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Cows grazing - Source: Thinkstock
It's grim news for young rural men with high testosterone levels.
Fifteen districts across the country - including Otorohanga, Waitomo and South Waikato - have either stagnant or declining populations of young adults, with a notable loss of women in the more fertile age range.
Waikato University researcher Natalie Jackson and research scholarship student Dave Greenslade collected the information from Statistics New Zealand figures.
And they say the figures are part of a worsening decline as the older generation dies off and young people leave.
They're still assessing the data, and each area tends to have different characteristics, but these districts have a significant deficit of young adults.
"Young women in particular are moving away and not coming back. So not only do you lose them, but you don't get the children they may have," Greenslade said.
But that's news to 24-year-old Jenna Connors - a loyal Otorohanga resident.
The Thirsty Weta beverage manager has been in the district 20 years, and chose to stay because of family.
As for the singles scene, "I think it's just as good as any other town, I'm assuming.
"If I was female, which I am, and single, yes, it probably would be good because there are a lot of males in this town."
But competition for the opposite sex would be tough, Connors said.
District Mayor Dale Williams questions the study's statistics but agrees more needs to be done at local and central government level to give young adults opportunities.
"The reality is most of the wealth is created in the regions but trying to get government support or funding for initiatives, like our youth programmes ... for the last seven years we've been swimming upstream."
The world's population recently reached seven billion.
Districts with stagnant or declining populations:
Chatham Islands
Gore
Kawerau
Opotiki
Otorohanga
Rangitikei
Ruapehu
South Taranaki
South Waikato
Tararua
Wairoa
Waitaki
Waitomo
Wanganui
Whakatane
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