Nelson, but I've lived here for 2 years so also biassed
see post on Locations board regarding my version of pros & cons! (because I'm feeling too lazy to c&p, sorry - was up most of the night).
I would say rather than looking for where you want to live, look for where you could work - if by PA you mean Physician's Assistant then there are very few DHBs currently employing them. You may find you're limited to the larger teaching hospitals (although they are the ones most popular to work at and therefore the ones with the least demand for non-medically-qualified health care workers). If she can redirect her skillset to something within a specialist nursing role she may find a slightly larger job market.