Abstract
Since the early 2000s, property values have escalated in many coastal areas in New Zealand. While the mainstream media see the increasing property values as a positive economic development, Australian research suggests that migration to coastal settlements and increasing property values in those settlements is a more complex phenomenon and warrants close attention. The Australian research reveals significant social and cultural shifts occurring as well as the more widely discussed ecological impacts. In order to find out more about the social impacts of recent rapid property price increases on previously slow growing and comparatively inexpensive settlements, exploratory research involving interviews with key informants in six small coastal settlements was carried out in 2004. The study demonstrates the importance of micro-level research to complement macro-level analysis of development patterns and contributes to the emergent international literature on nonmetropolitan development trends since the 1990s. It highlights the need for more co-ordinated and integrated development of the small settlements based on a comprehensive assessment of current and future social, economic, and environmental impacts of development.