New Zealand's two southernmost mayors say they are thrilled their areas are showing population growth.
Census figures released on Tuesday show Southland district - the only one in the country to record a population drop between 2001 and 2006 - has shown a 4.1% population rise since the 2006 census. There are now 29,613, people living in the district, 1176 more than seven years ago.
In the same period, Invercargill City's population grew by 1368 people, or 2.71%, to 51,696 and is 3.7% higher than in 2001.
Retiring Southland Mayor Frana Cardno said she was thrilled. Despite Government predictions the district's population would continue to decline, the council had always been confident it would grow because of the province's agricultural base and low unemployment, she said.
Southland's reliance on agriculture, particularly dairying, was evident in the figures, with population growth in most rural areas including Dacre, Edendale, Wyndham and Fairfax, near Riverton.
However, apart from Te Anau and Wallacetown, the population declined in small towns, including Balfour, Nightcaps, Ohai, Tuatapere, Otautau, Mossburn and Riverton.
Most Invercargill suburbs had static populations or small increases between 2006 and 2013, while growth was more pronounced in fringe areas such as Makarewa, Woodend, Otatara and Greenhills.
The city's mayor, Tim Shadbolt, said that he was ''absolutely thrilled'' with the figures and would be happy to see the city maintain similar low but positive growth.
''When you consider that in 1993 Statistics New Zealand predicted our population would be down to 30,000 by 2020, we're doing all right.''
He said the city had been able to turn the ''dire predictions'' around with strategies such as the Southern Institute of Technology zero fees scheme, which has resulted in student numbers at the polytechnic's Invercargill campus soaring from 1000 to 5000 where they have remained, and the business development and job creation work carried out by Venture Southland, a joint committee of three southern councils.
The entire Southland region, which includes Invercargill and Gore, now has a population of 93,339, an increase of 2.7% on the 2006 figure.
