New Zealand Society:

New Zealand has a diverse and multicultural society with those of European extraction accounting for approximately 70% of the population. Approximately 15% of the population is Maori, 3% Polynesian and the balance is made up of a wonderful variety of ethnic peoples. Dutch, South Africans, Chinese, Indians are just a few who have settled in New Zealand over the years.

Auckland is the largest city, (and is the world’s largest Polynesian city) with a population of over 1.3 million people. Wellington and Christchurch are the next largest cities with approximately 350,000 residents each. Christchurch is the largest of the South Island cities.

Statistics indicate that the population of New Zealand is around 4.3 million. By 2050 it is projected there will be 4.5 million people living in New Zealand after which based on current projections the population will slowly decline in line with our aging population.

Recent surveys suggest that the population of Auckland will continue to outstrip the rest of the country and growth over the next decade is expected to be in excess of 37%. This growth is in part at the expense of other centres, but while there is a drift of population from the South Island to North Island the largest factor is immigration from overseas. As a comparison it is anticipated that Southland, our southern most province will see a decline in population of over 6%, while the South Island’s population will grow only 5.8% over the period.