BBC spotlights Wellington region in reality TV show

Media Release

Date 8.8.2011

BBC spotlights Wellington region in reality TV show

Wellington and the Kapiti Coast are to receive a multi-million dollar profile on prime-time British TV – thanks to a reality TV series showcasing people looking at immigrating ‘down-under’ to start new lives.

The TV show is called Wanted DownUnder, and focuses on average British couples and families wanting to start new lives in New Zealand. The BBC flies the potential immigrants out to New Zealand for a week and introduces them to the Kiwi way of life – profiling lifestyle options, employment opportunities, and a range of homes they can afford.

A BBC production crew has been quietly filming in Wellington and Kapiti Coast this month – hosting families and couples at various locations, and showing them potential Wellington lifestyles should they choose to immigrate here.

Leading New Zealand real estate company Bayleys worked with the BBC to introduce the British immigrants to a range of residential properties during their stays. The Bayleys ‘open home’ tours will play a prominent part in the Wanted DownUnder TV series when it screens on the BBC early next year.

Bayleys Wellington residential manager Babette Newman the company’s filming arrangement with the BBC delivered an outstanding opportunity to promote Wellington and Kapiti Coast properties to a massive UK audience of some two million viewers.

“This has been an incredible opportunity for promoting the greater Wellington region – spotlighting what a beautiful city and province we live in, our open-hearted nature in the capital, our magnificent scenery, and how easy it is to begin a new life here and buy a home,” said Ms Newman.

“The exposure the Wellington region, and New Zealand, gets from this show when it screens in the UK is worth tens of millions of dollars. It’s the sort of publicity New Zealand’s tourism bodies could never afford in their budgets… that’s how big this will be.

“Bayleys has been honoured to have worked so closely with the BBC throughout the Wanted DownUnder series. Bayleys has profiled a range of Kiwi properties worth between $600,000 and $800,000 - showing British audiences what their pound can buy when they immigrate to New Zealand.

“Marketing opportunities like this rarely come along. Bayleys was justifiably excited about adding this promotional activity to our already strong international marketing campaigns – adding value to our customer relationships and bringing in a whole new category of potential buyer.”

The properties to be featured on the show are as varied as Bayleys’ extensive portfolio. Among the home attributes on show during the various episodes are trendy city fringe dwellings overlooking Wellington Harbour, through to a substantial family home set on a hillside on the Kapiti Coast.

There is the potential that the current series of Wanted DownUnder being filmed in and around the Wellington region could appear on New Zealand TV screens some time in the new year.

Bayleys’ promotion in Wanted DownUnder will complement the real estate agency’s other UK marketing activities, which include:

• A substantial presence at the Opportunities New Zealand Expos which ran in London and Leeds last month. Both events attracted more than 8,000 prospective new immigrants keen on learning more about the lifestyle opportunities and residential properties on offer in New Zealand.
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• Distribution of Bayleys Global magazine- a full colour glossy publication produced specifically for the UK and European markets to profile and sell New Zealand properties.
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