Southland District

Southland District is a New Zealand territorial authority district that covers most of the southern end of the South Island as well as Stewart Island. History Southland District was formed through the 1989 local government reforms. Four local authorities were amalgamated at that time: Wallace County, Winton Borough, Stewart Island County and most of Southland County. John Casey, who was first elected onto Southland County Council in 1977, oversaw the amalgamation and was elected Southland District's first mayor in 1989. Winton Wallacetown Ward was renamed Oreti Ward with effect from the Council election on 12 October 2019. The Ōreti River flows through this ward. Geography Southland District covers the majority of the land area of Southland Region, although the region also covers Gore District, Invercargill City and adjacent territorial waters. It has a land area of 29,574.53 square kilometres (11,419 sq mi), excluding inland waters such as Lake Te Anau, Lake Manapouri, and Lake Hauroko. Southland District contains the islands south of Foveaux Strait: Solander Islands Stewart Island Ruapuke Island The seat of the district council is Invercargill, which, however, is not part of Southland District, but a territorial authority in its own right. Two of New Zealand's largest national parks are within the boundaries of Southland District: Fiordland National Park, and Rakiura National Park (which covers most of Stewart Island / Rakiura). Urban areas and settlements The Southland District has three towns with a population over 1,000. Together, they are home to 21.2% of the district's population. Other settlements and localities in the district include: Mararoa Waimea Ward Waiau Aparima Ward Waihopai Toetoe Ward Oreti Ward Stewart Island-Rakiura Ward Oban Port Pegasus (uninhabited) Port William (uninhabited) Demographics Southland District covers 29,575.19 km2 (11,419.04 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 33,900 as of June 2025, with a population density of 1.1 people per km2. Southland District had a population of 31,833 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 969 people (3.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 2,220 people (7.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 16,533 males, 15,219 females and 78 people of other genders in 13,371 dwellings. 2.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 40.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 6,387 people (20.1%) aged under 15 years, 5,025 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 14,874 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 5,544 (17.4%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 86.3% European (Pākehā); 13.0% Māori; 1.4% Pasifika; 7.6% Asian; 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori language by 2.0%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 7.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.3, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.8% Christian, 0.5% Hindu, 0.1% Islam, 0.3% Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% Buddhist, 0.3% New Age, and 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.7%, and 8.7% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 3,174 (12.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 14,385 (56.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 7,026 (27.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $44,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 2,211 people (8.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 14,340 (56.4%) people were employed full-time, 3,969 (15.6%) were part-time, and 378 (1.5%) were unemployed. Government Mayor The current district mayor is Rob Scott. He has held this position since 2022. Council The district council is made up of twelve elected members, from various ward areas, and, like any other local authority, is elected every three years. Sister cities Current sister city Cinque Terre, La Spezia, Liguria Former sister city Wyong Shire, New South Wales Southland District was a sister city to Wyong Shire in New South Wales, Australia until 2010. See also List of historic places in Southland District References External links Southland District Council official website