The main employers or industries in which people were worked around Ōwhango were, “Primary industry, Department of Conservation. The service industry, tourism.” However, while work was considered available, precarity and instability in the job market was a concern:
"Ōwhango is not just the village, it’s out into the rural community as well. And people doing all sorts of work from earth moving to fencing to…general farming or forestry."
"I think there are lots of people who struggle to get workers. People willing to do the work. I think so. I think there's work if you want it."
"But the people that rely on the Mountain don't know what will happen next week."
"I'd agree with that."
"And even if you work for the Department of Conversation, there's talk about closing down. The Kiwi Sanctuary here... DOC's always being restructured. They've been restructuring for the last 20 years. They lay people off then rehire them."
"There used to be thousands of people working around here on farms. You look at a farm now and it's probably a husband and wife, both working on the farm and lots of contractors and maybe one part time worker."
"I think the rural decline has shrunk to minimum, although forestry might start to impact on that."
"Thought here has been a slowdown in the amount of land being purchased for carbon farming just recently because of changes to… yeah. "
