The Growth of New Zealand Towns (by Hugh Dickey et al)

• 2017 edition. 192 pages.
• Publisher. Hugh Dickey
• Softcover. Large.  Photos, charts, index
• Condition. Very Good

A snapshot of the developmet of 64 of our cities  and towns from their beginnings.

Written in two parts, the first outlines key statistics while the second half of the book has locally-written articles on 50 cities and towns by knowledgeable contributors.
Each is well illustrated. These give valuable insights into the development and subsequent continued growth or decline of each place. Local heartbreak, determination and optimism are clearly seen in some of these.

In the first half of the book,Presented in a highly visualised manner author Hugh Dickey gives an overview of the growth of our nation’s towns, based on his extensive population research..

All kinds of interesting insights are provided, including the “seasons of growth” of each town. Another marker is the date from which the population of each town has doubled to its 2013 census level, giving a relative “age” of the town.
A valuable chapter on the history of urbanisation in New Zealand clearly shows that a majority of our population were town dwellers as far back as 1881; much earlier than was traditionally thought. It also shows that urbanisation has now halted and that the fastest growth is often in rural areas surrounding major centres.
The author’s comment is that many people are seeking the best of both worlds – a semi-rural lifestyle, yet with access to urban facilities and employment. Councils that allow smaller (one hectare) blocks will capitalise most on this new growth trend.
Other sections that are significant for local government are those that explain factors of change in towns, and the guest article ‘A Glimpse of the Future’, which tells of the hidden elephant in our rooms – the inevitability of internal demographic change that will lead to population loss, but which we are often reluctant to acknowledge in public.
Several appendices of detailed data supporting the research in this book have been added at the back where, according to the author, they will stop general readers from drowning in statistics, but will provide an invaluable research tool for those interested.