POPULATION ASSOCIATION
OF
NEW ZEALAND
Te Roopu Whaka Waihanga
Iwi O Aotearoa
NEWSLETTER
MAY 2006
CONTENTS
A note from the President / 3Newsletter New Zealand Population Review contributions / 5
Forthcoming conferences, meetings, etc / 6
PANZ Secondary Schools' essay competition
& Statistics New Zealand Jacoby Prize / 8
New race and demography reporter at the New Zealand Herald / 9
News from Statistics New Zealand / 10
Latest New Zealand demographic measures / 12
News from MERA / 14
Royal Society of New Zealand news / 18
Future of Work research: "Is there a 'man drought'?" / 21
News from the Population Studies Centre, University of Waikato / 22
Recent & current theses, University of Auckland / 28
Other publications, papers and miscellaneous resources / 29
PANZ Officers and Council members 2005/2006 / 31
Editors’ and website addresses / 32
PANZ membership & membership/subscription form / 33
A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Although there has relatively little visible activity on the part of PANZ over the last few months, the Council has been quietly working in the background! Of course things demographic have been happening all around us, with the Census being the most obvious, and this should hopefully galvanise us into more public activities in the next few months.
In the lead-up to the 2006 Census, there was a flurry of media attention on the issue of the census question on ethnicity. Stirred on by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition who asserted that New Zealand was the only country in the (civilised?) world that didn’t list its own nationality as an ethnic category on the census, comment came from all directions. An anonymous email was circulated that implied that one should declare oneself as “New Zealander” as a statement of commitment to this country. Brian Rudman (NZ Herald) decided his ethnicity might be “Aucklander” since the rest of New Zealand agreed that North of the Bombay Hills was a separate country anyway. Raybon Kan asked what was wrong with good-old “white”, with others being classified using a colour scheme used by L’Oréal. But for analysts this is also a serious issue! After some discussion with some members of the PANZ Council, I put out a press release, but it was only picked up in a couple of places as far as I can tell (the media was already tiring of the issue I think), so I thought I would reproduce it here.
Press Release March 1, 2006:
On behalf of many users of Census data, I would like to urge the people of New Zealand to participate actively in the upcoming Census, and to consider their responses to the census questions carefully in order to provide the most accurate and comprehensive information possible. The Census publicity has outlined some of the uses of census data in business, health, education and other areas. The Population Association of New Zealand (PANZ) has members from a wide range of professions interested in population issues, including local and regional planners, health researchers, academics, market researchers, government ministry planners, statisticians, researchers in private industry, and others. PANZ promotes the collection and dissemination of information on population issues to enhance the understanding of New Zealand society, and to enable planning for the future. Accurate information from the Census is critical to analysis and research and the effective implementation of planning for the future, as well as assessing the impacts of changes in the recent past.
Results from the census are important for many reasons. There have been comments recently about a decline in international migration since 2003, implying that population growth may be less of an issue than in the past. However, the 2006 Census is likely to show a high rate of growth for New Zealand, since the net migration gains between 2001 and 2006 (about +100,000) have been much higher than in the previous five years and the highest for some decades. Therefore, census information is important for identifying the new profile of the population, and planning for the provision of services for this population. Changing regional populations must also be accurately gauged, since growth will not be evenly spread throughout the country.
There has been some public discussion recently about the “ethnic” question and the use of “New Zealander” (or “Kiwi”) to answer this question. The inadequacy of the term “NZ European” as a category is well recognised, and “Pakeha” was abandoned in the 2001 Census because of debates about its meaning, but “New Zealander” is not an adequate substitute for either of these. While Statistics New Zealand will accept “New Zealander” as a category rather than recode this as “New Zealand European” as in the past, the widespread use of this option could undermine the usefulness of the ethnic question. “New Zealander” is a nationality and a citizenship, and there are many things that are distinctive to this national identity of which we should be proud. At the same time, “New Zealander” does not provide information on “ethnicity” as the term is normally used in the social sciences, and as it has been used in previous censuses. Even for those who have ancestors who have been in New Zealand for several generations, cultural or ethnic heritage is important in the things they consider to be important and also for the ways in which they understand themselves within the broader identity of New Zealander.
