Why So Few People Live On New Zealand's South Island
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- Опубликовано: 7 май 2024
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New Zealand is incredible to behold. Its physical geography, mostly on the South Island, is some of the most awe inspiring in the entire world. And its for this reason, that the country has gained international fame through the likes of film and television. Despite this geography, however, most New Zealanders live in the relatively more modest North Island, leaving the picturesque South Island fairly empty by comparison. So why don't more people live on New Zealand's South Island?
Waitangi Signing painting by Archives New Zealand from New Zealand - Reconstruction of the Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Marcus King, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Christchurch earthquake photo by Greg O'Beirne - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Stock footage is acquired from www.storyblocks.com.
Animation support provided by DH Designs (needahittman.com) 
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As an Australian, I naturally love New Zealand. They are our closest ally and best friend. Most Aussies know at least some kiwis and we love going there on holidays and eating their delicious foods. When there is a natural disaster in either country such as the 2009 Black Saturday bush fires in Australia or the 2011 earthquakes in New Zealand, both countries rush to aid each other.
Kiwi here, when you see Kiwi trashing on Australia. We mean it in a nicest way possible. Its a tsundere relationship
Sweden, Austrailia and New Zealand truely have a special relationship. Some call it the holy triangle😊
Aussies And Kiwis will always be close, we are the same people with qwerky differences 👍🏼
As a South Islander could we please keep our slice of heaven to ourselves. I wouls call our winters cold but not brutal unless of course you are up high in the mountains.
@@nickbenfell4327 well exactly, many very populated Canadian city enjoy more than minus 30 in winter , thats more brutal than anything the South Island has to offer. (Grew up in CHCH can still remember riding my dad’s bike to Christchurch South in the winter and not being able to feel my hands.
Kiwi here, really good video! There are a few things I would fix but they're not major, mostly pronunciations of words and the placement of the word Wellington in the graphic. A key point that was missed was that at one point in history the South Island was actually more populated, but once the Otago gold rush had died down the population shifted north for the reasons you've mentioned. Thanks for featuring us 😊
Ditto Gaz - Wellyz was pinned near Kaikoura
Agree, Wellington is placed on the wrong island.@@Skiwi685
... And Dunedin ...
I'm one of the 1.2 million people in the south island!
The climate here is brutal compared to the north (hotter summers, freezing winters) but it's much MUCH cheaper than living in Auckland and I do not regret moving down here.
Xercon Iame whlteboy
I agree - very hot and very cold inland compared to the cost, which I don't like but it is still a great place to live! Not brutal though.
Yeah exactly.
I am from and grew up in Wellington, NZ - from Eastbourne, specifically and I love it here, especially Day's Bay... a magical place where primary (old growth) indigenous temperate rainforest comes down within 20 metres of sea level.
I am an ecologist and conservationist... there is only ONE OTHER PLACE on the entire island where this happens. That block of forest if 5000 acres/2000 ha!!
Close to where I am today, you can stand on a hill ridge in native forest that feels like it is home to elves and fairies above this side of Wellington harbour, besides 500 year old Northern Rata trees with trunks 9 feet/1.5 metres wide, 75 feet/25 metres high, festooned in vines, native lilies and flowering native orchids... and see high rise buildings and the NZ parliament buildings in the distance (!!).
Probably the only capital city in the world (CERTAINLY of a developed country) where this is possible... wow! 😳🤩😍
But for MOST PEOPLE... especially if you were not born and raised here and/or you do not have deep family roots in the area (my family has been in this area since 1841) ... here is the question...
What would you choose???
a) Sub-tropical climate similar to that of parts of Southern California or Northern NSW in Australia (think Byron Bay)
OR
b) Cold continental climate more similar to that of Canada or Southern Norway...
New Zealand has both options!! 🤷♂️
Climate and comfort is the reason over 50% of the country's population lives on less than 25% of the land in the top half of the North Island - which is smaller than the South Island. It's not an accident 😅
Aucklanders mock us in Wellington for our relatively colder, windier weather but many (most?) Kiwi's and tourists agree that Wellington is the best of NZ's three biggest cities: amazing nature, kind/conscious people (its local custom/cultural protocol to say or yell (!!) "thank you" to the bus driver as you get off the bus here) and many (not all!) Aucklanders are famously superficial.
