New Demographic Directions Programme (1996 - 2004)

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A two-year extension to the New Demographic Directions Programme, led by Professor Ian Pool, has been granted by FRST to enable the research team to complete the regional synthesis of New Zealand’s recent demographic and socio-economic transformations undertaken between 1998 and 2002. This evidence base on regional population dynamics, structures and characteristics, along with that on national population dynamics developed by the research team between 1993 and 2002, is the foundation on which the team is building a new programme of research on New Zealand’s population future. During the period 2002-2004, the research programme’s two Objective Leaders are Dr Dharmalingam and Professor Richard Bedford.

Over the past 12 months, in association with the Western Bay of Plenty SmartGrowth Project, the MRG made substantial progress towards developing the sub-national knowledge base. Major outputs from this research are reported in the next section. Wider dimensions of international migration at the national level, which has been a primary focus of the research activities of the MRG since 1993, continue to be a research focus. Aspects of contemporary international migration to and from New Zealand that were explored during the past 12 months included:

• the globalisation of international migration in New Zealand(1)
• policy responses to address the issue of skill shortages in New Zealand(2)
• return migrant behaviour of New Zealanders(3)
• migrant behaviour of families from northeast Asia(4) and Africa (5)

In the next 12 months, the MRG will contribute to developing innovative frameworks for achieving informed forecasts of New Zealand’s population future.

(1) Bedford, R.D., Ho, E.S. and Lidgard, J.M. (2002). International migration in New Zealand: context, components and policy issues. Journal of Population Research and New Zealand Population Review, Joint Special Issue, September, 39-65; Bedford, R.D., Bedford, C., Ho, E.S. and Lidgard, J. (2002). The globalization of international migration in New Zealand: contribution to a debate. New Zealand Population Review, 28(1), 69-97; Spoonley, P. and Bedford, R.D. (forthcoming) Blurring the boundaries: the impact of contemporary migration flows and transnational linkages on Aotearoa./New Zealand., in R. Iredale, C. Hawksley and S. Castles (Eds) Migration in the Asia-Pacific: Population, Settlement and Citizenship Issues. Edward Algar, London. [back]
(2) Bedford, C. (2002). Skill shortages: fact or fiction? A comparison of New Zealand and Australian policy responses. Paper presented to the East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference, Hawaii. [back]
(3) Lidgard, J. (2002) Time to celebrate international brain exchange: New Zealanders still come home. In P. Holland, F. Stephenson and A. Wearing (Eds) 2001, Geography – A Spatial Odyssey. Proceedings of the third Joint Conference of the New Zealand Geographical Society and the Institute of Australian Geographers. New Zealand Geographical Society, Hamilton, 321-326; Lidgard, J. and Gilson, C. (2002) Return migration of New Zealanders: shuttle and circular migrants. New Zealand Population Review, 28(1), 99-128.[back]
(4) Ho, E.S. (2002). Multi-local residence, transnational networks: Chinese ‘astronaut’ families in New Zealand. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 11(1), 145-164. [back]
(5) Njeba, K.K. and Bedford, R.D. (2002) Mobility in Cameroon: explaining return migration in the 1990s”. In P. Holland, F. Stephenson and A. Wearing (Eds) 2001, Geography – A Spatial Odyssey. Proceedings of the third Joint Conference of the New Zealand Geographical Society and the Institute of Australian Geographers. New Zealand Geographical Society, Hamilton, 335-341. [back]