An email circulated in the last couple of days has equated a sense of national pride with identifying on the census form as “New Zealander”, but if this is the only category that many people use, we will be disguising the very diversity which defines our national identity, and a diversity which is important for planning and other purposes. The census question was not intended as a test of commitment to New Zealand, nor as a question about nationality (perhaps there should be such a question in the future). If it is taken as a test of national commitment, and if we assume that everyone who is either a citizen or a permanent resident of New Zealand could consider themselves as a “New Zealander” then we might have as many as 90 percent of the usual population of the country giving this response. This would effectively be a “disappearing act” for most Pakeha (“NZ Europeans”), Maori, Samoans, Tongans, Chinese, Indians, Koreans, Ethiopians and many others. This is not likely to happen, but even if a significant, but unknown proportion of each group opted for this, the resulting data would be difficult to use. The result of this would not be greater unity, but rather a denial of the diversity which is becoming increasingly important in New Zealand. The reality is that many people identify with more than one of these ethnicities, and they have the option in the census to tick more than one box. It may be that many who identify as New Zealanders will specify other ethnic identities as well. End of press release
So it will be of great interest to some of us to see what the census data on ethnicity will and will not tell us when it is released. The first census counts will be released at the end of May, and then there will be a series of data releases running through the rest of 2006. The PANZ Council is organising a list of population specialists to circulate to the media who will be available to comment on various issues as the Census data are released.
Another initiative under way is a secondary schools essay competition similar to the Statistics New Zealand Jacoby Prize for tertiary students. Hopefully this will raise the profile of PANZ and population studies among secondary students across New Zealand. Planning is also well under way for the PANZ conference to be held in Wellington in early July 2007, and the dates and venue of this conference will be announced soon. We are still planning a joint meeting with the Australian Population Association which will hopefully run on one side or the other of the 12th International Metropolis Conference in Melbourne, October 8-12, 2007. There will be more on each of these topics in the next Newsletter.
Happy census data watching!
Ward Friesen
PANZ Newsletter and New Zealand Population Review contributions
Please let the Newsletter Editor know about any news, notices, forthcoming conferences, meetings, resources, references, reports on conferences, research activities, etc, etc, anything that you are involved in, or come across and would like to share with other PANZ members through the newsletter.
The next issue of the PANZ Newsletter is due out in November 2006, and contributions are welcome at any time before then. Email material to me at (or snail-mail it to Anne Henderson, 20 Collingwood St, Palmerston North).
Members are also encouraged to contribute articles to the peer-reviewed New Zealand Population Review. Your articles and any enquiries regarding the journal should be addressed to the journal Editor, Dr Arvind Zodgekar ( ).
Newsletter Ed.
FORTHCOMING CONFERENCES, MEETINGS, ETC
The Thirty-second Annual General Meeting of the Population Association of New Zealand, Te Roopu Whaka Waihanga Iwi o Aotearoa (Inc)
will be held on the
21st JULY 2006.
12.30pm
Statistics New Zealand, Wellington
(on the waterfront, opposite the "Cake tin"/Westpac Stadium)
2006 / European Association of Population Studies (EAPS) Conference: “Population challenges in ageing societies”, Liverpool, 21-24 June 2006.International Geography Union (IGU) Commission on Health and Environment meeting: "Towards healthier environments: Regional responses to global changes", Waiheke Island, Akld, 28-2 July 2006.
IGU 2006 Brisbane Conference: "Regional response to global changes: a view from the Antipodes", Brisbane, 3-7 July 2006.
Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) Conference
on “Methodology of Longitudinal Surveys (MOLS 2006)”, University of Essex, 12-14 July 2006.
"Landscapes in Exile: 'Once perilous, now safe'" Conference, Southern Cross University, Byron Bay, NSW, 27-28 July 2006.
11th International Metropolis Conference: "Paths and crossroads: moving people, changing places", Lisbon, Portugal, 2-6 Oct. 2006.
NZ Assoc. of Adolescent Health & Development, with Ministry of Youth Development and in conjunction with National Youth Workers' Network, "Involve 06", theme: creativity, diversity, connection, Lincoln University, 1-3 Nov. 2006 (
Second International Asian Health and Well-being Conference, Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, 11,13-14 November 2006 (
(These references found/available at
Australian Population Association (APA) 13th Biennial Conference: "Population, Policy and Australia's Destiny", University of Adelaide, 5-8 Dec. 2006.
2006 W.D.Borrie Lecture: Prof. Ian Pool "The baby boom in New Zealand and other western developed countries", 5 December, State Library of South Australia, Adelaide, 5 Dec. 2006.
2007 / 9th National Metropolis Conference, Canada, "Exploring Canada's diversity, today and tomorrow", Toronto, Canada, March 2007.
*PANZ Biennial Conference, Wellington, June-July 2007.
12th International Metropolis Conference, Melbourne, 8-12 October 2007.
Planned joint meeting PANZ & APA, Oct. 2007
TV DOCUMENTARY: “Hidden in the Numbers”
Did you manage to catch "Hidden in the Numbers” on TV1, Mondays at 8.30pm?
