Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2005
20 October 2005
Lower Growth for Cities and Districts
Of the 74 territorial authority areas, 42 had population increases and 32 had population decreases during the June 2005
year, Statistics New Zealand said today.
The largest population increases were in Manukau City (6,700), Auckland City (4,600), Christchurch City (3,500), North
Shore City (2,800), Waitakere City (2,600), Rodney District, Tauranga City and Wellington City (2,500 each), Hamilton
City (2,100), Queenstown-Lakes District (1,300), Waimakariri District (1,100), Franklin District (900), and Western Bay
of Plenty, Kapiti Coast, Tasman and Selwyn districts (800 each).
The lower growth of the New Zealand estimated resident population in the June 2005 year was mainly due to a drop in net
external migration (excess of arrivals over departures), compared with the June 2004 year.
Net external migration was 8,600 in 2005, compared with 22,000 in 2004. Natural increase (excess of births over deaths)
was 28,300 in 2005.
At 30 June 2005, the estimated resident population of the North Island was 3,116,100 (76.0 percent of New Zealand
residents), and the population of the South Island was 981,400.
Six regions had growth rates above the 0.9 percent national average during the June 2005 year: Tasman (1.7 percent),
Auckland (1.5 percent), Canterbury (1.1 percent), and Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Marlborough (1.0 percent each). Five
regions had growth below the national average and five regions had population decreases.
Among the nine regions recording both natural increase and net migration gain, four North Island regions received most
growth through natural increase: Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Wellington, and five South Island regions
received most growth through net migration: Marlborough, Tasman, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago. The remaining seven
regions had net migration losses during the June 2005 year.
Brian Pink
Government Statistician
ENDS