After a deluge of interest, the mayor the New Zealand town of Kaitangata wants to make it clear that yes, it has plenty of jobs, and housing is relatively inexpensive and available, but no one is paying thousands of dollars for people to move there.
A release on the city's website indicates that housing and land packages are available for $160,000, not that the city is paying people that amount to move there.
"There is currently a story that has been published by overseas media that we are paying people $160,000 to move to Kaitangata and people should ring the Mayor about it," according to a release. "This is NOT TRUE. People are not being paid to move to Kaitangata and you should not contact the Mayor about it."
Kaitangata is a picturesque town with a population of about 800, a multitude of affordable housing and almost 1,000 available jobs but not enough people to fill them.
The promotion for cheap housing and land worked.
There were more than 5,000 messages left for Mayor Bryan Cadogan Saturday, according to the New Zealand Herald. People from Syria, Poland, the United States and Britain called with interest in moving there."
"It has perked the spirits of the locals up hugely," Cadogan told the Guardian. "We don't know how to deal with this. We're unprepared."
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