@@Huia87 No major earthquakes for a while in Australia.
@@Huia87 when I visited, I toured much of NZ from Auckland down to Queenstown over a period of only 2 weeks. Wellington and Christchurch were my two favorite cities, for sure. Queenstown was probably one of the if not _the_ most beautiful places I had ever been too. Also, for what it's worth, we were visiting in March 😅
I live there. In the middle of the South Island. I don't think the mountains (which I can see from my house) have anything to do with the lower population. It could be the colder climate or lack of job opportunities.
Vivienne Hayes Iame whlteboy
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@@ibonigga Ooga booga 👩🏿🦲
@vivien is gold panning or mining allowed on south island?
I think so - panning but not mining I guess. Most of it was in the provinces of the West Coast and Otago many years ago. @@StevenHanover
I live in the South Island my family has lived in the south island for the last 182 years most south islanders rather like our lower population
South Island has a lot of mountains. I think that's why South Island has far less population than the North. New Zealand also has less population than Singapore.
Saad Alis Art and Drawing Iame whlteboy
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m u s I im are whltef-ck
I hope thats not the explanation. Japan is mountainous and has 120 million people
@@iboniggahush Ooga booga 👩🏿🦲
One correction.
The South Island used to have a roughly equal population to the North Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, due to the Otago gold rush.
The population has been drifting north ever since
We grew up in the UK and have been living in Dunedin for 12 years. We love living down here.
I like the fact that the South Island is the same land area as the UK but has 1.2 million people and the UK has 80 million people! The South Island probably has 80 million sheep and cattle!
It’s not. It’s around 150,000 km^2. The UK is around 244,000 km^2.
@@samdaniels2 yes you’re right. I saw the two maps overlaid once and saw they were similar, but now I’ve fact-checked, the South Island is similar to England + Wales, which have 60m people.
You learn something new every day!
Dunedin seems an amazing place to be in! How's the climate like there? Is sun a big problem (due to UV radiation) in NZ ? Is it depressing with less sun whole year around? Are there any natural disasters such as earthquakes/whatever that would prevent you from living there? What are the negatives of Dunedin/South NZ that you see as a local citizen?
NZ seems so amazing, wish I was there or learn more about this beautiful place🙄
@@aihackathongr yes the South Island is beautiful. And very diverse too. Similar climate to UK, Dunedin is like a big town like Cheltenham or Chester if it were there.
Hardly any earthquakes in Dunedin and the one I’ve felt was a rumble. Earthquakes are along the Southern Alps on the west side of the Island.
UV is worse in the southern hemisphere generally but you just get used to cream and hat.
Upside is few people and a lot of open space, but the flip side is that the choices of everything are fewer.
@@jasongraham731 so people can buy unlimited anounts of land there I guess 😂 that's a dream place to be in 😄 Thanks for your detailed reply, I appreciate it🙏
The idea that earthquakes turn people off the south island makes no sense. Historically most of the earthquakes are in the north island. Wellington and Napier to name but a few. Some of the North Island footage used is actually of the South Island as well.
FUN FACTS:
1. The "triple star" in God Defend New Zealand refers to the two main islands (N & S) and Rakiura/Stewart Island.
2. Dunedin is the Gaelic translation for "Edinburgh",
And is not pronounced "Doon a din".
:)
@@GeorgePrice-wf5lx That made me laugh so much, mainly because he'd not been doing too bad a job at most of the other place names!!! Doon a din sounds like a place taken right out of Tolkien though where there would be a castle and a great battle!!!
