The Nelson region's population is growing faster than anywhere else in the country, and this may be due to the influx of people leaving Canterbury following the earthquakes.

The latest population data for the year to June 2011 shows that Tasman district is the fastest-growing of 16 regional areas in New Zealand, growing at 1.68 per cent per year, while Nelson city is the third-fastest, with a growth rate of 1.54 per cent.

Nelson MP Nick Smith said that while there was a perception that all the growth was in Auckland, which grew by 1.65 per cent, Nelson and Tasman were growing just as fast proportionally.

However, the figure was distorted by the amount of people leaving Christchurch following the quakes, with Nelson making the biggest population gains proportionally from this, he said.

About 5000 people left the Canterbury area during the year to June 2011. About half went to Otago, 1500 to Nelson and Tasman, 700 to Southland, 300 to Marlborough and 200 to the West Coast.

"It is going to take time for the long-term impact of Christchurch's earthquakes on population in the South Island to settle, but these figures indicate it has had a significant impact," Dr Smith said.

He had written to various ministers to draw their attention to the fact that population growth here was faster than anywhere else in New Zealand.

"My aim is to ensure this latest data is taken into account when making resourcing decisions," Dr Smith said.