Growth for Nelson Tasman in Population Data
10/02/2012
Nelson MP Nick Smith says the latest population data shows the region is growing faster than anywhere else in the country and this is good news for public resources for the area.
“The latest population data for the year to June 2011 shows Tasman growing at 1.68% a year and Nelson at 1.54% a year. This has Tasman as 1st and Nelson as the 3rd fastest growing areas of New Zealand’s 16 regions. There is a public perception nationally that all the growth is in Auckland which grew by 1.65% yet proportionally Nelson and Tasman are growing just as fast,” Dr Smith says.
“The figure for 2011 is distorted by the shift of people in response to the Christchurch earthquakes. This data shows that of the 5,000 loss from Canterbury about 2,500 have gone to Otago, 1,500 to Nelson and Tasman, 700 to Southland, 300 Marlborough and 200 to the West Coast. Proportionally, Nelson has made the biggest population gains.
“It is going to take time for the long term impact of Christchurch’s earthquakes on population in the South Island to settle, but these figures indicate it has had a significant impact. We will need to see the census data for 2013 to determine whether this is a one-off blip or a trend changer.”
“I have written to the Ministers of Health, Education, Social Development, Police and Transport to draw their attention to these figures which highlight population growth in Nelson Tasman is faster than anywhere in New Zealand so they and their officials are aware of the growth. My aim is to ensure this latest data is taken into account when making resourcing decisions” said Dr Smith.
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