Zombie Towns: Everything I Missed
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What is the origin of the term “zombie towns” and why did it cause controversy?
Kioda, welcome to the detail. I'm Alexia Russell. Today, something different. We're playing the first episode of a new podcast called Zombie Towns, Everything I Missed. It's from economist Shamubel Jakob, who coined the term in twenty fourteen, and copped a fair bit of flack for it. He was looking at provincial towns where the closures of businesses were threatening a population exodus that would leave them like the living dead. Well, he's gone back to those zombie towns and found that to his surprise, some are rising from the grave. So what are they getting right? And what are some still getting wrong? Made by Ponsombie Productions and funded by New Zealand on Air, Zombie Towns is a seven part podcast.
After you've listened to this, the second episode's also out now. Just search Zombie Towns wherever you get your podcasts. So here we go, Shamabel Yaakub is on the road to his Zombie Towns.
Hello. My name is Shamabiel Yakub. I'm an economist. Ten years ago, I invented the term zombie towns. Back then I thought of myself as the canary in the coal mine. Warning anyone who'd listen of a slow train wreck hurtling towards Heartland, New Zealand. Commodity prices were all over the place. And experts were calling New Zealand a two speed economy. As someone whose job is to strategize, I was frustrated. It seemed like the cities were ignoring what was happening in small town New Zealand. But conversely, those towns were waiting to be saved. And as I saw it back then. That was never going to happen. Today, I think maybe I misjudged some things. Over the next seven episodes, I'm going to tell you why. Perhaps not surprisingly.
Rural Nizon hated me for zombie towns.
How did Shamubeel Eaqub’s early warnings about provincial decline shape his research?
Local government leaders have been told they need to own up to the challenges facing rural New Zealand or risk being left with a series of so-called zombie towns. Shemabil Yaqob from the Institute of the United States.
So when we heard about the term zombie towns and how it was applied to rural New Zealand and our towns particularly, we were pissed off. That's Steve Hill, the CEO of Clutha District Council. That was definitely a challenge, uh that one. And in fact we took it uh as a challenge. But the
biggest reaction was in Wanganui. After I said this.
The reality unfortunately is that we continue to see this steady drip of job losses in places like Nwanganwing. And can we innovate and reinvent ourselves fast enough to create new jobs that will offset that? The answer is not yet.
And this. We've seen life cycles of cities, cities come and grow, it happens, and yet in a in a moment of time it feels terrible to say that one region, one place might not be there tomorrow. Such was their loathing, I was even the reason for a protest match down the main street. And truthfully, I have never been brave enough to go back to Wanganui. Much has changed in the last decade. We've had wars, energy shocks. And Trans-America has upended the rules-based system that stabilized international relations since the Second World War. As I started thinking about this stuff, I realized an anniversary was approaching. It's been forty years since something we call Rogenomics happened. Many people my age or younger have no idea the disruption wrought when the fourth Labour government came to power in nineteen eighty four.
The need for a change in direction has been acknowledged.
That's Roger Douglas. He was the new Minister of Finance. And after years of Robert Maldoon's micromanagement and protected industries, Douglas was determined to prove New Zealand would be better off in a free market.
Historians may rate Sir Roger as the most influential politician never to be Prime Minister. As finance minister in the Labor government of the nineteen eighties, he led the dramatic reshaping of the economy, which saw the dollar floated, GST introduced, government assets sold, and the public service restructured.
He wasn't alone. Рональ регенез. And Maggie Thatcher was doing the same in Britain. All ushering in economic theories that still dominate today. Here in New Zealand, Douglas quickly did two things.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the origin of the term “zombie towns” and why did it cause controversy?
0:00–2:07
2
How did Shamubeel Eaqub’s early warnings about provincial decline shape his research?
2:07–6:11
3
What was the reaction from rural leaders and communities to being labeled “zombie towns”?
6:11–10:33
4
How did the 1980s Roger Douglas economic reforms impact small‑town New Zealand?
10:33–14:15
5
Why did some towns like Wanganui start to revive while others stayed in decline?
14:15–17:33
6
What can the story of Balclutha’s rise, fall, and recent resurgence teach us about regional resilience?
17:33–20:45
7
How are younger generations influencing the future of New Zealand’s provincial communities?
20:45–20:53
8
What are the key lessons from the first episode for understanding today’s rural economic landscape?
20:53–20:59