I have heard it used to be "triple shore", which kinda makes sense since it would actually rhyme with "strife and war", no idea why or when it changed or if it really did though
@@GeorgePrice-wf5lx Americans in general seem to have trouble with Dunedin. Dun-eee-din
@@brucesim2003 I went there once. Had no trouble ;)
I live in Dunedin (Dun-need-in), in the lower south island. We are a small city, but have a university, a medical school and a friendly population. I greatly prefer living in the south, it's less crowded, more friendly and doesn't get nearly as hot. We're also closer to stunning wild life. A short drive from my house you can see penguins, sea lions, seals, dolphins, whales and Royal albatross (truly giant birds that land on my roof with a hell of a thud).
I'm gonna say the way he says it from now on.
Five years in Dunedin for me meant: cold; smog; mouldy, decrepit housing; beaches polluted by raw sewage; drug addicts; depressed economy; and drunken, rioting University students getting a slap on the wrist from the Courts.
And the Royal Albatross NEVER land on roofs, you bloody liar; they nest in their exclusive Colony at the end of the Otago Peninsula; I lived out there.
You stay in Dunedin and keep away from the North Island.
@@davidstevenson9517 Then what the hell bird is it? It's bigger than a seagull and has blue legs.
Dunedin seems an amazing place to be in! How's the climate like there? Is sun a big problem (due to UV radiation) in NZ ? Is it depressing with less sun whole year around? Are there any natural disasters such as earthquakes/whatever that would prevent you from living there? What are the negatives of Dunedin/South NZ that you see as a local citizen?
NZ seems so amazing, wish I was there or learn more about this beautiful place🙄
As a South Islander here, additional fact the South Island is sometimes still referred to as 'The Mainland' and the people as Mainlanders, this is to differentiate us from the Northerners, and especially from Aucklanders.
As someone who grew up in Christchurch, then Wellington, then moved to Auckland for my job I can say while most non-Aucklanders have a negative view of us, I got called a Dorklander in Taranaki and treated as some kind of alien in Geraldine, I can say that Aucklanders don’t have negative views of people in the rest of the country. Of course this is because as far as they are concerned nothing exists south of the Bombay Hills, well except Christchurch where most of us could buy a street for what it costs to own a house in Auckland. Cheers Mainlander at heart 😀
@@Chris-NZJAFA!
@@Skiwi685 thanks Just another fabulous Aucklander.
Only south islanders call it mainland
@@jesseleeward2359 arh yes but do you have to live in the South Island to be a Mainlander ?
9:45. The way he said Dunedin 😂😂
As a former South Islander I found this to be an excellent summary (except it’s Duneedin emphasis on the 2nd syllable). The biggest reason for the population disparity are the greater job opportunities in the North Island. Greater Auckland comprises almost 1/3 of NZ’s population so is a huge magnet for internal and external migration. Wellington, as the capital, has its own economic pull like any capital city driven by government spending on administrative staffing. The weather is a factor as the climate in the most populous northern half of the North Island is significantly milder than the South Island. However, the lower population density and spectacular more dramatic scenery of the South Island makes for a more accessible outdoorsy lifestyle.
One thing that would help make these videos more fulfilling would be to include more data. For instance, what are the average and extreme temperatures of Auckland, compared to Dunedin? How many sunny days for each? What about wind? What is the ratio of land area? The numbers and charts would provide more insight. I already knew the South Island would be cold by looking at the map, but I still don’t know how cold. Like, does it snow regularly in Christchurch? I have no idea!
Agree, and also why not rewrite the script to avoid the unnecessary repetitions
Yes more detail would be be of interest for some people. Produce a Supplemental podcast on each topic that containes more detai. The success would depend on the sufficient funding to do it and number of followers he would get for those detail podcasts.
Snow in chch little bit once every 5yrs, very good. Not too hot in summer, not too cold in winter. See you there.
It’s like the old Johnny Carson bit.
Carson: “The South Island is so cold…”
Audience Yells: “How cold is it?”
The South Island can be cooler but also hotter, however most of the South Island is not particularly cold in general. Jon you asked for some comparisons, Auckland is much wetter than both Christxhurrch and Dunedin. The South Island cities are the driest cities with around 600 mm per year while Auckland around 1400mm per year. Christchurch has more frosty days than Dunedin during winter and lower overnight minimums. Wellington scores high on the wind index while Dunedin and Chriztchurch score much lower. The figures for 2023 have Dunedin as the sunniest major city, generally Wellingtkn is the least sunny. Would asd that some of those popilation figures look a,little low, Dunedin is about 135,000 in recent figures and Wellington and,Hamilton look a bit light as well..
