Population Projections for Wellington

Upward revisions in population projections for Wellington strengthen the case for infrastructure development in the region according to the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The population of the Wellington region in the year 2026 is now expected to be 520,500 compared with only 488,300 when projections were last released in February 2005. The projected population as a proportion of New Zealand's total population is also up.

"This is a significant upward revision. The various agencies responsible for infrastructure development in the region will need to take account of these latest numbers in their planning," said Chamber Chief Executive, Charles Finny.

"The population projections used for the original work on Transmission Gully, for example, have been well and truly surpassed.

"A population projection of 470,000 by 2026 was quoted in reports as recently as 2005. We are not far off that now.

"The upward revision is predominantly due to faster population growth expected in Wellington city, particularly from net migration (to and from Wellington city).

"It is also encouraging that Wellington city's population is expected to be relatively youthful looking ahead. By the end of the projection period Wellington city will have a greater proportion of its population in the working ages than any other territorial authority area," Mr Finny concluded.

ENDS

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