Fordlands

Fordlands is a western suburb of Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island.
The area is named for Harry Ford, whose model dairy farm became the suburb.
It was described in 2017 as the most deprived suburb in New Zealand. The suburb was an inspiration for the novel Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff.

Demographics

Fordlands covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km².
Fordlands had a population of 2,667 in the 2023 New [Zealand census], an increase of 207 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 549 people since the 2013 census. There were 1,287 males, 1,362 females, and 18 people of other genders in 750 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 29.7 years. There were 711 people aged under 15 years, 639 aged 15 to 29, 1,062 aged 30 to 64, and 255 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 32.8% European ; 70.3% Māori; 15.0% Pasifika; 6.4% Asian; 0.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 1.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.9%, Māori by 23.7%, Samoan by 1.8%, and other languages by 6.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.7%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.9, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 31.7% Christian, 0.6% Hindu, 0.4% Islam, 7.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% Buddhist, 0.7% New Age, and 0.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 52.1%, and 7.2% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 156 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,080 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 723 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $30,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 33 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 795 full-time, 198 part-time, and 183 unemployed.