New Zealand’s look seems set to change.

A new report from Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures predicts New Zealand's population could look very different in the coming years.  

It expects there to be fewer births, emptying of rural centres, and more Asian people than New Zealand Europeans in Auckland. 

Co-author and Emeritus Professor Paul Spoonley told Mike Hosking they don’t want to catastrophise, but these changes will come so we need to discuss it and make appropriate policy decisions.  

He says an adult conversation needs to be had about immigration, as it’s increasingly becoming the major factor in population growth and labour supply in New Zealand. 

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