Elsthorpe | |
|---|---|
Locality | |
 Interactive map of Elsthorpe | |
| Coordinates:39°55′01″S176°48′54″E / 39.917°S 176.815°E /-39.917; 176.815 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Hawke's Bay |
| Territorial authority | Central Hawke's Bay District |
| Ward | Aramoana-Ruahine |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Central Hawke's Bay District Council |
| • Regional council | Hawke's Bay Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Central Hawke's Bay | Will Foley[3] |
| • Tukituki MP | Catherine Wedd[4] |
| • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 281.49 km2 (108.68 sq mi) |
| Population (2023 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 417 |
| • Density | 1.48/km2 (3.84/sq mi) |
Elsthorpe is a village in theCentral Hawke's Bay District andHawke's Bay region of New Zealand'sNorth Island. It is located east ofŌtāne,Waipawa andState Highway 2 and west of the east coast.[6]
It began as a sheep station, named afterElsthorpe, a hamlet in the English county ofLincolnshire.[7] It is now a small settlement, supporting neighbouring sheep farms.[8][9]
The local St Stephen's Chapel holds five services during the year under the oversight of St Luke's Anglican Church inHavelock North.[10] The village also features a memorial toRoyal New Zealand Air Force helicopter pilot Flight Lieutenant William Waterhouse, who died in aVietnam War training accident in Canberra in January 1969.[11]
The Elsthorpe and neighbouringOmakere rugby union teams were featured in a New Zealand television advertisement for coverage of the2019 Rugby World Cup.
Elsthorpe locality covers 281.49 km2 (108.68 sq mi).[1] The locality is part of theMangarara statistical area.[12]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 339 | — |
| 2013 | 324 | −0.64% |
| 2018 | 369 | +2.64% |
| 2023 | 417 | +2.48% |
| Source:[2][13] | ||
Elsthorpe had a population of 417 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (13.0%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 93 people (28.7%) since the2013 census. There were 210 males and 207 females in 156 dwellings.[14] There were 102 people (24.5%) aged under 15 years, 45 (10.8%) aged 15 to 29, 201 (48.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 66 (15.8%) aged 65 or older.[2]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 92.1%European (Pākehā); 16.5%Māori; 2.2%Pasifika; 0.7%Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.1%, Māori by 3.6%, and other languages by 5.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 12.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.[2]
Religious affiliations were 33.8%Christian, 0.7%New Age, and 1.4% other religions. People who answered that they hadno religion were 59.7%, and 2.9% of people did not answer the census question.[2]
Of those at least 15 years old, 72 (22.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 186 (59.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 57 (18.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 24 people (7.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 189 (60.0%) full-time, 51 (16.2%) part-time, and 3 (1.0%) unemployed.[2]
Elsthorpe School is a Year 1-8 co-educational state primary school.[15] It is adecile 9 school with a roll of 44 as of July 2025.[16][17] It opened in 1898.[18]