District Profile

This page shows Whangarei district profile. This is part of Strategic Planning LTCCP 2004 - 2014.

Key District Statistics | Community Profile | Population | Economic Profile

The Whangarei District covers the lower eastern section of Northland. It extends from Bland Bay in the north to Langs Beach in the south and westwards toward Dargaville. The district has a land area of approximately 270,000 hectares, of which 90 percent is rural, with up to two thirds of the Districts land being used for pastoral farming. The district has many interesting landscapes , including over 270 kilometres of open coastline which contains some of New Zealand's most picturesque beaches.

There are many offshore islands which are home to rare and native plants and animals, with the Poor Knights Marine Reserve featuring as a well known tourist attraction.

The District has a mild subtropical climate. There are normally a few frosts in winter, while summer has long spells of temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is approximately 1700mm per year and this is about average for New Zealand . However, weather events with high rainfall can result in flooding of some areas.

The Whangarei District's population stands at 71,400 (estimate as at 30 June 2003) which is about 50 percent of Northland's total population. The district's population is projected to rise to 75,900 by 2021. It is growing at a slightly lower rate than the national average and is 1.8 percent of New Zealand 's resident population.

Source: Statistics New Zealand , Census of Population and Dwellings

Whangarei City is the largest shopping centre in Northland, and the District contains the major port for the Northland Region (Marsden Point). There are also a number of smaller townships and settlements around the District. There are a greater percentage of people of Maori descent living in the district than in many other areas of New Zealand , and that number is increasing.

The District's economy is based on traditional pastoral farming. Newer industries including tourism, horticulture, forestry and fishing are now also strong contributors to the district's business activity.

In addition, the Marsden Point Oil Refinery, Marsden Point Port , Portland Cement Works, LVL Plant, Kauri Dairy Factory and super yacht construction are located within the District and provide major economic inputs to the local area.

The District enjoys a full range of sporting, recreational and cultural facilities, mainly centered in Whangarei. These include sports parks, an indoor heated swimming pool, a range of museums and galleries, a network of walkways, the Quayside Town Basin attraction and a number of theatre performance venues.

The recent revamping of the Cameron Street Mall has created an attractive, bustling centre for the central city.

Whangarei is well served with preschool facilities, a number of primary schools, two intermediate and seven high schools.

The Northland Polytechnic , with its main campus located in Raumanga, offers a range of options for those undertaking tertiary level studies (including degrees). There are also a number of private education and training providers.

Whangarei's close proximity to Auckland and an improved road link mean that tourism and recreational activities are of growing significance to the District. The demand for subdivision and development, especially to the south and along the coastline, is also predicted to increase.

Key District Statistics

For the 2003/2004 financial year (unless otherwise stated)

Land Area	270,000 hectares	Photo courtesy of the Northern Advocate
Population (Census 2001)	68,094
Rateable Properties	34,324
Land Value	$3,121,396,380
Capital Value	$7,405,156,565
Average Residential Rate	$1,163
Reserves and Sports Parks	268
Roads - Sealed	938 kilometres
- Unsealed	810 kilometres
Water Distribution System	619 kilometres
Sewerage Reticulation	427 kilometres

Community Profile

Percentage of Total and 2001 Census Data (unless otherwise stated)

Population

Whangarei's population has shown slow growth from the late 1980's to 2001.

The District's population increased by 2 percent from the 1996 Census to the 2001 Census, to reach 68,094. This is compared to a national average population increase of 3.3% for the same period.

The population estimate for Whangarei District as at 30 th June 2003 is 71,400 people. This is an increase of 700 people, or 1 percent since 30 th June 2002.

Source: Statistics New Zealand , Census of Population and Dwellings

There is a trend over the last 10 years for the majority of the population growth to occur in the rural and coastal areas of the District.

In addition to growing in total numbers, Whangarei's population is also ageing and has an above average proportion of people aged below 15 years.

The median age of people in the District has risen from 31.8 years in 1991 to 36.7 years in 2001.

The District's communities are mainly made up of NZ European and Maori with a lower proportion of other groups than in New Zealand as a whole.

Economic Profile

There were a total of 629 new dwellings worth $104.3 million authorised within the Whangarei District for the year ended September 2003. This is a rise of 27 percent from the previous year.

Source: Statistics New Zealand , Census of Population and Dwellings

Real estate sales have also increased for the Northland Region, with the number of dwelling sales for the September 2003 quarter being 52.8 percent higher than for the September 2002 quarter.

The levels of unemployment in the District are low in comparison to the rest of the Northland Region; however the level of unemployment in Northland is one of the highest in the country. The unemployment rate for the September 2003 quarter was 4.3 percent for New Zealand and 8.3 percent for Northland.

In February 2003 there were 5,521 businesses in the Whangarei District employing 24,490 full-time equivalent staff (FTEs).

The principal industry within the Whangarei District was the property and business services industry which accounted for 27.8 percent of all businesses in the District. The next most significant industry within the District was the construction industry. Overall, the District contains 1.7 percent of all business in New Zealand . The new deep water port has opened at Marsden Point and has the potential to promote future growth. The closeness of the District to Auckland , being New Zealand 's largest population catchment, gives rise to a host of other opportunities. The District also has a number of advantages, including its long growing season, relatively stable workforce, availability of land and lifestyle opportunities. There is potential for growth in industries such as forestry, fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, horticulture and tourism.

Photo courtesy of Northern Advocate