5 Jun 2016

Paul Spoonley - Muddle NZ

From Sunday Morning, 11:06 am on 5 June 2016
Paul Spoonley sits on the back of a bench with green grass of uni behind

Paul Spoonley at Massey University, Albany: Middle New Zealand is a muddle. Photo: ( RNZ / Liz Brown )

A column on the RNZ site website caught Sunday Morning's attention this week - David Slack's piece was entitled "Who the Hell is the Middle New Zealand". The headline may have hinted at an answer - but it was plain in reading it that the phrase Middle New Zealand - while handy for politicians and marketers - is pretty empty in meaning. Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley from Massey University is a population expert and he can't pinpoint Middle New Zealand - but he says around half of us think we qualify for the description.