Central Southland is an affluent farming area experiencing boom conditions. Winton township is a retirement centre for the local farming people. Approximately 2500 people live within the township with the balance living in rural districts within about a 20km radius.
The Winton community is well catered for with a library, restaurants, good shopping, an 18-hole golf course and over 60 clubs and organizations. There are four primary schools and Central Southland College is a good 620-pupil secondary school. Tertiary education is available at the Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill. It offers a range of courses and it does not charge fees.
The province of Southland is currently leading the country with its economic performance. Its main industries are farming, with a strong dairy influence, tourism and forestry.
Invercargill is New Zealand's southern-most city with a population of approximately 50,000 people. It has all the amenities of a city. There are a range of restaurants, a central business district, good shopping, a large swimming pool complex and a high quality sports stadium for local and nationally significant sporting activities and events,a cycling velodrome that is the envy of the rest of nz, a civic theatre for local and live touring performances of the arts, a movie complex, large parks and a museum and art galleries.
New Zealand's premier ski fields are 90 minutes drive away in Queenstown, which is a beautiful and highly sought-after holiday location for New Zealanders and overseas visitors. More ski fields are located at Wanaka another 90kms further north of Queenstown.
Fiordland is even closer to Winton and this huge national park offers scenic lakes and bush country that features a number of New Zealand's internationally renown' Great Walks'. i.e Milford . Greenstone and Caples tracks.
The Winton Community is keen to support an ongoing medical presence. Winton is neither small nor remote and yet it has all the benefits of a rural environment, with a close proximity to Invercargill and it's many amenities and airport. Day trips from Winton to all the major southern South Island attractions such as Queenstown, Fiordland, Stewart Island, and the increasingly popular south coast, are easily achievable.
Winton offers an ideal home-base for people wishing to enjoy a slower, stable lifestyle, while experiencing the New Zealand lifestyle.
For additional information on Southland visit www.southlandnz.com