Waitaki District


Waitaki District is a territorial authority district in the Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the former border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru.

History

Waitaki District is made up of the former Waitaki County, Waihemo County and Oamaru Borough, which were amalgamated in 1989. It is governed by the Waitaki District Council.

Name

During the colonial period, the area was also known as Molesworth. However, the Māori name Waitaki eventually prevailed.

Geography

It has a land area of, of which or 59.02% is in the Canterbury Region and or 40.98% in the Otago Region. It is the only district in the South Island that lies in two regions.
A major reason for this split was the governance of the Waitaki River, which formed a political boundary between Canterbury and Otago. With major hydro schemes on this river, it was decided to place the entire catchment in one administrative region, thus forming the split. Some people in the Canterbury Region of Waitaki District still regard themselves as part of Otago, and attempts have been made in the past to change the boundary. The district, which is agricultural by nature, comprises the wide alluvial fan of the river, and runs inland along the banks of the river, forming a roughly triangular region.

Urban areas and settlements

Oamaru, the district seat, is the only town in the Waitaki district with a population over 1,000. It is home to people, % of the district's population.
Other settlements and localities in the district include:
Ahuriri Ward:
Waihemo Ward:
Corriedale Ward:
  • Airedale
  • All Day Bay
  • Awamoko
  • Cormacks
  • Corriedale
  • Elderslie
  • Enfield
  • Five Forks
  • Fuchsia Creek
  • Georgetown
  • Herbert
  • Hilderthorpe
  • Incholme
  • Island Cliff
  • Island Stream
  • Kakanui
  • Kauru Hill
  • Kia Ora
  • Kuriheka
  • Maheno
  • Maraeweka
  • Marakerake
  • Maruakoa
  • Ngapara
  • Otepopo
  • Papakaio
  • Peebles
  • Pukeuri
  • Queens Flat
  • Reidston
  • Richmond
  • Rosebery
  • Tapui
  • Taranui
  • Teschemakers
  • Tokarahi
  • Totara
  • Waimotu
  • Waitaki Bridge
  • Whitecraig
  • Whitstone
  • Windsor Park
  • Windsor
Oamaru Ward:
  • Ardgowan
  • Oamaru
  • '''Weston'''

    Demographics

Waitaki District covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
Waitaki District had a population of 23,472 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,164 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,643 people since the 2013 census. There were 11,658 males, 11,745 females and 69 people of other genders in 9,975 dwellings. 2.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 46.1 years. There were 4,035 people aged under 15 years, 3,507 aged 15 to 29, 10,317 aged 30 to 64, and 5,610 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 85.0% European ; 9.5% Māori; 5.5% Pasifika; 6.9% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 3.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.6%, Māori language by 1.4%, Samoan by 0.3% and other languages by 9.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.5%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 18.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 36.4% Christian, 0.9% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 0.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.8%, and 8.1% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,262 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 10,641 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 5,844 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $34,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,311 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 9,210 people were employed full-time, 2,748 were part-time, and 333 were unemployed.
NameArea
PopulationDensity
DwellingsMedian ageMedian
income
Ahuriri Ward4,195.391,8990.4590046.6 years$39,100
Oamaru Ward38.5514,499376.116,06946.3 years$33,200
Waihemo Ward1,321.152,5111.901,13750.2 years$32,400
Corriedale Ward1,552.854,5602.941,86943.2 years$41,300
New Zealand38.1 years$41,500

Economy

A relatively sparsely settled area, the District has a large number of farms. However, in recent times, numerous proposals for new farming operations have locals fearing that the agriculture will be transformed from often family-held farms to large agribusiness operations, causing local ecological damage and siphoning off capital overseas.