Population increasingly centred on Auckland

Auckland's diversity attracts international immigrants. Picture / Chris Skelton

The population of most New Zealand regions is stagnating or declining, with most new arrivals heading for the country's largest city, latest figures show.

Among the few regions to see growth outside Auckland are the "sun-belt" retirement destinations - Bay of Plenty, Nelson-Tasman and Marlborough.

Between 1986 and 2001, only Auckland and these three regions had increased their share of the national total, a study from Waikato University's Population Studies Centre shows.

"The significance of this increasing concentration in Auckland for all national demographic, social and economic dynamics cannot be overrated," Ian Pool, a professor of demography, and his team said.

"Over the last decade or so the population of New Zealand has become even more concentrated in the northern part of the North Island, particularly in the Auckland region and its neighbouring three regions (Northland, Waikato, the Bay of Plenty).

"In 1986 these four regions contained 46 per cent of the total population of New Zealand and by 2001 this total had increased to 51 per cent."

As well as having large numbers of arrivals from overseas, Auckland had high rates of natural increase resulting from the concentration of residents at prime reproductive ages and a high proportion of Pacific Islanders and Maori.

Between 1996 and 2001 much of this country's population vitality was therefore being driven disproportionately from Auckland, the paper says.

With just over 30 per cent of the total population, Auckland produced 34 per cent of the births, while having only 26 per cent of the deaths.

It was the only region with significant net international migration, with 54 per cent of the immigration and 34 per cent of the emigration. It was one of only two regions, the other being Nelson-Tasman, that had net international migration.

"Thus it can be argued that Auckland is the gateway to the country and is the only truly large city in New Zealand," the study report said.

However, the number of New Zealanders moving from elsewhere in the country to Auckland was low between 1986 and 2001, and in the five years from 1996 the region even had a net loss.

The report said areas with static or falling population suffered economically.

Prof Pool and his team said that, with the exception of Wellington and Canterbury, "these regions are essentially stagnating".

- NZPA