Wao Podcast: Our shapeshifting population: navigating a positive future

If you’re wondering what the population of New Zealand or the world might look like in the near future, Professor Paul Spoonley of Massey University is the man to talk to. His specialist area is social change and demography, and especially how this impacts policy decisions at the political level.

He’s regularly quoted in the media, has written or edited 27 books and countless research papers, and has led numerous significant research programmes. This includes significant work on extremism, racism, immigration and ethnicity. He’s also got some excellent ideas about how we can positively navigate the future - at the local and national level.

In this interview, we explore the nature of demographic changes taking place in Aotearoa New Zealand and the world. For our country, migration has been a key driver of population growth since 2013. This is significant at a time when the fertility rate in New Zealand has fallen “below replacement level”.

Pauls shares why the aging population poses challenges for the economy and social services. He discusses cultural diversity, and reveals where we will soon rank amongst OECD nations for diversity. Paul also contemplates the need for effective diaspora management to connect with New Zealanders abroad - something which he says is lacking at present, but which could drive competitive advantage for us as a nation.

We then turn to how demographic shifts in turn create the need for a different method of decision making. Paul is passionate about the role young, engaged people can and should play and strongly believes their voices should be heard, but notes that it is no wonder that many feel completely disengaged from old and stale forms of government.

If you are at all interested in how Aotearoa New Zealand is changing and where we are heading, this is an episode for you.