereef.co.nz
the.reef@xtra.co.nz | |||||||||||||||||