KEY POINTS:
It's official. There's a serious subject that could be troubling the women of Northland - there's a man drought, with nearly 2800 fewer men than women in the region.
The so-called "man drought" has been the stuff of rumour and urban legend for years now, but the 2006 Census results show that the fears of eligible women around the region have been confirmed - there are just not enough men to go around.
Statistics NZ has released the Census results, which give a snapshot of the make- up of our country on the night the information was collected - March 7.
The Census shows that the population of Northland has grown by 5.9 per cent since 2001, up from 140,133 residents to 148,470.
Nationally the population increased by 7.8 per cent to 4,027,947.
The Whangarei District was well ahead of the national average, with growth of 9.4 per cent, from 68,094 to 74,463.
The Far North went from 54,576 to 55,845 (2.3 per cent) and the Kaipara from 17,460 to 18,132 (3.8 per cent).
But one of the biggest surprises is how big the gap between the sexes is in the region, with the figures verifying that the man drought is very much real.
There are 35,367 men in Northland between the ages of 20 and 59 compared with 38,152 women - a shortfall of 2785 men.
The situation's not so bad for youngsters, with males outnumbering females in all age groups below the age of 20. But once past 20 Northland's men are getting thinner on the ground.
The man drought is at its sharpest in Whangarei District, where there are 19,368 women between 20 and 59 compared to 17,784 men - a shortfall of 1584.
Things are slightly better in the Far North, which has 14,223 women, compared with 13,152 men - 1071 fewer. In the Kaipara there's a man shortage of 130, with 4561 women in the district compared to 4431 men.
In both Whangarei and the Far North the age group with the largest shortfall was from 35 to 44, with 684 and 528 less men respectively.
However, in the Kaipara the age group the largest shortfall was from 25 to 34, where there are 87 fewer men than women.
But women wanting to find that one true love can't just move to another part of the country in the search - the man drought is nationwide.
Census figures show the gap between the sexes is widening, with women nationally outnumbering men by 96,700 compared with 91,266 in the 2001 Census. The biggest gap is in the 35-39 age group where women outnumber men by 15,552 (compared with 12,105 in 2001).
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Meet Di. She's sassy, strong-minded and is at the sharp end of Northland's man drought. Di's been single for eight years and is still searching for the right man.
But while she admits to periods of being dateless, she's far from desperate and is determined not to drop her standards in the search for love.
Di has known there's a man drought for a few years now, but even she was shocked to find out just how big the gap is in her age group.
"Crikey," the Whangarei mother said, when informed that there were 267 fewer males than females in her 45-49 age group in Northland.
"You've got to remember that guys these days in that age group seem to want to go out with women in the younger age groups than themselves. I don't want to have to look in the older age groups - I won't go for a guy 10 years older than me."
Part of the problem, Di says, could be that blokes realise they have a wide field to choose from and take things for granted.
"I'm reasonably fit, but there's a lot of guys out there that don't do anything (exercise)," she said.
"Maybe they realise there's a bit of a man shortage and don't think they have to look after themselves as much. Some have the attitude that they just want a one night stand, but I'm not like that.
"Others seem to just want a woman who will look after them, make the breakfast and do the washing up and that, while they sit around doing nothing - some of their expectations are a bit unrealistic."
Di also bemoans the lack of "social skills" among many Northland men.
"One guy rang me up asking me out for a dinner date. He took me to the local fish-and- chip shop. That's dead romantic.
"Another guy asked me out for coffee so I met him at the Town Basin and all he did was talk for an hour - and I didn't even get a cup of coffee, despite several cafes nearby."
Di readily admits though that she may not be sending out the "right" signals: "I don't flirt, I don't believe in that. I believe in letting people know exactly how you think, then there can be no confusion."
She also has a message for other women in her position - sometimes you need to look closer to home than you think.
"There was a guy I know from soccer but I didn't know he was single, then when I went to Dinner for Six (a dinner-date set-up) he was there."
Nothing came of the liaison but they have become friends.
Di's tried the dinner group, internet, blind dates, you name it - but she's still searching.
Part of the problem, she admits, is that what she is looking for may not actually exist.
"He's got to be funny, with a good sense of humour, he's had to have dealt with all his baggage from the past, he's got to keep himself fit. Somebody who can keep up with a strong- willed woman, and he's got to be house-trained.
"He's got to be sharing, rather than competitive with me. And he's got to be honest - 110 per cent honest."
Does such a man exist? If he does, and he isn't already taken, Di is determined to find him.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)
