Northland and Waikato are snapping at the heels of Auckland as the regions with the fastest population growth.
Photo: 123RF
Statistics New Zealand figures show Northland and Waikato grew 2.4 percent over the past year, just behind Auckland's growth of 2.6 percent.
New Zealand's population grew by 100,400 in the year to June.
Seventy-thousand of that came from net migration, with more people arriving to live in the country than leaving.
Statistics New Zealand said migration was driving high growth in our big cities and the areas surrounding them.
The West Coast was the only region with a declining population.