The standard classification for urban/rural areas based on population size alone was judged to be inadequate to portray the diversity of the social and economic characteristics of people living in all areas of the urban-rural spectrum. This led to the development of an experimental classification that more accurately depicts the characteristics of places by redefining the urban/rural areas based on the degree of urban influence the area has. This degree of urban influence on the area was determined by using the usual residence and workplace addresses of the employed population in the area.

Urban profiles

• Main urban: The same as the standard 2006 definition for main urban centres and includes centres with populations of 30,000 or more.
• Satellite urban: Towns and settlements with strong links to main urban centres. Satellite urban communities are defined as urban areas (other than main urban areas) where 20 percent or more of the usually resident employed population's workplace address is in a main urban area.
• Independent urban: Towns and settlements without significant dependence on main urban centres. Independent urban communities are urban areas (other than main urban areas) where less than 20 percent of the usually resident employed population's workplace address is in a main urban area.

Rural profiles

• Rural with high urban influence: Rural areas that form a transition between the main urban areas and rural areas. A significant proportion of the resident employed population work in a main urban area.
• Rural with moderate urban influence: Rural areas with a significant, but not exclusively, main urban area influence. A large percentage of the resident employed population works in a minor or secondary urban area, or a significant percentage work in a main urban area. However, if the percentage working in a main urban area is too substantial, the area will be included in the high urban influence category.
• Rural with low urban influence: Rural areas with a strong rural focus. The majority of the population in these areas works in a rural area.
• Highly rural/remote area: Rural areas where there is minimal dependence on urban areas in terms of employment, or where there is a very small employed population.

Urban/rural profile categories for regions are illustrated in maps that can be viewed or downloaded from this page on the Statistics New Zealand website.

This internal migration topic will summarise internal migration trends for the urban/rural area types as described above using data from the Census of Population and Dwellings.

Population

Population change for the areas as measured by the five-yearly Census of Population and Dwellings indicated that not only main urban areas have recorded significant population increases. The usual resident populations of satellite urban areas, rural areas with high urban influence, and rural areas with moderate urban influence also had significant increases for the five-year periods recorded by the 1996 and 2006 Censuses.

Table 1

Note: Figures from the 1991 and 2001 Censuses are available from table 1 of the downloadable tables (see tables section at the end of this article).

In relative terms, the population increase for rural areas with high urban influence was markedly higher compared with other area types: 19 percent between 1991 and 1996, and 12 percent between 2001 and 2006. In comparison, populations for main urban, satellite urban, and rural areas with moderate urban influence increased by a similar level to that of New Zealand (7 percent for the two periods).

Figure 1