19-643: 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 38,400 as of June 2024. Ashburton District extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Southern Alps , and from
38-955: A population density of 6.2 people per km. Ashburton District had a population of 34,746 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,323 people (4.0%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 3,705 people (11.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 17,544 males, 17,118 females and 84 people of other genders in 13,833 dwellings. 2.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 40.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 6,714 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 5,724 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,447 (44.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,864 (19.8%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 81.1% European ( Pākehā ); 8.6% Māori ; 6.0% Pasifika ; 9.4% Asian ; 1.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
57-697: Is a territorial authority area governed by a district council as a second-tier of local government in New Zealand , below regional councils . They were formed as a result of the local government reforms in 1989 . There are 53 districts in New Zealand , and they do not include the 12 city councils , the Auckland Council , and the Chatham Islands Council . District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer
76-425: Is a mixture of elected councillors and government appointed commissioners. Councils may use a first-past-the-post or single transferable vote system. The chairperson is selected by the elected council members. Regional councils are funded through property rates , subsidies from central government, income from trading, and user charges for certain public services. Councils set their own levels of rates, though
95-491: Is divided into sixteen regions for local government purposes. Eleven are administered by regional councils, and five are administered by unitary authorities , which are territorial authorities that also perform the functions of regional councils. The Chatham Islands Council is not a region but is similar to a unitary authority, authorised under its own legislation. The regional councils are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of
114-503: The Local Government Act 1974 . The regional councils replaced the more than 700 ad hoc bodies that had been formed in the preceding century – roads boards, catchment boards, drainage boards, pest control boards, harbour boards, domain and reserve boards. In addition they took over some roles that had previously been performed by county councils. The boundaries of the regions are based largely on drainage basins . This anticipated
133-464: The Local Government Act 2002 , along with reference to the Gazette notices that established them in 1989. The Act requires regional councils to promote sustainable development – the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities. The current regions and most of their councils came into being through a local government reform in 1989 that took place under
152-597: 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. Ashburton District covers 6,181.45 km (2,386.67 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 38,400 as of June 2024, with
171-550: The Resource Management Act 1991 : Regional councils have responsibility for functions under other statutes; Notes: (1) These regions have unitary authorities . (2) The Gisborne Region is still widely but unofficially known by its former name East Cape or as the East Coast. Some outlying islands are not included within regional boundaries. The Chatham Islands is not in a region, although its council has some of
190-541: The administration of many environmental and public transport matters, while the district councils administer local roads and reserves, sewerage, building consents, the land use and subdivision aspects of resource management, and other local matters. Some activities are delegated to council-controlled organisations . There are currently 53 districts in New Zealand . The North Island comprises 34 districts. The South Island and Stewart Island comprise 19 districts. Notes: Regions of New Zealand New Zealand
209-421: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 3,243 (11.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 15,759 (56.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,118 (29.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 42,800, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 2,313 people (8.3%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
SECTION 10
#1732852122426228-533: The larger urban areas . Three districts ( Gisborne , Tasman , and Marlborough ) are unitary authorities also performing the functions of a regional council. Districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Taupō District has the distinction of straddling the boundaries of four different regions. Regional council areas are based on water catchment areas, whereas district council areas are based on community of interest and road access. Regional councils are responsible for
247-415: The legislation were coordination of civil defence and development of a regional plan, although the constituent TLAs could agree on additional responsibilities at the point of formation of each united council. For example, in a number of cases the united council took responsibility for the allocation of revenue from regional petrol taxes. The united councils were based in the facilities of the largest TLA in
266-673: The mechanism for collecting it usually involves channelling through the territorial authority collection system. The Auckland Regional Council (now the Auckland Council ) was preceded by the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA), which existed from 1963 to 1989. The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board. In 1978, legislation
285-524: The powers of a regional council under the Resource Management Act 1991 . The Kermadecs and the subantarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number of Department of Conservation staff and there is no regional council for these islands. Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001, except for the Canterbury regional council, which
304-510: The responsibilities of the Resource Management Act 1991 . Most regional boundaries conform with territorial authority boundaries but there are a number of exceptions. An example is Taupo District , split between four regions, although most of its area is in the Waikato region. There is often a high degree of co-operation between regional and territorial councils as they have complementary roles. Regional councils have these specific functions under
323-485: Was passed enabling the formation of regions with united councils . Twenty regions were designated, excluding the Auckland and Wellington areas. For most of the country this was the first regional level of government since the abolition of provinces in 1876. Councillors were not elected directly – they were appointed from the various territorial local authorities (TLAs) within the region. The only responsibilities mandated by
342-542: Was spoken by 97.0%, Māori language by 1.4%, Samoan by 1.5% and other languages by 10.1%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 20.6, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 39.2% Christian , 1.1% Hindu , 0.6% Islam , 0.3% Māori religious beliefs , 0.6% Buddhist , 0.3% New Age , and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 49.5%, and 7.4% of people did not answer
361-599: Was that 14,793 (52.8%) people were employed full-time, 4,167 (14.9%) were part-time, and 507 (1.8%) were unemployed. 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. [REDACTED] Media related to Ashburton District at Wikimedia Commons Districts of New Zealand A district in New Zealand
#425574