Important Information | National Trend | Regional Trend | Territorial Authority Trends
Number of Dependent Children Tables
This analysis explores the changes that have occurred since 1991 in the distribution and numbers of dependent children within owner-occupied households. This information can give an insight into crowding issues for owner-occupied households.
National Trend
The total number of owner-occupied households in New Zealand increased by 2.3 percent between 1991 and 2001, but owner-occupied households with dependent child(ren) decreased by 9.2 percent over the same period. Owner-occupied households with four or more dependent children decreased the most, falling by 20.3 percent or 4,641 households. Numerically, three dependent children owner-occupied households recorded the greatest decline, down by 9,294.
By 2001, owner-occupied households with no dependent child(ren) made up 65.5 percent of all owner-occupied households, up 4.3 percentage points from the 1991 figure. All other dependent child(ren) categories declined proportionally. Two dependent children owner-occupied households recorded the largest decline, down 1.4 percentage points to reach 14 percent; and four or more dependent children owner-occupied households recorded the smallest decline, falling 0.6 percentage points, to 2.1 percent, in 2001 (see figure 1).
Figure 1
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 1991, 1996 and 2001
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Regional Trend
All regions except Tasman Region followed the national trend of increasing numbers of owner-occupied households with no dependent child(ren) and decreasing numbers of owner-occupied households with dependent child(ren) between 1991 and 2001.
Tasman Region recorded a positive percentage change in the number of owner-occupied households with dependent child(ren), a 3.7 percent increase over the 10 years. Southland Region experienced the largest percentage decrease, falling 25.7 percent, in owner-occupied households with dependent child(ren) while Auckland Region had the smallest decrease, at 0.4 percent. Interestingly, Tasman Region also had the largest increase in owner-occupied households with no dependent child(ren), at 25.7 percent or 1,473 households. The next highest regions were Marlborough, at 20.5 percent or 1,257 households, and Northland, at 20.4 percent or 3,642 households.
Proportionally, Marlborough Region in 2001 had the highest percentage of owner-occupied households with no dependent child(ren) at 70.4 percent. Otago Region, at 68.8 percent and Nelson Region, at 68.3 percent had the next highest proportions. The largest increase in the proportion of owner-occupied no dependent child(ren) households was seen in Southland Region, up 8.1 percentage points, to reach 66.2 percent in 2001. The smallest increase was in Auckland Region, up 1.5 percentage points to account for 62.8 percent of the region's owner-occupied households by 2001.
Some 37.2 percent of owner-occupied households in both the Auckland and Gisborne Regions had dependent children. For all regions, the proportion of owner-occupied households with two dependent children was higher than that for households with one dependent child in all three census years. The two dependent children category saw the largest percentage point change of all the dependent children categories, down 1.4 points nationally between 1991 and 2001, to record 14 percent of all owner-occupied households. In Southland Region, the proportion of this type of household was down 3.4 points to reach 13.5 percent of the region's owner-occupied households in 2001.
The South Island had a higher proportion of owner-occupied households with no dependent children, at 68.1 percent, than the North Island, at 64.5 percent, in 2001. The corresponding figures in 1991 were 63.5 percent and 60.3 percent, respectively.
Figure 2
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 1991 and 2001
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Territorial Authority Trends
In the last three censuses, 1991, 1996, and 2001, Christchurch City had the highest number of owner-occupied households in New Zealand. The city also had the highest number of owner-occupied households with no dependent children across the 10 years: 51,732 households in 1991, 54,495 households in 1996 and 54,741 households in 2001. The number of owner-occupied households with dependent children in Christchurch City declined in the 10 years, from 27,261 households in 1991 to 24,927 households in 2001, but these figures were still the highest in the country.
By 2001, in all territorial authorities, the proportion of owner-occupied households with no dependent child(ren) was over 50 percent. Thames-Coromandel District consistently had the highest proportion of owner-occupied households with no dependent children: 76.8 percent in 2001, 74.8 percent in 1996 and 72.6 percent in 1991. Queentown-Lakes District recorded the largest increase in owner-occupied households with no dependent child(ren) between 1991 and 2001, at 55.3 percent, while Auckland City had the largest decrease (one of only three territorial authorities that had a decrease), at 2.4 percent.
Between 1991 and 2001, Queenstown-Lakes District had the largest increases in owner-occupied households with one dependent child (up 75.3 percent), with two dependent children (up 71 percent) and with three dependent children (up 37.5 percent). Waimakariri District had the largest increase in four or more dependent children owner-occupied households, up by 28.3 percent. Conversely, Kawerau District had the largest decreases in owner-occupied households with one dependent child (down 43.5 percent), with two dependent children down (47.8 percent) and with three dependent children (down 52.4 percent). Carterton District had the largest decrease in the four or more dependent children category, up by 47.8 percent.
Figure 3
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 2001
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Important Information
Owner-occupied
Unless otherwise stated, owner-occupied households include the tenure of household categories:
- Dwelling owned or partly owned by usual resident(s), who make mortgage payments
- Dwelling owned or partly owned by usual resident(s), who do not make mortgage payments
- Dwelling owned or partly owned by usual resident(s), mortgage arrangements not further defined
Dependent Child(ren)
A 'child in a family nucleus' who is aged less than 18 years and who is not employed full-time. (To be a 'child in a family nucleus' a person must have usual residence with at least one parent, and have no partner or child(ren) of their own living in the same household. Child(ren) in a family nucleus are divided into two sub-groups: 'dependent child(ren) and 'adult child(ren)')
Calculations
Percentages have been calculated using stated answers only.