AUGUST 10 2019 LISTENER 57changes in our value system.
No one now thinks of us
as a “better Britain” or
having superb race rela-
tions. Many people enjoy
New Zealand’s urbanity and
they qualify their commit-
ment to material growth
with an obligatory nod to
the environment. Most NewZealanders accept working
women and gay people. Yet
there is also a huge diversity
in the country – a small town
in Southland is very different
from an inner-city Auckland
suburb. There are fundamen-
talist Christians, committed
Muslims and practising
Buddhists; there are peopleproud to be “family men”
and “gay men”; there are
ardent All Blacks fans and
those who ignore the game.
At a time when we have
just seen the worst domestic
terror act in our history – the
Christchurch mosque attacks
on March 15 in which 51
people were killed and 49others injured – our real chal-
lenge for the next 80 years
may be learning to live with
diverse values. In the end, a
mature society is one that con-
tains different ideals, strongly
held, yet manages to cohere
and sort out its clashes of
values in ways that are digni-
fied and peaceful. lDecember 10, 1989.
Once, you only
shopped Monday
to Friday. The
great New
Zealand weekend began
crumbling in 1980, when shops
could open on Saturdays, too.
Sunday trading was allowed
from Christmas 1989, despite
complaints from trade unions
and churches over the falling
quality of life for shop workers,
and emptying pews.November 1993. Abrupt and unexpected
policy changes in the previous decade
sowed doubt in the minds of many over
the legitimacy of the first-past-the-post
(FPP) electoral system. A royal commission
in 1986 recommended changing to the
mixed-member proportional (MMP)
system – where parties would receive
representation in direct proportion to
the number of votes won. In 1993, as the
binding referendum approached, the
Listener endorsed MMP. “We do not think
MMP is a perfect system – nor will it solve
all the problems facing this country, not
by a long shot. But it is fairer than the
present system.” The plebiscite, according
to this magazine, was “the most important
choice faced since women’s suffrage”.
Despite Labour and National uniting in
opposition, and MMP being tied to an
unpopular increase in the number of
MPs, a close but clear majority (53.8% to
46.2%) voted to embrace proportional
representation. The next election, in 1996,
saw more parties, women and Māori in
Parliament than ever before. Critics point to
the downside of MMP, specifically the last
election where Winston Peters, who lost
his own electorate seat and whose party
vote fell to just 7%, had 100% of the power
to anoint the prime minister, using it to
demand policy concessions and a $3 billion
Provincial Growth Fund for Shane Jones.MMP referendum
Sunday trading Higher education
April 2003. When New Zealand’s population passed the four million mark at about
5.30pm on Thursday, April 24, 2003, on one level, it meant just one more entrant
in the global game of sardines started by those first Polynesian explorers. We
reached one million people in 1908, two million in 1952 and three million in 1973.
Reaching the four million club was thought to be the last million milestone we
would pass for the next century, but we are already at 4.9 million. In 2003, Statistics
NZ expected our population to peak at 4.8 million in 2046 before declining to 4.4
million by 2101.
There were 58,020 live births and 33,225 deaths in New Zealand last year, resulting
in a natural increase of 24,795 people. The fertility rate dropped to 1.71 births per
woman, which is the lowest recorded. However, New Zealand’s population could
reach 5 million late this year or in 2020.Population reaches four million
February 1992. The early 90s saw a run
on gowns and mortarboards. Universities
bulged and polytechnics offered degrees as
more New Zealanders than ever participated
in tertiary education. With high unem-
ployment in low-skill areas encouraging
upskilling, and the loans scheme enabling
borrowing to cover costs, student participa-
tion increased by a third to 200,000 between
1991 and 1993. Non-Pākehā students made
inroads, comprising 30% of the student body
by 1998, up from only 15% in 1990. Although
the loans scheme enabled wider participa-
tion, borrowing reached $26.1 billion in 2018.