Greymouth is in the middle of a facelift as growth in the West Coast's minerals and mining sector starts to flow through to the region, with average salaries there now higher than in the main centres.
Job growth on the West Coast is up 2.7%, four times the national average of 0.7%, with a third of new roles advertised paying over $100,000.
It comes as the region's mining sector ramps up: the $400 million Snow River Gold Mine is due to be up and running by the end of the year, and the Government has committed $50 million to two mineral processing plants.
Grey District Council economic development group manager Peter O'Sullivan says the growth has given the Coast a confidence boost. "We're almost on the crest of a wave," he said. "Now it's all about making this the place people want to come and build their lives."
One of the clearest signs is the gradual rejuvenation of Greymouth's town centre, with several new builds completed and more in the pipeline.
Salaries are outpacing the main centres and job growth is four times the national average — here's what's driving the turnaround. (Source: 1News)
The brand new $24 million library, which opened recently right on the river, is one example — a collaboration between local and central government and Development West Coast.
Membership has tripled since it opened, with Grey District Council community group manager Penny Kirk describing it as "an incredible space" that had brought an influx of people into the area.
"We never had parking issues, now there are parking issues in this part of town, it's gone crazy."
Locals 1News spoke to were just as enthusiastic. "We're getting the old West Coast back," said one.
Another said, "I think it's brilliant, the town needed somewhere you could sit and have a look at the river."
Development West Coast chief executive Heath Milne said the library was probably "the best thing to happen to Greymouth for a very long time".
On the other side of town, the cultural centre Pounamu Pathways is another example of joint funding making a difference. "It's probably in the last two or three years we have finally seen some new investment come to the town, which just hasn't happened for many years," Milne said.
A purpose-built home for Māori health has also just opened in Greymouth. Poutini Ngāi Tahu chief executive Lisa Tumahai said: "Not only is the timing right and the capital injection is there to make those investments, but I think it's necessary — we've got a lot of buildings that aren't fit for purpose in this wee town, and this wee town deserves to have some investment into it to give it a bit of an uplift."
Despite the new builds and refurbishments, there's still a swathe of circa-1900s properties in need of some love, as Coasters await changes to earthquake-prone building reform legislation.
"Many owners and developers are in that state of pause at the moment, waiting to see what happens," O'Sullivan said.
He has a wish list too: "We've got an empty section over here to build a five-star hotel, cause that's what we could do with — there are development opportunities here to be had."
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