CoveragePost
January 21, 2026
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 21 January 2026 Truth in world affairs is not a single expert-narrated story. National Politics In our ‘official’ ‘United Nations’ world – the world referenced by the expression the international rules-based order – there are about 200 sovereign nation states (ie ‘countries’) which are equal members of the global community of ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Greenland: National Politics versus Geopolitics" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/21/keith-rankin-analysis-greenland-national-politics-versus-geopolitics/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Greenland: National Politics versus Geopolitics">Read more</a>
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November 5, 2025
The average household in PNG was five people, according to the 2024 Census final figures. Image: RNZ Pacific/Koroi Hawkins RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s population has passed the 10 million mark, according to the final figures from the 2024 Population Census released by the country’s statistics office. The PNG census began on 16 June 2024 ... <a title="Papua New Guinea’s population tops 10 million, census data reveals" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/11/05/papua-new-guineas-population-tops-10-million-census-data-reveals/" aria-label="Read more about Papua New Guinea’s population tops 10 million, census data reveals">Read more</a>
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October 14, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. An increasing proportion of New Zealand’s immigrants are foreign citizens. In the 2010s – especially the later 2010s – a critical driver of immigration had been returning New Zealand citizens. As the headlines have indicated, that process of sourcing immigrants from the New Zealand diaspora has long finished. Where have New ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Post-Covid Immigration to New Zealand by Nationality" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/14/keith-rankin-analysis-post-covid-immigration-to-new-zealand-by-nationality/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Post-Covid Immigration to New Zealand by Nationality">Read more</a>
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October 13, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The following tables represent an update of mortality by sex in relation to Table 2 from Decennial Increases in Deaths by Birth Cohort, in Aotearoa New Zealand. By looking at deaths registered in February to May only, it is possible to extend trends into 2025, avoiding fluctuations arising from winter illnesses. ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Decennial Increases in Deaths by Birth Cohort, an Update" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/13/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-decennial-increases-in-deaths-by-birth-cohort-an-update/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Decennial Increases in Deaths by Birth Cohort, an Update">Read more</a>
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August 8, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. In the wake of the recent release of labour force data (Household Labour Force Survey, HLFS, Nicola Willis bemoans ‘glass half empty’ view of unemployment figures, RNZ 6 August 2025), 1918-1920 National Party Leader Simon Bridges, has called for economic “stimulus” to rescue in particular the dire Auckland economy. (See Call ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Stimulate or Suffocate, in the light of Older Women’s Spending?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/08/08/keith-rankin-analysis-stimulate-or-suffocate-in-the-light-of-older-womens-spending/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Stimulate or Suffocate, in the light of Older Women’s Spending?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 8, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The above chart shows – in red – the annual percentage increase (since 1988) in numbers employed of women aged 65-69, based on Household Labour Force Survey employment data. (And it shows, for comparison, males aged 30-34; in blue, their percentages are shown on the right-hand side of the chart. I ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Employment growth in New Zealand for retirement-age women" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/08/08/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-employment-growth-in-new-zealand-for-retirement-age-women/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Employment growth in New Zealand for retirement-age women">Read more</a>
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August 7, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Quarterly Labour market data in Aotearoa New Zealand was released today. Much of the data is functionally useless, because of definitions which disguise rather than reveal important trends and turning points. I have focussed on employment data (although the definition of ’employment’ is too generous to be optimally useful) relative to ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis: Employment in New Zealand – especially of women – at the Age Margins" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/08/07/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-employment-in-new-zealand-especially-of-women-at-the-age-margins/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis: Employment in New Zealand – especially of women – at the Age Margins">Read more</a>
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October 18, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Recently I have published charts showing how people born around 1960 are already placing huge burdens on New Zealand’s healthcare system (Death Frequencies in Aotearoa New Zealand, by Birth Year, 26 Sep 2024) and how big falls in age-specific death rates have plateaued since 2010, and may now be reversing upwards ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Decennial Increases in Deaths by Birth Cohort, in Aotearoa New Zealand" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/10/18/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-decennial-increases-in-deaths-by-birth-cohort-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Decennial Increases in Deaths by Birth Cohort, in Aotearoa New Zealand">Read more</a>
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October 17, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin. This chart shows how death rates have fallen since the 1970s, emphasising the higher male death experience. The principal finding is that dramatically falling death rates have plateaued since around 2010, especially for men aged 50 to 64. Yet the starkest fact portrayed is the much higher death rates of males ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Death Rates of Older Working Males in Aotearoa New Zealand, from the late 1970s" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/10/17/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-death-rates-of-older-working-males-in-aotearoa-new-zealand-from-the-late-1970s/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Death Rates of Older Working Males in Aotearoa New Zealand, from the late 1970s">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 13, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin Generally, more people die in winter. Not surprising, though some years have significantly more deaths than others, and the timing of ‘peak death’ each year varies between the wintery months. These charts show the deaths, determined from weekly data, of people named Smith, New Zealand’s most common surname last century. The ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – New Zealand Post-War Mortality: Seasonal Patterns" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/02/13/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-new-zealand-post-war-mortality-seasonal-patterns/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – New Zealand Post-War Mortality: Seasonal Patterns">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 10, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin. In the absence of more detailed recent data on deaths in New Zealand, the Smithometer acts as a good proxy for older New Zealanders’ mortality. The Smithometer includes all New Zealand deaths where the persons’ surnames are Smith, including women with birth surnames of Smith. So, the Smithometer most reflects the ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Mortality of Older New Zealanders, the Latest Smithometer" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/01/10/keith-rankin-analysis-mortality-of-older-new-zealanders-the-latest-smithometer/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Mortality of Older New Zealanders, the Latest Smithometer">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
November 16, 2023
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The three components to the crisis are churn, aging, and the increasing predominance of births into disadvantaged households. Churn Yesterday the main release from Statistics New Zealand was Record net migration loss of New Zealand citizens. ” There was a record net migration loss of 44,700 New Zealand citizens in the ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – New Zealand’s coming triple demographic crisis" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/11/16/keith-rankin-analysis-new-zealands-coming-triple-demographic-crisis/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – New Zealand’s coming triple demographic crisis">Read more</a>
