If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the News story.
Use the vocabulary list to check the meanings of some words before you listen.
Vocabulary
density – the degree to which an area is filled with people or things
sparse – existing only in small amounts
urban – relating to towns and cities
lifestyle – the way in which a person or group of people live and work
Try these activities while listening
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- What is New Zealand’s population density?
- What are the figures for Australia, Japan, South Korea, the US, and the UK?
- What sort of land does New Zealand have?
- What does the speaker say about New Zealand’s largest farm?
- What was New Zealand’s population at the end of June 2025?
- What proportion of the population lives in the North Island?
- How many people live in a city in New Zealand?
- What percentage of the population lives in Auckland? And in Wellington?
- What are more people choosing to do?
News story
New Zealand’s population density is 20 people per square kilometre. By comparison, Australia has a population density of 3 people per square kilometre, Japan 342, South Korea 530, the US 37, and the UK 283, according to World Bank figures from 2023.
However, population density does not give a complete picture of where people live in a country. Some countries have more flat land, while others, like New Zealand, have more hilly land which is not so suitable for housing.
We have a sparse population in many regional areas. One reason is that we have many big farms. The largest is Molesworth Station which is more than 1,800 square kilometres. It is owned by the government.
According to Statistics New Zealand estimates at the end of June 2025, New Zealand’s population was around 5.3 million. About one quarter of the population lives in the South Island, and three quarters live in the North Island. Nearly 2 in 3 people live in a city in New Zealand. Of those people, 53 percent live in Auckland. A further 12 percent live in Christchurch, while 6 percent live in Wellington and another 6 percent live in Hamilton.
Like many other countries, more people are choosing to live in urban areas. It is difficult for regional areas to provide enough jobs. Do young people move to the city for jobs or because they enjoy the lifestyle? Does it matter if cities grow bigger and small towns get smaller?
Pat Syme wrote a story on this topic in 2017. You can listen to that story here and compare the figures from then with now.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer.
a. What is New Zealand’s population density?
20 people per square kilometre
b. What are the figures for Australia, Japan, South Korea, the US, and the UK?
Australia has 3 people per square kilometre, Japan 342, South Korea 530, the US 37, and the UK 283
c. What sort of land does New Zealand have?
More hilly land which is not so suitable for housing
d. What does the speaker say about New Zealand’s largest farm?
It is called Molesworth Station; more than 1,800 square kilometres; owned by the government
e. What was New Zealand’s population at the end of June 2025?
Around 5.3 million
f. What proportion of the population lives in the North Island?
Three quarters
g. How many people live in a city in New Zealand?
Nearly 2 in 3 people
h. What percentage of the population lives in Auckland? And in Wellington?
53 percent of those people who live in a city live in Auckland, and 6 percent live in Wellington
i. What are more people choosing to do?
They are choosing to live in urban areas.
Nice article – thanks Anna and Natasha!
Thanks so much Jean!