Gisborne Herald
  • Gisborne Herald Home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Gisborne
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Hawke's Bay

Media

  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Opinion
Home / Gisborne Herald / Opinion

Shrinking population rebalances in long term

Opinion by
Gisborne Herald
10 Jul, 2023 05:06 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Re: Degrowth and regrowth.

As Richard Whitley says (July 6, “Worst case”), Japan is facing a tanking birthrate and an increasingly aged population, and this was not achieved in a stable and controlled manner.

However it is not, as he claims, a worst-case scenario, just a difficult one. It has to happen, however you try to control it. Falling birthrates will mean an aging population, with economic and social consequences, but it’s a passing phase: the old die faster than the young, and the situation rebalances in the long term.

You can’t fight that with ongoing growth in a fixed world and a diminishing ecology, but the energy of the workforce in the developed world can support the old rather more, and produce junk rather less, while we all consume less, working towards a demographic balance, and an environmental one, and much closer equality among the nations.

Gavin Maclean

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Premium
Business
|Updated

Huge queues as EB Games' closing down sale sparks rush for final deals

15 Jan 02:10 AM
Gisborne Herald

‘Laugh and cry’: Gisborne nurse’s raw book about ED life and beloved horse

15 Jan 12:30 AM
Gisborne Herald

Major highways road projects restart, farmers stop fire spread, level 2 water restrictions

14 Jan 11:58 PM

Sponsored

Discover Australia with AAT Kings’ easy-going guided holidays 

15 Jan 12:33 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Premium
Premium
Huge queues as EB Games' closing down sale sparks rush for final deals
Business
|Updated

Huge queues as EB Games' closing down sale sparks rush for final deals

Shoppers queued at stores from Albany to Whangārei for sale discounts of up to 50%.

15 Jan 02:10 AM
‘Laugh and cry’: Gisborne nurse’s raw book about ED life and beloved horse
Gisborne Herald

‘Laugh and cry’: Gisborne nurse’s raw book about ED life and beloved horse

15 Jan 12:30 AM
Major highways road projects restart, farmers stop fire spread, level 2 water restrictions
Gisborne Herald

Major highways road projects restart, farmers stop fire spread, level 2 water restrictions

14 Jan 11:58 PM


Discover Australia with AAT Kings’ easy-going guided holidays 
Sponsored

Discover Australia with AAT Kings’ easy-going guided holidays 

15 Jan 12:33 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Gisborne Herald
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Gisborne Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP