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Changing demographics
Demographic changes present challenges to local government:
- ethnic diversity and a growing migrant population. A growing number of ethnic groups – some 30 significant groups, including refugees – now live in New Zealand, each with its own characteristics, traditional ways and needs
- increasing income inequality over the past decade
- an increasing number of children in low-income or single-income families. Māori, Pacific Island and Asian children are over–represented in these figures
- an ageing population, especially Europeans
- continuing population increases in the Auckland region:
- about half of New Zealand’s population growth over the next 20 years will occur in the Auckland region
- Manukau City should replace Christchurch as New Zealand’s second largest city by 2005.
In 2001, at the annual Local Government New Zealand conference, then Minister of Local Government Sandra Lee emphasised these findings from the first BigCities group study. The BigCities study describes the differences and disparities between population groups within and between the eight largest cities and the rest of New Zealand. The pace of change within the cities and the diversity of their people impacts on other outcomes. The study considers people, population growth, ethnicity, age, families and households.
Sandra Lee said the quality of life in New Zealand in the future will probably depend more on the quality of our environmental management than any other single factor. Global warming, habitat degradation, the over- exploitation of natural resources and the introduction of exotic pests such as saltmarsh mosquitos make for a bleak outlook. “They have the potential to impact severely on the way of life we are accustomed to,” said Sandra Lee.
Indian born Sukhi Turner is Dunedin’s mayor.
The Quality of life 03 in New Zealand’s eight largest cities report has been developed by the city councils in those eight cities - North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland, Manukau, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. It presents a picture of the quality of life in the largest metropolitan centres that are home to just under half the New Zealand population.