What will the future of the West Coast hold?
massey-university
Tue Jun 18 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
What will the future of the West Coast hold?
Tuesday, 18 June 2013, 4:24 pm
Press Release: Massey University
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
What will the future of the West Coast hold?
As debate rages in Auckland over a million more inhabitants, the more sparsely-populated West Coast is facing its own issues, including an ageing and decreasing population, fewer employment opportunities and potential conflict over economic development and environmental concerns.
The future of the West Coast and how locals feel about these changes will be explored in a new study by Massey and University of Waikato researchers.
The Nga Tangata Oho Mairangi study is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and led by teams from the two universities.
Researchers will investigate the impact of demographic and economic changes in the West Coast, and provide a detailed model of the nature of these changes and make projections to 2036.
The teams will speak with “Coasters” about what is happening in their region, and what they think about the changes and challenges.
Massey University researcher Dr Trudie Cain will be visiting the West Coast from June 29 to July 2 and wants to interview ten households of two people or more.
“We are looking for a broad range of people and households – from secondary school pupils through to older people, and longstanding West Coast families through to new migrants. We want to find out what their perceptions are about life on the West Coast, what opportunities they see, why people move to the area – why they move away – and what would make young people stay.”
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Dr Cain says the West Coast is a region of historical significance, and the information gathered from these interviews will help future planning for the West Coast region.
The West Coast is one of five regions examined in the study. The other regions are Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Southland.
For more information on the study, visit the website: http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/departments/centres-research/ntom/ntom\_home.cfm
ENDS
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