25 Oct 2016

Population growth driven by Kiwis staying home - English

6:54 pm on 25 October 2016

New Zealand's population growth is being driven largely by Kiwis staying put in their own country, Finance Minister Bill English has told business leaders.

Bill English at a social housing announcement in Northcote

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Mr English told a gathering of business leaders in Nelson that an expected tailing-off of the economy after the Christchurch rebuild had not happened, and strong population growth was partly behind that.

"So four years ago, there was around a net outflow of 39,000. This last year, there was a net inflow of one or two thousand. That's had a bigger influence than growth of numbers of people arriving."

He said there were now thousands fewer New Zealanders leaving for Australia.

Mr English has just launched the government's 10-year capital intentions plan, which shows a pipeline of $100 billion worth of infrastructure projects.

He said they were the types of development that would be needed to underpin the country's economic growth and support population growth.

The plan listed the investment intentions of central and local government, state-owned enterprises, and public and private companies.

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