It’s a low-population island (roughly 4.8 million). Out of that, roughly sixty-percent of the nation resides in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch. The effect of urbanization is evident.
I spent around two weeks there a year ago. Once you leave the city limits of the three major cities, it’s a totally different landscape. The rural population isn’t increasing....it’s urban sprawl that expands in NZ.
I’m not surprised over the political reaction. In their mind, the population density is such, that you can control the ‘hearts and minds’ of the general population (by newspapers, pressure on the news networks, censorship by social media, limiting internet browsing, etc).
I think I mentioned before a gal I worked with moved out of NZ to America.....she said there was ‘nothing there’ to do... let alone reason to stay. She loves it here and would not consider moving back.
To which island are you referring here? There are two major islands (North Island and South Island); also a host of smaller islands and islets. The nation of New Zealand as a whole has a population of roughly 4.8 million.
Regards,