NAPIER: Population rise 'step in the right direction'

RACHEL PINDER
A steady increase in population in Napier and across Hawke's Bay is great news for the region - both in terms of planning infrastructure and caring for the environment.
That's according to Taradale-based economic consultant Sean Bevin, who said it was a positive result for the area's growth.
Napier's population has grown from 54,225 in 1996 to 55,137 in 2001 and 57,200 in 2006 - a 3.7 percent rise. "We were 11th out of 16 regions which is a fair result that shows we're heading in the right direction," said Mr Bevin.
"Napier and Hastings make up the bulk of Hawke's Bay's population and the Hawke's Bay area has always had a steady growth.
"A steady growth means we can deal with expansion in terms of providing infrastructure, so we don't have the 'boom and bust' of areas like Bay of Plenty.
"This is more environmentally positive for the region. These are only provisional population results, and there's a lot more work to be done before the final results are ready in November.
"It's an improvement on the previous census counts, and there's certainly been some migration gain into the region, whether it's come from other parts of the country or overseas," Mr Bevin said.
Duncan Chadwick, destination development manager at Hawke's Bay Inc said he would prefer to wait for the release of the usually resident population counts, which are adjusted for visitors and the local population outside the area on census night.
He explained these tend to provide a richer picture of population composition, including migration patterns into and away from the region. He said this was especially important to look at, particularly at an age group breakdown.
"Having said that, it does seem relatively interesting. Hawke's Bay, with its population growth of 3.7 percent over the five years looks to have been one of the best performers across the North Island midriff," said Mr Chadwick.
"But the population growth is slower than the North Island as a whole and 3.7 percent over five years works out to an average growth rate under 1 percent per annum. The data, at first glance, does seem to confirm the long-term trends of population drift into the golden triangle (Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga) and into Canterbury, which will create interesting issues for regions such as Hawke's Bay, Taranaki and Manawatu-Wanganui," he said.
Hawke's Bay's population has gone up from 146,109 in 2001 to 151,500 in 2006 - an increase of 5390.
In the 2001 Census, the increase was just 1818.
The percentage population growth of 3.7 percent for the Bay contrasts with the national average increase of 7.8 percent. Hastings has also seen an increase from 2073 during 1996-2001, to 3640 from 2001-2006. That's a jump in percentage growth from 3.1 percent to 5.3 percent.
Central Hawke's Bay had a population gain of 320, a big increase as the district lost 168 people between 1996 and 2001.
Many regions had a lower population growth than Hawke's Bay - including Taranaki at 0.9 percent, Manawatu-Wanganui at 0.6 percent, Nelson at 3.1 percent, West Coast at 3.0 percent and Southland at 0.2 percent.