Welcome to boomtown
Dunedin has been overtaken by Tauranga as the country’s fifth largest city.
Population estimates by Statistics New Zealand reveal Tauranga passed Dunedin’s population of 127,000, clocking in at 128,200 people in 2016.
The southern city’s population increased an estimated 6200 between 1996 and 2016, while booming Tauranga’s population grew by 48,400.
The move makes Tauranga the fifth largest city after Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton.
Tauranga deputy mayor, Kelvin Clout, moved his family from Auckland to Tauranga in 1990.
‘‘We have always known it would be a growth hot spot in due course,’’ he said.
Reasons for that growth included the city’s natural environment, moderate
We have always known it would be a growth hot spot in due course. Tauranga deputy mayor Kelvin Clout
climate, and a strong economy anchored by the Port of Tauranga – not to mention the ‘‘Auckland effect’’ where people relocated from the country’s largest city to ‘‘enjoy the lifestyle and easier access to property ownership’’.
On the flip side, the ‘‘influx of Aucklanders and others’’ has rapidly increased the cost of housing and rental, Clout added. ‘‘Whilst this is fine for existing home owners it makes it very difficult for first-time home buyers and those on lower incomes.’’
Tauranga City Council, through its partnership with other councils and iwi had been successful in opening up new land for residential development, and was facilitating intensification within its existing urban boundary.
That influx of people had also created traffic congestion and pressure on the environment, including water quality, flora and fauna, he said.
And while it was likely to be ‘‘many years before Tauranga finally overtook Hamilton’’, he did have some advice for the latest city it leapfrogged.
‘‘I appreciate the contribution Dunedin has made to New Zealand’s history, culture and economy. I suggest Dunedin continues to build on its own strengths and enjoys the lifestyle benefits of being New Zealand’s sixth largest city.’’