Editorial: Piece of national pie under threat

OPINION: It is tempting to think of Taranaki as a go-ahead place populated by progressive, can-do people. That's the image that is nurtured within the region and projected beyond its borders.

And, for the most part, that's a reasonably fair representation. Pushed on and inspired by ambitious local body and community leaders, we consistently punch above our weight, whether that be in industry, on the sporting field or in cultural arenas.

Many people ask why we bother, why we spend so much time, effort and money to lure people and organisations here. Why can't our local body authorities simply stick to their knitting and keep the core services functioning?

Part of the answer has been highlighted over the past few days by stories published in this paper and the New Zealand Herald. They give an insight into the pressure our local body leaders face in keeping Taranaki from slipping back into primordial provincial backwaters.

A few days ago, in a Taranaki Daily News report about the future of the region's health services, it was predicted that Tara-naki's population would fall substantially over the next 10-plus years.

Project Splice, a joint undertaking by the Taranaki District Health Board and the University of Auckland, projected our population would fall by eight per cent between 2001 and 2021, while the national figure would grow by 17 per cent.

That presents an image of a region going into reverse while the rest of the country powers ahead.

The New Zealand Herald backed up the claim when it published research indicating Auckland's population would go close to two million by 2031, with its share of national population rising to 38 per cent, from its current 33 per cent.

That confirms recent trends around this country's urbanisation and must be worrying news for those responsible for not only maintaining regional infrastructure but ensuring that it is replaced and even improved.

And it makes it even clearer why we must continue to make our region attractive to prospective businesses and immigrants who might be lured here to partake of our products and services.

As the Government struggles with huge deficits and pressures to make services and agencies more "efficient" and accountable, there will be more scrutiny about where those services and agencies are placed to maximise benefits. And population figures will be a vital factor in the equation.

It is important that Taranaki does not go backwards and that we maintain or even increase our population so we can continue to get a healthy slice of the national pie.

And we trust that our community leaders will keep working to ensure that our growing reputation around the country is backed up by cold, hard statistics the nation's movers and shakers will not be able to ignore.

- © Fairfax NZ News