NZ population increases by 43,500 in year

The New Zealand population has climbed by 43,500 people to 4.15 million since September last year.

Statistics New Zealand said today the 1.1 per cent increase was due to more births than deaths and more people coming to live in the country than leaving it.

The statistics also showed residents were getting older.

At September 30 2006 half the men in the country were older than 35 years and half the women 36.7 years, an increase of 2.8 years for men and three years for women in the last decade.

The total number of children living in New Zealand has decreased since 2004 by 1.1 per cent.

Overall since September 1996 the number of children aged 0-14 years has increased 1.5 per cent, people in the 15-64 age group 12.6 per cent and people 65 and older 19.7 per cent.

- NZPA