Wonderful episode! New Zealand has been a 'bucket list' destination for my travels for quite some time. What a beautiful country.
I thoroughly recommend going there and I hope you get there one day soon. You can visit stunningly beautiful and diverse locations in quite short drives. But, allow yourself at least a couple of weeks to do it at a relaxed pace.
Bring A LOT of money, shits expensive here. Especially the tourist traps.
Thanks Geoff. I enjoy your content. Excellent work!
The South Island is hot and dry in summer and freezing cold in winter. I lived there (for work only) for 20 years and moved back to the North Island as soon as i retired.
Except the West Coast! Quite a bit of rain but mild temperatures all year round.
@@viviennehayes2856 if you a temperature range of 10-20 degrees mild
It's such a great value video about New Zealand. I think one of the best things in South Island is the fact it has only few people living there. It gives us the opportunity to enjoy untouchable nature and stunning views. Thanks for the content.
08:30 Did anyone notice, when Geoff said "highly fertile," the lamb in the foreground poop'ed. That was a setup of perfect timing.
I visited the south and north islands and did not find the south island that deserted. I was there in February and the weather was fantastic.
Most of the negative weather views of the South Island originate from Auckland, but they never tell you how wet, damp and humid it is in Auckland, South Island weather is way better.
Just a heads up, the graphic at 1:18 incorrectly shows Wellington as being on the south island.
Such a great video overall, probably should win an award. Best educational infotainment video of 2024 !
Don’t worry about population, the South Island has the best places to visit in New Zealand. Go in autumn it is sensational.
Yup!
Climate!!!
I am from and grew up in Wellington, NZ - from Eastbourne, specifically and I love it here, especially Day's Bay... a magical place where primary (old growth) indigenous temperate rainforest comes down within 20 metres of sea level.
I am an ecologist and conservationist... there is only ONE OTHER PLACE on the entire island where this happens. That block of forest if 5000 acres/2000 ha!!
Close to where I am today, you can stand on a hill ridge in native forest that feels like it is home to elves and fairies above this side of Wellington harbour, besides 500 year old Northern Rata trees with trunks 9 feet/1.5 metres wide, 75 feet/25 metres high, festooned in vines, native lilies and flowering native orchids... and see high rise buildings and the NZ parliament buildings in the distance (!!).
Probably the only capital city in the world (CERTAINLY of a developed country) where this is possible... wow! 😳🤩😍
But for MOST PEOPLE... especially if you were not born and raised here and/or you do not have deep family roots in the area (my family has been in this area since 1841) ... here is the question...
What would you choose???
a) Sub-tropical climate similar to that of parts of Southern California or Northern NSW in Australia (think Byron Bay)
OR
b) Cold continental climate more similar to that of Canada or Southern Norway...
New Zealand has both options!! 🤷♂️
Climate and comfort is the reason over 50% of the country's population lives on less than 25% of the land in the top half of the North Island - which is smaller than the South Island. It's not an accident 😅
Aucklanders mock us in Wellington for our relatively colder, windier weather but many (most?) Kiwi's and tourists agree that Wellington is the best of NZ's three biggest cities: amazing nature, kind/conscious people (its local custom/cultural protocol to say or yell (!!) "thank you" to the bus driver as you get off the bus here) and many (not all!) Aucklanders are famously superficial.
Like your channel hope you feel better don't over Work on videos and stay safe
great vid!!
One of the main reasons for the low Maori population of the South Island is the so called "kumara line" - the latitude where kumara (sweet potato) can no longer be cultivated. This is roughly aligned with the top of the South Island, so Maori were reasonably populous in Nelson but existed in hunter-gatherer numbers only south of there. Also, it took Polynesians so long to discover NZ because of the countries latitude - strong prevailing westerlies (trade winds, roaring forties, etc) meant Polynesian navigators could not go far into the wind before returning home as they ran out of food & water.
