Tauranga has retained its position as New Zealand's fastest-growing city, heading off northern rivals Auckland and Hamilton.
Figures released yesterday by Statistics New Zealand ranked Tauranga's population growth of 1.6 per cent as the fastest among the main urban areas, ahead of Auckland and Hamilton, which were both up 1.5 per cent.
Tauranga's estimated resident population of 118,200 also continued to edge out Dunedin, which recorded 115,700 residents.
Permanent and long-term migration boosted New Zealand's population in all 16 regions.
The population now stands at 4,315,800.
Net migration was up from 4700 in the year to June 2008, to 12,500 in the year to June 2009, statistician Geoff Bascand said.
Auckland and Canterbury, the two most populated regions, experienced the most growth at 1.5 and 1.2 per cent respectively.
In total, 65 of the 73 territorial authorities recorded a population increase.
The fastest-growing territorial authority was Selwyn District in Canterbury at 2.8 per cent.
Mr Bascand said seventy eight per cent of all New Zealanders lived in a main or secondary urban area. - with NZPA
We're still fastest growing NZ city
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