Mario Roblero from Chile is not going anywhere after moving to Whangārei and said his kids were also really happy in school. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland, with its temperate climate and laidback lifestyle, continues to lead the country in population growth.
Stats NZ figures show while 12 of New Zealand's 16 regions experienced a population rise in the past year, the growth for most was lower than last year.
Regions with the highest percentage growth were Northland (1.3 per cent), Bay of Plenty and Tasman (both 1.1 per cent), and Waikato (1.0 per cent). Populations declined in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, West Coast and Southland.
Northland's estimated population at the end of June this year was 201,500 compared with 198,900 a year ago— up 1.3 per cent.
Since the end of 2018, the region's population has risen 8.5 per cent or 15,800 more people.
Mario Roblero lived in Auckland but was so enamoured by the natural beauty of Northland that he decided to move to Whangārei in September last year.
"The beaches, the small towns in Northland appeals to me, so does people who say 'kia ora' unlike Auckland where people mostly keep to themselves."
Roblero's two children were born in their native Chile and the other two in Auckland.
He came to New Zealand in September 2016 on a holiday visa but has since enrolled in a carpentry apprenticeship which he should complete by the end of this year.
Roblero planned to move to Whangārei from March last year and luckily a building maintenance company agreed to sponsor him.
"I want to stay in Whangārei. I am comfortable and my kids are really happy in school."
Roblero wants to encourage more Latin Americans to move to Northland from the bigger cities and to promote their language and culture in smaller centres.
Kaipara registered the largest projected population growth, from 23,700 in 2018 to an estimated 27,200 at the end of June this year (14.7 per cent), Far North from 67,900 to $73,800 (8.6 per cent) and Whangārei 94,100 to 100,500 (6.8 per cent).
Multicultural Whangārei co-ordinator Suzzette Monroe said Northland's beautiful coast, bush, nice pace of life and relative ease of getting around were appealing to those outside the region.
Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo said while population growth should be welcomed, infrastructure and health among other things should keep pace with the internal migration of people.
He said families moved to Northland because they wanted more living space and a relaxing atmosphere, as well as a warmer climate and friendlier people.
Vaughan Cooper, general manager of investment and infrastructure at Northland Inc, said in addition to the lifestyle balance the region offered, significant effort has gone into creating growth opportunities across a number of sectors.
He said infrastructure support across the marine industry and the development of a number of tourism products, including Whangārei's Hundertwasser project and the subsequent interest in hotels and conference centres, added to the cultural experiences and pipeline of jobs on offer for residents.
Cooper said the ongoing development of public amenities by district councils added to the appeal of living and working in the region, while promotion through the Regional Tourism Organisation continued to attract new visitors to experience Northland.
"Given the significant investment and infrastructure development across the region, undertaken in collaboration across council, government, agencies, iwi and hapū, we expect Northland to continue to increasingly be an appealing place to live into the future," he said.
Rebekah Hennessey, Stats NZ population estimates and projections acting manager, said slowing regional growth in regions outside Northland reflected what was happening nationally. There had been an annual net migration loss, partly due to the impact of Covid-19, on international migration," Hennessey said.
Population change is the result of natural increase (births minus deaths) and net migration (migrant arrivals minus migrant departures).
For sub-national areas, migration comprises both external (international) migration and internal migration (people moving between areas within New Zealand).
Internal migration was the main driver of population change in 12 of the 16 regions, while natural increase was the main driver in the other four. No regions had international migration as the main driver of population change in June 2022.
Two regions – West Coast and Marlborough – experienced natural decrease (more deaths than births) in the June 2022 year. These regions have more older people, with 23 per cent of their population aged 65 years and over.
New Zealand overall had 16 per cent of its population aged 65 years and over at 30 June 2022.