I often wondered how they survived the winters down here!
Such a stunning place. Thank you for all the wonderful landscape scenery (along with the great facts). Anyone know where this 6:37 location is exactly? I think it might be the Hooker Valley Track at the base of Mt Cook.
Would love to visit NZ one day. Its scenery looks stunning
A pretty good video overall apart from some names not pronounced properly.
There was a few islands not mentioned since there are many small ones,Chatham island is far to the east of Chritchurch.
Before Wellington became capital,the centre of government was Auckland.
GNS Science, with its intensive study of the Hikurangi Trench which runs down the East coast of the North Island, is very concerned at a potential 9 on the Richter Scale. They estimate a 25% chance of such a quake in any given year within the next 50 years. Potentially worse than the 8 which is due any time on the Alpine Fault. NZers need to prepare as best they can.
I lived and worked on Southland Times in Invercargill in 1974-75 and loved it, beautiful countryside and people, food n beer just so so, but overall a wonderful experience, got worse case of sunburn way down there with long summer twilights. Bluff oysters, White Bait fritters good but had misfortune to try mutton bird. Did trips over bith islands and the area of Nelson my favourite place. Back home in sydney i still have many Kiwi friends and love the friendly banter between us over a beer or three except when it comes to the All Blacks. Great place to visit or live, i was very grateful for the time i had there abd the experiences i had in South Island and Southland
Perfect video please a video of Mainland Australia
thats wild that they are so close but so different
Besides the rugged terrain, harsh climate, distance from urban centers, and less developed infrastructure compared to the north, it's also influenced by limited migration and a low birth rate in New Zealand.
Christchurch metro population at around 500K which is the 2nd largest in NZ after Auckland, its the 2nd largest city. The climate in east coast centers are rather mild certainly not harsh compared to much of Europe or the East coast of the US in winter. Migration is fairly strong to Canterbury and Nelson Marlborough but very weak in the rest of the South island.
"Ross Dependecy?" Whaaat? I start my day off learning new things. Thank You, Geoff!
As a South Islander. Its job opportunities and temperature. In the top half of the north island summer lasts 6 months compared to 2 months in the lower south and winter is very mild in the north.
First reason you have earthquakes um the north island has had huge earthquakes in past, now I lived in Nelson for 7 years and thought it was weird the 2 next big towns / cities to us was Richmond 12km and blenham 62km away them the next town over 10k was Christchurch at 255km. Now I know the area of the top of the north island well and still can't believe it wasn't settled heavier especially around the takaka or parapara areas at the spit or even a settlement started in the whanganui inlet which would of given a haven for shipping and similarly allowed fisheries and logging to establish
'Landscape of the North Island' - shows a clip of Queenstown Airport :-) Cmon Geoff...
The North Island has a better climate and economies of scale for business, goods and services. At a micro level, over 2 million people live within Auckland Hamilton Tauranga triangle which ensures its very own economic dominance over the rest of the country.
Mmmn I live in Marlborough again after living in the North Island. Didn't notice the North Islands weather being better back then & certainly don't now. I'll take our hotter summers, frosty winter mornings followed by clear blue skies, skifields within an hour's drive, the Sounds & actual mountains and lack of constant flooding over the "better weather" up North.
@@charlietwotimes it all depends on what you like, I too moved south and I’ve moved back north. I couldn’t take the bitter cold in winter. And as for hotter summers, temp wise it’s about the same, what I love about the south is the lack of humidity, delicious dry heat. Auckland summers feel increasingly like Singapore or the Pacific islands.
New Zealand is a beautiful country. I have been living in Auckland for the past 10 years. I have also visited some popular places in North island . I paid a visit to South Island two years ago. I fell in love with the people there . They were really friendly and down to earth . South Island is calm and quiet compared to North Island . I like quiet places . I prefer places with less population. So I’m definitely setting down with my wife in South Island in the future..
