EXPERT INSIGHTS INTO COMBATTING THE PULL OF AUCKLAND AND GETTING THE REGIONS HUMMINGLoss of jobs, loss of young people, the ageing demographic, the apparently irresistible magnet of Auckland …the economic fortunes of New Zealand’s regions are of great concern to politicians, the business community, schools, employers - and indeed most citizens. What is the dynamic at work here? Is there a remedy? Is there a silver lining? What works? What doesn’t? What are the smart regions doing that shows promise? This collection of expert articles addresses the issues facing our regions and investigates the reasons for population loss. Often those solutions involve facing up to the fact that decline is inevitable and unavoidable - and then coming up with smart new plans and policies that accept that the end of growth does not have to mean the end of prosperity.Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley is one of New Zealand’s leading academics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He joined the Massey staff in 1979 and was, until becoming Pro Vice-Chancellor in October 2013, the College’s Research Director and Auckland Regional Director. He has led numerous externally funded research programmes, including the Ministry of Science and Innovation’s $3.2 million Integration of Immigrants and the $800,000 Nga Tangata Oho Mairangi. He has written or edited 25 books and is a regular commentator in the news media.In 2010, he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of California Berkeley and in 2013, a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Goettingen. He was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand Science and Technology medal in 2009 in recognition of his academic scholarship, leadership and public contribution to cultural understanding. In 2011, his contribution to Sociology was acknowledged with the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand’s scholarship for exceptional service to New Zealand sociology. In 2013, he was given the title of Distinguished Professor, Massey University’s highest academic title.