Perhaps residents in this age group are leaving to find work or better paid employment. We also discuss the changes in the age groupings of Flaxmere. Overall, Flaxmere has a youthful population but one that is also showing signs of ageing. We note an ageing population and fewer children compared with 2006 and 2001.
Despite the decline in children numbers, Flaxmere still has a youthful population compared with the overall Hawke's Bay population - 47 per cent is under 25 compared with 31 per cent in the wider population. In 2013, 2931 children were living in Flaxmere with 1521 in the 15-24 group. In 2013, 807 residents were 65 years or over compared with 544 in 2006.
When comparing ethnicity, a higher proportion of Maori and Pacific people live in Flaxmere compared with the total Hawke's Bay population - 56 per cent of the population were Maori in 2013 compared with 24 per cent for the total Hawke's Bay population and 23 per cent were Pacific people compared with 4 per cent in the total population.
Next, we discuss family composition and how Flaxmere has a high rate of one parent households. Flaxmere has 41 per cent of one parent households compared with 22 per cent for Hawke's Bay. This then leads on to income. Flaxmere households are more reliant on Work and Income benefits compared with overall households - 19.4 per cent of households have the Domestic Purposes Benefit as an income source compared with 6.9 per cent for Hawke's Bay. And 18.2 per cent of Flaxmere households rely on either a sickness benefit or an invalid benefit for income compared with 9.4 per cent overall. .
Finally, we discuss housing.
Home ownership rates in Flaxmere have dropped, with more than half of households not owning their own home - a significant change in home ownership coming in 2001 to 2013.
In 2013, 49 per cent of households in Flaxmere owned or partly owned their home or their home was owned by a family trust, compared with 54 per cent in 2006 and 57 per cent in 2001. In 2001, 41 per cent of Flaxmere households did not own their own homes and, by 2013, that had increased to 51 per cent, compared with 34 per cent in Hawke's Bay. Flaxmere has more renters compared with Hawke's Bay generally - 780 households rent from landlords who are private people, trusts or businesses; 210 households, or 20 per cent, have Housing NZ as a landlord.
More people are in households with less income per household. The median Flaxmere household income is 70 per cent of the national median and 80 per cent of the total Hastings District median.
As we reflect on the overall data, changes in home ownership and the decline of the population in the 25-34 years are standout areas. Housing and meaningful employment for the people of Flaxmere are areas we need to focus on. We also conclude that given the low home ownership levels, the quality of housing is largely in the hands of landlords.
-Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.
