If the population declines there will be issues...but here's the thing Batgirl, the population is actually growing again and with an increase in skilled immigrants. 6,100 in one month is more than just a little. There's been a trend. Understandable that many people - especially Europeans in economic malaise - are trying to get out of dodge. Most of the newbies have degrees and it's definitively not all semi-skilled people going to ChCh. The numbers have been turning quite strongly for several months and it's not just Kiwis in Oz coming home. Lots from the UK too. Maybe it's my Welly bias but there is an extraordinary talent base here or both new Kiwis and those born here. Agro isn't just milking cows. Value-added milk products and vinoculture require expertise. There is also a strong IT and Educational base. In fact where I live there are a number of Kiwis working for UK firms remotely drawn to the much higher quality of life. The scene in Welly is quite exciting right now. Yes, cities are vibrant and there are issues over depopulation in the countryside but you can still buy a home with a garden in Auckland and that will be true for some time as the boundaries are pushed back. In Japan there were very few real lots. I just couldn't live that way. Nor could I live in the concrete jungles of HK or Singapore. Whatever happens to Auckland and even the other cities, I don't believe the urban jungle will be replicated here. Ask any Beijing resident whether they *really* want to live there. Ultimately as a new immigrant with kids you have to think about what a country will look like in the future. And I'm very optimistic about NZ. A country that isn't overpopulated and has areas of great beauty and a culture of doing business will attract entrepreneurial migrants. Debt:GDP at 28% will rise with old age liabilities and what that means is a 70 super age and means testing. However, NZ is in a far better place than most Western nations too.