Dunedin is pronounced ‘Done-nee-din’ - New Zealander here
There was a lot more repetition in this episode. It seemed like you recorded several versions of the arible land of the north island vs. mountainous south island and then kept them all in.
Christchurch resident here! It wasnt just a 6.2. We had 3 massive shakes between September 2010 and july 2011 the 6.2 was the smallest but alot of people died hence why probably easier to come across
One of my ancestors, Victor Delannoy accompanied Jules Dumont d Urville in theFrench first world trip 1823-1829. Could have made New Zealand French!
There is a French town on the South Island called Akaroa, it’s very beautiful
Can you do Madagascar next? 🇲🇬
I'm from Auckland, I lived in Christchurch for about 2 and a half years! The south island to us up here is whole another world.
It snows down there in the winter, up here we NEVER see the snow.
They get winter storms and blizzards down there, we get Tropical Cyclones and tornados here.
The land down there is mostly flat, where as up here its hills and volcanoes
Down there its temperate weather similar to Europe, and up here its sub-tropical similar to Queensland, Australia.
The accent down there is different and has a twang to it, where as up here the accents / dialect / slang is different depending on the town.
Don't even get me started on the Maori culture of both islands, I could go on forever about that!
Love my home NZ
Its funny how people usually think New Zealand is just an Island just off of Australia. But no. Its so far away. Though beware! It is the country that posses the highest ORC population.
What is an 'ORC'?
@CathodeRayNipplez - Perhaps referencing Lord of the Rings? ORC's? Because the film series was filmed in NZ.
So glad to have Geoff doing this as I never expected it. Especially for someone who was born in the South Island and have lived in the North Island for over half my life, I can tell you why. The weather and better job opportunities. The South Island is still great though. An interesting one would be, why half of NZ's population lives in the relatively small triangle between Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton
Weather isn’t better though. People say Nelson has some of the best weather in New Zealand.
Good job with the pronunciation!
Have to visit that exciting Doo -a-din.Hope it’s not too cold!Archh,that Eden of the South.
Actually, it's pronounced Dun-EE-din...!
I don't know much about those South Islanders. I've lived in two medium sized towns in the North Island (about 30-50,000 people each). I wouldn't want to be anywhere more densely populated, as I like my green space and parklands. At the same time, I quite like the community feel, so anywhere that has wide open land between the next cluster of houses, just seems a bit too lonely and isolated to me.
It never ceases to amaze me how little these channels seemingly care to learn how to pronounce these names and words properly. That pronunciation of Dunedin was especially horrendous and easily avoidable through proper research.
Amazed that nobody mentions how "Ma-ori" is pronounced. Apparently NZers are ok with "mauri"?
Born and raised 4th generation westcoaster..love the place..ive found over the years some people come for a visit and never leave other's never come back 😆
10% of New Zealanders actually live in Australia.
And it's pronounced Dun - Eden
Lifestyle choices impact retirement planning. South Island's tranquility may appeal to retirees. Let's explore all options for a fulfilling retirement. Thanks for shedding light on this aspect!
Can’t believe New Zealand made it on the map!
didnt hear south islands sand flies mentioned
Seems weird to say that 4M people live in the North Island when almost half of that 4M (1,739,300) live in one little isthmus on that island. But there is a big difference. 8 people/sqkm in the south vs 20 people/sqkm for most of the north, and then Auckland clocking in at 352 people/sqkm
Gareth Iame whlteboy
Gareth Iame whlteboy
yo s e If
Gareth Iame whlteboy
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I live in the South Island most of my life and some part of my life I have lived in north island . South Island is more touristy and the weather in the South Island winters are cold as!!! Snowing sometimes , summers are extremely hot and dry . Where I live in central Otago . Summers are hot and we always go into droughts … earthquakes in New Zealand happens all over the country not just the South Island. I prefer the lower population in the South Island tbh. Tbh there are a lot job opportunities in the South Island it honestly does depend where you live in New Zealand
super glad the "geography is everything" podcast is finally(?) on u-toob!...or at least that you mentioned it is. 🤣👍
8:22 this is the South Island, Queenstown
4:42 I can see my house from here!