- Programme One – Population: who we are (key demographic trends - historically, now and the future);
- Programme Two – Consumption, charting changing patterns or earning and spending; and
- Programme Three – Time Use, including daily activities, how technology has impacted on our daily lives, and the changing moral make-up of our nation (eg the stories hidden in the crime, sex and vice statistics).
PANZ SECONDARY SCHOOL ESSAY COMPETITION
Schools Competition on Population Issues
At its 4 May meeting, the PANZ Executive Council resolved to set up a
special competition for secondary schools students. The competition's
objective is to increase awareness of emerging population issues among
future citizens of Aotearoa. The competition will be open to secondary
school students who study geography, mathematics/statistics and social
studies at Year 11 and above. The details are being finalised at present.
Our draft proposal recommends not to specify an essay topic as such, but to
invite students to write an essay (a maximum of five pages) on a
population-related issue of their choice. The competition will be run every
second year, to coincide with the Association's biennial conference (held in odd-numbered years). Five prizes will be awarded - first, second, third and two merit prizes.
Presently, PANZ is corresponding with the Association of Teachers in each
subject to seek their cooperation and to enlist their support in
advertising the competition on their websites and through their newsletters.
STATISTICS NEW ZEALAND JACOBY PRIZE
The Statistics New Zealand Jacoby Prize is awarded by the Population Association of New Zealand for the best essay written by a student during a course of university study on a population topic. The competition is open to students throughout New Zealand and the essays are submitted in the form they were presented during the course of study.
Judged during the year of the biennial PANZ Conference, the competition is open to all current or immediate past students who present a paper in the Poster/Oral Session at the Conference based on their student research work. On acceptance of their submitted paper or poster, all entrants will receive free registration for the conference.
The winner’s prize is a year's subscription to PANZ (which includes the Review and the Newsletter) and publication of the winning essay in the New Zealand Population Review. In addition, Statistics New Zealand - the sponsor of the prize - will provide the winner with a cash prize of $250, and a copy of the latest New Zealand Official Yearbook and Demographic Trends.
Keep it in mind if you have students who are studying demographic issues, or, if you are yourself a student, think about submitting an essay for the 2007 competition.
NEW RACE & DEMOGRAPHY REPORTER AT THE NZ HERALD
The New Zealand Herald now has a race and demography reporter, Senior writer Julie Middleton. Some of you may recognise the name through work she has been doing for the Herald in this field over the last few years. In an email to PANZ, Julie wrote that:
"The paper has recognised the importance of the subject in a rapidly-changing New Zealand by, essentially, formalising a role. That also gives me more time and resources to dedicate to the subject. What does this mean for you? Well, it means, hopefully, better coverage of ethnic minority concerns and population trends, whatever they are. I would really like to think that you could help by being my eyes and ears, keeping me informed of what is going on out there: that could range from what's happening in your research what you are noticing in the ethnic communities with which you work. If you work in demographics, social trends, minority rights, population change, etc, I would love to know what you are doing and seeing. New research, difficulties, pleasures, events - let me know on this email address [<>]. ... any questions, let me know."
Julie Middleton
Senior writer / race and demography reporter
New Zealand Herald
Ph (09) 373 6400 x 8201, PO Box 32, Auckland
(Her recent articles can be found on the New Zealand Herald website through a search using the reporter's name.)
NEWS FROM STATISTICS NEW ZEALAND
Population measures
There are three population measures commonly produced by Statistics New Zealand: census night population count, census usually resident population count and estimated resident population.
- The census night population count of New Zealand is a count of all people present in New Zealand on a given census night. This count includes visitors from overseas who are counted on census night, but excludes residents who are temporarily overseas on census night. The 2006 Census provisional counts are early estimates of census night counts. Provisional counts represent estimates based on administrative returns and not from census forms processed. Data for the provisional counts comes from the fieldbooks used by collectors. The provisional count is calculated by a count of the number of forms collected from the field at 10 April 2006 plus the number of forms that were known to be outstanding.
- The census usually resident population count of New Zealand is a count of all people who usually live in New Zealand and are present in New Zealand on a given census night. This count excludes visitors from overseas and residents who are temporarily overseas on census night.
- The estimated resident population of New Zealand is an estimate of all people who usually live in New Zealand at a given date. This estimate includes all residents present in New Zealand and counted by the census (census usually resident population count), residents who are temporarily overseas (who are not included in the census), and an adjustment for residents missed or counted more than once by the census (net census undercount). Visitors from overseas are excluded.
Users of Statistics New Zealand's Hot Off The Press and media releases need to be aware that the population counts published in any release of 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings data will differ from the estimated resident population.