Campaign aims to attract health workers to the West Coast

A recruitment campaign is trying to encourage healthcare workers to move to the West Coast.

The campaign, launched by Development West Coast, aims to lure people away from big cities with the promise of a slower pace of life and proximity to the natural environment.

Development West Coast chief executive Heath Milne said they wanted to come up with something a bit different.

The campaign video encourages anyone keen to become a ‘weekday warrior’ – exploring the tracks, rivers, beaches and mountains – not just a ‘weekend warrior’, to consider the move.

“The whole world is after healthcare workers and other workers, so [the campaign is] a bit quirky and it’s focusing on people who might fit in with the West Coast as opposed to focusing on what they are going to do when they get here,” Milne told RNZ News.

Milne said there was a large shortage of healthcare workers in the region.

“The need is now. We know that when we started there was 50 vacancies for nurses alone on the Coast. There are other healthcare workers that are required as well, so hey, the target is as many as we can get.”

Development West Coast plans to expand the campaign to include other industries in the coming months.

“The total population of the Coast is 32,000. If I had to put a figure on it, I could say it’s between 500 and 1000 jobs are available here on the Coast,” Milne said.

“If you enjoy the outdoors, if you enjoy not having to spend a whole lot of time in traffic, if you enjoy small teams that are really innovative, then the Coast is the right place.”