Why Is New Zealand's Bigger Island the Emptier One?

Auckland alone has more people than the whole South Island, even though the South Island is bigger. So why is New Zealand so much emptier in the south? A sweet potato, a gold rush and a ship full of frozen meat help explain. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:23 The puzzle: two islands 0:59 Mountain south 1:53 Following the kūmara 3:18 The gold twist 4:37 Cold ships and cows 6:06 Auckland the magnet 6:51 The answer 7:24 Don't count the South out Sources and image credits: https://geographyuntangled.com/episod... How it's made: each fact checked in two sources; today's population figures all come from Stats NZ, the official statistics agency; our own maps from open data; AI voice. #geography #newzealand #maps