2011: Simon (39) and Rebecca (34) are married with two children – Sally (6) and Sam (3).  They own a 4-bedroom house with large section on the Northshore, and can comfortably afford payments on their $600,000 mortgage.

• Simon works in investment services at a commercial bank. He works long hours and is often stressed. Rebecca works in IT recruitment. She currently works 24 hours a week. Their combined income is $260,000 pa.
• Simon and Rebecca have lived abroad. Their decision to return home in 2006 came with financial and career sacrifices. They returned for the lifestyle. They think it’s a good place to raise children. They are ambitious and have high expectations.
• Rebecca has a few local friends but they socialise mostly with work colleagues. They often spend weekends in the Coromandel, Australia or the Pacific.
• Rebecca is slender and fit. Her fitness regime takes up much of her spare time. She eats and cooks only organic food.
• Simon and Rebecca have limited family time. They make up for this with toys and gadgets that make their children happy.
• Sally and Sam are healthy but demanding, easily distracted and require a lot of adult attention. Sally has had difficulty adjusting to school but is learning to read now. She has made some friends. Sam spends 30 hours a week at creche. He is tired at the end of each day, and a bit of a handful.