Ashburton District

Ashburton District is a territorial authority district in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It encompasses the town of Ashburton, a number of small towns and settlements and the surrounding rural area, roughly coterminous with Mid Canterbury. The district had a population of 36,800 as of June 2023.[2]

Ashburton District
Territorial authority district
Coordinates: 43°34′48″S 171°20′53″E
CountryNew Zealand
RegionCanterbury
Wards
  • Western
  • Eastern
  • Ashburton
Formed1989
SeatAshburton
Government
 • MayorNeil Brown
 • Territorial authorityAshburton District Council
Area
[1]
 • Total6,181.59 km2 (2,386.73 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2023)[2]
 • Total36,800
 • Density6.0/km2 (15/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)
Map of postcodes
Websitewww.ashburtondc.govt.nz

Geography

Ashburton District extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Southern Alps, and from the Rangitata River to the Rakaia River, including the towns of Methven, Mount Somers, and Rakaia. The Hakatere Conservation Park covers a large area of the lower mountains, including Mount Hutt skifield, popular tramping area Mount Somers / Te Kiekie and the Ashburton Lakes.

Demographics

Ashburton District covers 6,181.69 km2 (2,386.76 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 36,800 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 6.0 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200627,372—    
201331,041+1.81%
201833,423+1.49%
Source: [3]

Ashburton District had a population of 33,423 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,382 people (7.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 6,051 people (22.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 12,996 households. There were 17,016 males and 16,407 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 39.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 6,810 people (20.4%) aged under 15 years, 5,937 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 14,697 (44.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 5,982 (17.9%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 83.8% European/Pākehā, 8.2% Māori, 5.1% Pacific peoples, 7.4% Asian, and 2.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 18.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 44.7% had no religion, 45.4% were Christian, 0.8% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 3,477 (13.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 6,243 (23.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 4,071 people (15.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 14,211 (53.4%) people were employed full-time, 4,281 (16.1%) were part-time, and 633 (2.4%) were unemployed.[3]

Individual wards (2018 boundaries)
NameArea (km2)PopulationDensity (per km2)HouseholdsMedian ageMedian income
Western Ward4,745.235,5321.172,16635.2 years$41,300
Eastern Ward1,385.889,0486.533,34536.6 years$41,100
Ashburton Ward50.5818,846372.607,48542.0 years$31,700
New Zealand37.4 years$31,800

Government

Ashburton District Council administers the district. The council consists of a mayor and nine councillors. The councillors are elected from three wards: five from the Ashburton ward, and two each from the Eastern and Western wards.

References
  1. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  2. "Subnational population estimates (RC, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (regional councils); "Subnational population estimates (TA, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (territorial authorities); "Subnational population estimates (urban rural), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (urban areas)
  3. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Ashburton District (063). 2018 Census place summary: Ashburton District

Media related to Ashburton District at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.