Age Update

Waitakere is a young city. One quarter of the population is made up of children under the age of fifteen. However, in line with national trends, Waitakere�s population is ageing. The median age increased from 29 to 32 years between 1991 and 2001.

Young ones	The Golden years
Age Statistics

Young Ones

A large proportion (38.6%) of residents are under the age of twenty five. 8 percent are under the age of five. A higher proportion (24%) of Waitakere school leavers have no formal qualifications compared to the Auckland Region (16%) and New Zealand as a whole (19%).
The younger population is increasingly ethnically diverse. This is a result of several factors � immigration, historically higher levels of fertility amongst Maori and Pacific people and a growing number of children from mixed ethnic backgrounds. Waitakere�s Maori and Pacific populations have a lower median age as well as a high percentage of children. The growing Asian ethnic group has a high percentage of youth aged 15-24 years.

The Golden Years

Waitakere has a growing number of older residents - a national trend. The proportion of the population over the age of sixty five increased from 7.5% in 1991 to 8.8% in 2001. Europeans make up a higher proportion of those aged 65 years and over. Due to higher life expectancy, there are more women than men in the older age groups. The growth of the sixty five plus age group is projected to continue into the future as life expectancy improves, fertility rates drop and the baby boom generation moves into the older age bracket.

Age of Waitakere Residents, 2001

Age Group	1991	%	1996	%	2001	%
Less than 5 years	12762	9.3%	13986	9.0%	14139	8.4%
5-9 years	10527	7.7%	13419	8.6%	14088	8.3%
10-14 years	10476	7.6%	11271	7.2%	13521	8.0%
15-19 years	11667	8.5%	11190	7.2%	12123	7.2%
20-24 years	11715	8.6%	11718	7.5%	11292	6.7%
25-29 years	12966	9.5%	13197	8.5%	12366	7.3%
30-34 years	12408	9.1%	14703	9.5%	14529	8.6%
35-39 years	10446	7.6%	13233	8.5%	15024	8.9%
40-44 years	9930	7.2%	10956	7.0%	13155	7.8%
45-49 years	7470	5.5%	10116	6.5%	10842	6.4%
50-54 years	6222	4.5%	7455	4.8%	9756	5.8%
55-59 years	5328	3.9%	6231	4.0%	7170	4.2%
60-64 years	4752	3.5%	5106	3.3%	5922	3.5%
65 years and over	10329	7.5%	12990	8.4%	14826	8.8%
Total	137001	100%	155565	100%	168750	100%
Mean Age	31.1		31.9		32.8
Median Age	29		31		32

Age and Ethnicity of Waitakere City Residents 2001

Age Group	European	%	Maori	%	Pacific Peoples	%	Asian	%	Other	%
0-4 years	9678	8.2%	2985	14.0%	3801	15.1%	1590	3.1%	195	1.0%
5-9 years	9507	8.1%	2796	13.1%	3354	13.4%	1548	3.0%	17205	92.0%
10-14 years	9204	7.8%	2487	11.6%	2895	11.5%	34467	67.8%	162	0.9%
15-19 years	7605	6.5%	1959	9.2%	2277	9.1%	2004	3.9%	147	0.8%
20-24 years	7071	6.0%	1863	8.7%	2178	8.7%	1461	2.9%	120	0.6%
25-29 years	8025	6.8%	1806	8.4%	1977	7.9%	1107	2.2%	120	0.6%
30-34 years	9831	8.4%	1743	8.1%	1905	7.6%	1626	3.2%	174	0.9%
35-39 years	10170	8.7%	1635	7.6%	1764	7.0%	1872	3.7%	183	1.0%
40-44 years	9057	7.7%	1323	6.2%	1359	5.4%	1599	3.1%	129	0.7%
45-49 years	7683	6.5%	933	4.4%	1089	4.3%	1128	2.2%	84	0.4%
50-54 years	7293	6.2%	651	3.0%	855	3.4%	783	1.5%	57	0.3%
55-59 years	5463	4.7%	429	2.0%	552	2.2%	498	1.0%	48	0.3%
60-64 years	4521	3.9%	345	1.6%	405	1.6%	468	0.9%	27	0.1%
65-69 years	3651	3.1%	204	1.0%	303	1.2%	318	0.6%	15	0.1%
70-74 years	3339	2.8%	129	0.6%	216	0.9%	177	0.3%	18	0.1%
75-79 years	2592	2.2%	57	0.3%	105	0.4%	117	0.2%	6	0.0%
80-84 years	1506	1.3%	30	0.1%	48	0.2%	42	0.1%	0	0.0%
85+ years	1128	1.0%	21	0.1%	36	0.1%	33	0.1%	6	0.0%
Total	117324	100%	21396	100%	25119	100%	50838	100%	18696	100%

Note: People can identify with more than one ethnic group
Source: Statistics New Zealand, March 2001 Census