A longer life awaits today's newborns

Newborns can expect to live longer than earlier generations, but New Zealand's birthrate is still below the level required for the population to replace itself, says Statistics New Zealand.

A total of 57,990 live births were registered in New Zealand in the year to June, 28,270 girls and 29,720 boys.

Annual birth rates for the year show New Zealand women average two births per woman, below the level required for a population to replace itself without migration (2.1 births per woman).

Birth rates for New Zealand women aged 30 years and over have increased over the past decade, consolidating the trend toward later marriage, delayed motherhood and smaller families.

In the June 2005 year, women aged 30 to 34 years had the highest fertility rate with 120 births per 1000 women, up from 106 births per 1000 in 1995.

In contrast the fertility rate for women aged under 30 has decreased.

The largest decrease occurred among women aged 20 to 24 years, down 17 per cent from 84 per 1000 in 1995 to 70 per 1000 in 2005.

The median age (half are younger and half older than this age) of New Zealand women giving birth is now 30 years, compared with 29 years in 1995 and 25 years in 1975.

The median age of women giving birth to their first child was 28 years in the year ended June 2005.

The Auckland region with 20,830 births, had the highest number of births in the June 2005 year followed by Canterbury (6560), Wellington (6220) and Waikato (5690). The West Coast region (365) had the lowest number of births. for the same period.

Deaths registered in the June 2005 year totalled 28,440 compared with 28,130 in the June 2004 year. Men who died numbered 14,030 and women 14,400.

The median age at death was 76 years for males and 82 years for females. Just over three-quarters of the deceased were aged 65 years or over, and only 6 per cent were aged under 40 years.

The infant (under one year of age) mortality rate has dropped over the past decade, from seven deaths per 1000 live births in 1995 to 5.5 per 1000 in the June 2005 year.

The natural increase of population (excess of births over deaths) was 29,550 in the June 2005 year.

Natural increase accounted for 77 per cent of the population growth during the June 2005 year and net migration the remaining 23 per cent.

- NZPA