Editorial: Five million Kiwis can't be wrong - Go NZ!

This little jewel in the South Pacific is home to five million of the luckiest people on the planet. Image / Suomi NPP satellite.

EDITORIAL:

What a curious way for Aotearoa to reach the five million population milestone - the borders are all-but closed, folks reduced to mingling only in small groups, churches only tentatively opening doors today for the first time in almost two months.

But there is so much to be grateful for, our health chief among them. Footage from overseas where health services have been overrun by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic shows a harrowing picture of what was at stake when we went into lockdown. There, but for the grace of Godzone, were we too.

The price, particularly on businesses and incomes, has been high. The recovery may take generations. But the Government's strategy was clearly communicated, we were not willing to sacrifice any of our five million that we could save.

The land, which was almost the sole domain of birds until Māori arrived in the mid-1300s, had a million pairs of feet on the ground in 1908 - a mere 112 years ago. The same year, the first through passenger train trundled along the North Island main trunk line, over a temporary track north of Taonui. Feijoa was introduced, and among those born was Charles Upham.

We hit two million in 1952. Yvette Williams became New Zealand's first female Olympic medallist, striking gold in the long jump at the Helsinki Olympic Games. Influential Tainui leader Te Puea Hērangi died. The ANZUS Treaty came into force and, among those born, John Walker, Jenny Shipley and Tim Finn.

We hit three million in 1973, February 6 was set aside as a national holiday, then called New Zealand Day. John Hanlon's Damn the Dam was single of the year and Fred Dagg appeared on TV for the first time. Among those born were Stephen Fleming, Tana Umaga and Ruben Wiki.

The four million mark came in 2003. Single of the year was Sophie by Good Shirt and the film The Whale Rider was released. Inspirational meningococcal survivor Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman was born.

We should take a moment to reflect today - all five million of us - is there anywhere else on God's earth we'd rather be? Yeah, nah.