Do a video on the Koreas!
9:46 = pronounced "Done - eden". Also a few of the example pictures of north island landscapes are from the south island and that building destroyed in the earthquake segment isn't from NZ. Otherwise a good video.
I am Canadian and have been to New Zealand twice. I can attest it is one of the most naturally beautiful countries on earth, the people are open, funny and welcoming.
Please do a video on KURDISTAN autonomous region refurendam
Maori people came to my church one time and praised the Lord with their traditional dancing and regalia. It was awesome still have the group picture
can you make a vidoe about norway
Nz is expensive houses are unaffordable and wages are low.
Wages are low in NZ? I thought they were wealthy
@@FastGuy1 Not even close. And the new gov't is going to make sure the poor get poorer.
@FastGuy1 do some research. The country is downright beautiful. However, high living costs. High sucicide rates. Youth crime. Alot of under 25 on welfare. Too many low skilled migrants. Expensive housing need at least 1 million Nzd and that may not even get you a good home. Wages are not high and the reason why 1 million kiwis live in Aussie and plenty more will go.
Any chance of bumping into Xena: Warrior Princess if I visit?
Is this a reupload?
Cold. Who would prefer icy winters of the south to the milder north, where growing food is easier.
We have hotter summers though so it balances out.
@@rad4924 hmm, perhaps.
The South Island has double the recorded cold temperature to offset.
It is not THAT cold here! Certainly the coastal areas in the top half of the South Island are fairly mild. The top of the South Island is very mild with Nelson and Blenheim etc having high sunshine hours per annum. Christchurch has fairly high sunshine hours and inland North Canterbury has very high sunshine hours per annum.
Winters in Christchurch for example are FAR more mild than New York or much of Europe, certainly not harsh by world standards. It rains a crap ton more in Auckland than it does in Christchurch, and Christchurch can have much nicer summers so there is more to the story.
I bet if you put a thermometer on the top of Mt Ruapehu you’d eventually see a temperature below -20.
With only a 8 or so years of temperature recording of only a few months in the year half way up the mountain recorded -12.5.
The most important thing about NZ is the lack of good surf spots. It's freezing and there are giant sharks.
Imagine plenty of New Zealanders live in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Well, Welington is the capital and is geographically centralized in the country. Auckland is to the north and is the financial hub for not just North Island, but for the entire country. Christchurch is the financial center of South Island. As for other cities, there is Hamilton, home to the University of Waikato.
Yeah but Hamilton is a shithole, and the Uni is FUGLY! -source I went there
Hamilton is primarily a hub for agriculture - it's the biggest driver of Hamilton's economy. The dairy industry in New Zealand is very large, and the Waikato region (where Hamilton is located) is traditionally a dairy region. That's why Hamilton hosts the southern hemisphere's largest agricultural trade show every year (in June, when the local dairy cows are "dried off" and basically no one is milking).
7:11 Born and bred kiwi here, and I hate to be that guy but this statement isn't entirely true.
There was actually a period in the mid-late 1800's where there were significantly more European settlers in the South Island than the North Island - in the 1870s, Dunedin, now only the second-largest city in the South Island, was the largest settlement in NZ. This was for two primary reasons - first, fewer Māori lived in the South Island which gave Europeans who wanted to settle there an easier time doing so. The South Island's colder climate was also in many ways more reminiscent of home for a lot of the early settlers, much of whom were Scottish (this is why Dunedin is named as it is - "Dun Edin" is the original Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh). Second, and more pertinent, was gold. In the 1860s in particular there was a massive gold rush in the South Island like there was in Victoria (Aus) in the decade prior, concentrated in Otago and on the West Coast, which brought a huge wave of mostly Scottish and Irish men there, although there was also a small but notable community of miners who came from China - these were NZ's first Asian immigrants. Anyway, the gold rush, combined with mass Māori death from introduced diseases, had the effect of dragging the populational center of gravity in NZ considerably further south in the late 1800's compared to pre-colonization times, and the center of gravity only started shifting north again once the gold rush died down towards the end of the 19th century and going into the 20th, and it has only been drifting further north (i.e. towards Auckland) ever since. You can find plenty of modern Pakeha who live in the North Island whose families originally settled in the South Island back in the colonial times and moved to the North Island later on.
