Who we are
Our natural landscape has influenced our cities and towns, giving them their own identity and brand
Pavlova paradise
A hundred years ago there were still less than a million people living in New Zealand. Half lived south, half lived north. Half of us lived in the country, half in the towns. Our people were very young, averaging 20 years old.
Today there are about four million of us. Three out of four of us live in the North Island. Eight and a half out of 10 live in towns and cities. We average 35 years old.
We are one of the most urbanised nations. Nearly 86 percent of us live in urban centres whose populations range from 800 people to more than one million. Seventy percent of us live in just 20 cities and towns.
The extreme of the shift to towns and cities is Auckland where Statistics New Zealand predicts a 28 percent population increase between 2001 and 2016. Some smaller regional towns are also growing, like Queenstown, Nelson and Tauranga. The graph shows the growth of our five largest cities, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin between 1886 and 2001.
These five cities plus Waitakere, Manukau and the North Shore together provide 70 percent of total employment in the financial and business services, wholesale, construction and communications sectors, and provide 60 percent of our economic output.
Growth of Five Main Urban Areas Census of Population and Dwellings Selected Years 1886-2001
See chart at full size including text description
Some of our cities had a drop in population between 2004 and 2005, like Invercargill and Wanganui as did the South Island's West Coast. Gisborne and New Plymouth had steady populations.
Compared to the rest of the world New Zealand's towns and cities are fresh. They are often in only their first round of redevelopment. We have lots of towns and cities for such a small population - 138 for a country of about four million people
Our natural landscape has had an influence on our towns and cities, giving them their own identity and brand. Auckland, the city of sails, celebrates its harbours and islands. Wellington, the windy city, is shaped and moulded by its valleys. Christchurch, the garden city, has flat land and meandering rivers.
Landscape also contributes to the feel of some of our towns and cities. They're jumbled, not made up of straight roads, and it makes them feel interactive. Generally, the infrastructure works and our streets are clean. There's a sense of community and we feel secure.
Since most of us live in towns and cities it is important to us that they have good urban design and offer us a high quality of life.
One worldwide survey, by international company Mercer, compared 215 cities around the world using 39 criteria that include political, social, economic and environmental factors; personal safety and health; education; transport; and public services. In 2006 they ranked Auckland 5th best, and Wellington came in 12th. Zurich, Geneva and Vancouver were first, second and third.
Big, and growing
Auckland has about one-third of our people.
It is still growing by almost 2.4 percent a year. Over the past 10 years 580 new people moved there each week.
About 340,000 more people (the population of Christchurch city) are expected to live in the Auckland region in 2016.
Overseas visits in 2005
| Numbers (millions) | Per cent that were holiday-makers | Per cent that were visiting people | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Came to New Zealand | 2.4 | 50 | 28 |
| Left New Zealand | 1.8 | 43 | 30 |
One of the reasons we are attractive to those overseas is our sense of security. Only nine percent of us feel very unsafe walking alone in our neighbourhood at night and another 20 percent felt "a bit unsafe". That means that 71 percent of us feel fine.
2050
New Zealand's populated is projected to reach about five million by 2050. There will be fewer children, more 'oldies' and our average age will be 46 year olds. Almost one in four of us will be over 65. There will be less demand for schools. By 2050 our total population will have peaked and the death rate will have exceeded the birth rate.
Over to you
We have done most of our growing, but we have some shifting and ageing to go. Most of us live in towns and cities, and we are just undertaking our first major rebuild. It's important to get it right.
