Aotearoa New Zealand’s population boom has been a slow burn: 1 million in 1911, over 2 million by the mid 1950s, 3 million in the mid 1970s, 4 million by 2006. But in the 14 years to 2020, it will jump to the big five. As the Guardian has reported this week, the first few rises were mostly due to natural growth, but the last leap is largely because of a significant rise in immigration.
Many of the latest arrivals are from China, India and the Philippines, and most have settled in Auckland, making the country’s biggest city even bigger. It’s now home to a third of the population, and by 2048, will likely host nearly half of New Zealand’s population.
There’s been a transformation in schools, workplaces and universities. As Morgan Godfery wrote, in 2019, Asian peoples made up 15% of the population and Pacific peoples another 8%: “In this new country only one kind of culturalism works: multi.”
The growth in population has given rise to debate over chronic under-funding of public transport that has led to a patchwork and complicated system for increasing numbers of people and vehicles. Rising house prices have spawned a growing homelessness crisis.
Population growth is also putting New Zealand’s wilderness under strain, as housing encroaches on forest and bushland. Intensive farming is having an impact on water in rivers and our sewerage system is under pressure.
And then there’s the west coast region of the South Island, the only place in the country where the population is falling. More than a million tourists visit the west coast every year – “lifesavers” to locals – but in many places a small ratepayer base is struggling to fund infrastructure and facilities for visitors, and there are calls for more investment from central government is needed.
We want to hear from you about how the changing population is affecting you. What do you think the government should do to adjust to the swelling population? What changes should the country make? What are the great things about a growing population and what are the main challenges? Please get in touch using the form below.