Just a few things to correct, otherwise not too bad at all. I live in the South Island (West Coast) So anyway you showed a picture of the Queenstown area (in the South Island) when you were talking about the North Island twice, you called our highest mountain as Mt Cook. That name while still is official is not the only official name and now most people refer to it as Aoraki because that was agreed with the Ngai Tahu treaty settlement in the 90s as it is spiritually the most important mountain to the Ngai Tahu (Kai Tahu) iwi of the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu)
Interestingly the South Island has all the extreme weather statistics, Wettest and driest, hottest and Coldest and lest windiest (exactly where I live) although Wellington is probably the windiest.
Oh and I've never heard Dunedin pronounced the way you did (it's Dun - e - din) the original name of Edinburgh actually. Also the 'ng' in Maori is a consonant blend not the end of one and not split between syllables and all Maori syllables end in a vowel. so it is "Wa - i - ta - ngi and Ta - u - ra - nga
Geoff, I love your videos and your usual expert analysis. However, I'm from NZ, and when you showed Queenstown (located in the lower South Island of NZ while discussing the geography of the North Island, you lost a lot of credibility as a geography expert in my view. 😢
From a fellow geography major.
South Island is lovely. But the best island of the THREE is Steward Island which has no rodents, rabbits and truly is beautiful as NEW ZEALAND WAS. It has only a few hundred residents and a mile of so of road.... and 150 beaches most relatively unexplored. I highly recommend bypass the other two islands go there..starting at Half Moon Bay.
Such a beautiful country!
The metroplex I live in in North Texas has a population of 6.2 million. I just looked up New Zealand’s population and it’s about 5 million. That is insane!
Not really. If you look up Namibia in Southwestern Africa, they have a population of under 3 million and their twice as big as New Zealand.
Is it just me or does the North Island look roughly the same shape as Hokkaido, the most northerly of Japan main islands?
I wanna live there for ever
yoseIf
But like Great Britain with Scotland in the North and England in the South though in reverse❤
Captain Cook navigated NZ using Dutch charts.
The sunniest place in New Zealand is Marlborough/ Nelson where 80% of the wine comes from. Canterbury grows most of the wheat needs of NZ with most of the rest coming from Australia. Really the climate difference is exaggerated here.
A couple of geog gaps worth mentioning. The Physical; Zealandia, mountain uplift rate greater than the Himalaya. The human; remoteness and size have led to an independent, self-deprecating, resourceful and progressive national character. This is why NZ cuts above its weight.
Forgot to mention that the percentage of Rugby Champions is heavily weighted in favour of the South Island with the legendary Canterbury Crusaders. Also, the city of Christchurch is amazingly flat and is the Garden City and exceptionally beautiful.
Cantabs. So modest 🙄
Congratulations for making a whole video about NZ and not once mentioning Lord of the Rings! We're so much more than that 👍(though bragging rights about that are welcome, lol)
In SOME ways he's right just off the title, but the north island has JUST as much issue, and if you look at like the east coast tehre's room for a LOT more XD
South Islander here, it's pretty quiet ngl.
South Island's tranquility may appeal to retirees. Consider its unique lifestyle and amenities for retirement planning.
Wish I'd know that when I was much younger. Sounds an ideal place to emigrate to.
We sure love being early
Do one about Trinidad and Tobago
New Zealand is on my bucket list. 😊
It’s not so much that more people live in the North Island it’s that there is one big city Auckland and half the people live there.
Thanks for converting feet into meters for mountains elevation !
Most Kiwi’s don’t live on either island. If they’re smart they live in Australia. If you’re straight you live in Melbourne, bent - Sydney, lazy - Queensland. But everyone loves Kiwi’s in Perth because they’re there to work.
We chose to be as far North on the NI as possible . No winters👌