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A snippet of news for those of you who watch for population statistics. This is for the Hawkes Bay area.
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A snippet of news for those of you who watch for population statistics. This is for the Hawkes Bay area.
EDITORIAL: More to life than 'lifestyle'
20.11.2004
PAUL TAGGART
After all the hype over Hawke's Bay being a "lifestyle" destination that draws new residents from the big cities and from overseas, the official figures from Statistics New Zealand make sobering reading.
The region's estimated population increased by just 630 in the year to June - 0.4 percent, well below the national average of 1.3 percent.
And in our smaller centres - where the much vaunted small-town lifestyle is to be had, the figures are grim - Central Hawke's Bay's population remained static at 13,150, while the number living in Wairoa district actually fell by 250 to 8620.
It could be argued that if mayors and council staff were not sent to London each year to recruit new residents, the figures would be even worse. We certainly wouldn't have the Win-a-Life Pearse family, the members of whom currently feature in a television advertisement with British small-screen star Neil Morrissey.
But while such recruiting campaigns bring some new blood to the province, it is too early to say how many of the recent arrivals will remain here long-term, and how many will follow the example of many provincial Kiwis and move to the bigger cities in pursuit of better employment and promotion opportunities.
The fact that Hawke's Bay lacks a university, and there are now few companies of any significant size that have their head offices in the province, means our best and brightest are often faced with the fact that they must leave town to reach their potential.
There are pockets of excellence that attract investment and highly skilled staff - the wine industry being an obvious, high-profile example - but they are not enough to lift our population growth above the margin of error.
So while "lifestyle" may help sell our province, and our wine and food attractions are wonderful, well-paid employment prospects are the key to attracting and retaining new families.
For example, the increase in the population of Palmerston North - a city known for little apart from being flat and ugly - was twice as much as the whole of Hawke's Bay last year. That wasn't about lifestyle, it was about jobs. Hamilton, another city known for its lack of aesthetics, increased its population by a solid 2800 over the same period.
The message for our councils, therefore, is that adopting a high-profile, pro-business programme to attract and retain major companies, would probably do more for our population than continuing to push our lifestyle image in isolation.
20.11.2004
PAUL TAGGART
After all the hype over Hawke's Bay being a "lifestyle" destination that draws new residents from the big cities and from overseas, the official figures from Statistics New Zealand make sobering reading.
The region's estimated population increased by just 630 in the year to June - 0.4 percent, well below the national average of 1.3 percent.
And in our smaller centres - where the much vaunted small-town lifestyle is to be had, the figures are grim - Central Hawke's Bay's population remained static at 13,150, while the number living in Wairoa district actually fell by 250 to 8620.
It could be argued that if mayors and council staff were not sent to London each year to recruit new residents, the figures would be even worse. We certainly wouldn't have the Win-a-Life Pearse family, the members of whom currently feature in a television advertisement with British small-screen star Neil Morrissey.
But while such recruiting campaigns bring some new blood to the province, it is too early to say how many of the recent arrivals will remain here long-term, and how many will follow the example of many provincial Kiwis and move to the bigger cities in pursuit of better employment and promotion opportunities.
The fact that Hawke's Bay lacks a university, and there are now few companies of any significant size that have their head offices in the province, means our best and brightest are often faced with the fact that they must leave town to reach their potential.
There are pockets of excellence that attract investment and highly skilled staff - the wine industry being an obvious, high-profile example - but they are not enough to lift our population growth above the margin of error.
So while "lifestyle" may help sell our province, and our wine and food attractions are wonderful, well-paid employment prospects are the key to attracting and retaining new families.
For example, the increase in the population of Palmerston North - a city known for little apart from being flat and ugly - was twice as much as the whole of Hawke's Bay last year. That wasn't about lifestyle, it was about jobs. Hamilton, another city known for its lack of aesthetics, increased its population by a solid 2800 over the same period.
The message for our councils, therefore, is that adopting a high-profile, pro-business programme to attract and retain major companies, would probably do more for our population than continuing to push our lifestyle image in isolation.
Regards
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